Ben Kweller

In 1993, with Bryan Blur on bass and John Kent on drums, Kweller established Radish. The group made its mark on the local Dallas scene, not far from Greenville, TX, where Kweller was raised. In 1994, the musical wunderkind and his outfit put out the EP Hello through Practice Amp Records. That same year, the label released the album Dizzy. Roger Greenawalt, a producer, stepped into the picture in 1995. He led Radish through the production of a demo that led to the inking of a contract with Mercury during the summer of 1996. The label released Restraining Bolt the following spring, and Kweller led Radish through European and American tours and stops on late-night television talk shows, including The Conan O'Brian Show and Late Night With David Letterman. When Radish disbanded in 1999, Kweller headed east, in the spring, to Guilford, CT, where he stayed only a short time before relocating to Brooklyn, NY, the following November. Not yet 20 years old, he signed with Island Records as a solo artist. He spent time touring with such artists as Juliana Hatfield, Guster, Kristin Hersh, and Evan Dando. He also collaborated with Ben Folds and Ben Lee for a series of dates down under in 2003 and appeared on Folds' limited-edition EP The Bens. Kweller's sophomore effort, the much more subdued On My Way, followed in spring 2004. Two years later, he returned with his self-titled third album, on which he played all the instruments. ~ Linda Seida, All Music Guide