​A sit-down with Ben Hill of S0und

By Rod Hadland

In a house in Moorhead sit some amp stacks, a PA and a drum kit. The basement is the base camp where S0und, a band featuring Ben Hill on guitar/vocals, Michael Beatrez on bass/vocals, Alex Johnson on guitar and Frankie Maxwell on drums, came together. Breaking off from the group Bear North, S0und ultimately became for Hill, 20, a group that he had long wanted to form. Suave and Lennonesque, he sat down with me, and we discussed the group.

HPR: Let’s start at the very beginning.

Ben Hill: So back home in England, I wasn’t planning to go to university. I didn’t want to; the only reason I went to university was I wanted to start a band. So I met a couple people there, (originally at Lincoln University) told them I played some instruments, then the opportunity to study in America came up so I leaped at that. I always wanted to go to America, I didn’t care where it was, and I just ended up in Moorhead (MSUM). Then I met Michael Beatrez, who is now the bassist of the group, at a party. And I went over and spoke to him, said we should have a jam sometime, and then we formed our first band, Bear North, which was sort of a 60s-vibe rock & roll band.

HPR: Why did you form another group out of Bear North?

BH: The reason why I wanted to do S0und, it was originally a side project, and I wanted something a lot heavier, something with a driving rhythm. And I wanted to rant about issues I felt strongly about. So last spring I just started writing all these songs. I wrote an album’s worth, like 10 songs in the space of two months, or so. Sort of heavy writing, but it came very naturally and quickly to me, because it was something different, using this riff-based stuff opposed to melodic chords. I was ranting, adding swears, basically telling it how it is.

HPR: What sort of issues?

BH: Issues I’d seen back in home England, in the clubs: how guys would just be going out to fight, or go out to pull (pick up women). That’s all it was. And they just had one thing on their mind, and that really annoyed me. I’d just go out to dance, chill out with my mates, and all my friends would say “how many birds they’d shagged,” and I was always like, “You shouldn’t speak like that, it’s just dehumanizing.” It’s just issues like that that annoyed me. I just wanted to have an opportunity to rant. When I’m writing a song it’s always good to have something I feel strongly about, the lyrics come easier, come closer to me.

HPR: S0und’s demo, “Wave,” yet to be released, has some tracks that Hill described, which vented his anger, frustration, and gave a harsh look at where we are, and where we are heading.

BH: “Welcome to the Streets,” which I believe is going to be the opening track, that’s just about my hometown of Nottingham: how scummy it is, people that are benefit scroungers cheating the system, underage drinking and things like that.

HPR: How would you describe S0und’s sound?

BH: Alex Johnson said it best: “If The Arctic Monkeys and Nirvana got really high and watched ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’, and then had a jam session, that’s what S0und is.” But for me, my take is, it’s just passionate songs that go deeper than songs about love. There’s more to it, more realistic issues.

HPR: Songs that go further than the traditional pop song.

BH: Right. Just fun to play.

HPR: Michael Beatrez coined the term ‘chimp rock’ for describing S0und. Can you explain that?

BH: It started from a joke, it’s sort of DIY, lo-fi music. There’s the saying if you put some chimps together in a room, eventually they’ll come out with Shakespeare.

HPR: Who are your biggest musical influences?

BH: The Beatles were my primary influence in Bear North, then I started playing more lead guitar, more riff-based guitar in S0und. The Arctic Monkeys, then subconsciously, I realized, Nirvana. Frankie said “This sounds like Nirvana,” and I became aware of that. Those groups the most. Led Zeppelin, that sort of riff-based, pre-heavy metal. Queen, they used to be my favorite band when I was a kid. My dad would always play The Stones and The Beatles. So I’ve always had a different taste in music, because kids were listening to the shit in the charts, and I was listening to Cream, among others.

“Wave” is the name of the upcoming demo; S0und “Wave” sounds very tongue-in-cheek. Hill revealed the origin of the band’s name. (Also, the O in S0und is the number zero.)

BH: My dad actually came up with the name S0und. He said you should call a band Sound, this was like three or four years ago, and you can always name the albums with this pun, like sound wave, sound thinking, and so on.

HPR: How will you set yourself apart from other local groups? How will you stand out?

BH: I think it’s very British in a way, the sound, obviously. Something the local scene’s not used to. A lot of people around here, they’re not open-minded enough; that’s what I found out at many shows. If they haven’t heard it before they don’t want to hear it. People don’t know how to take it.

HPR: Yeah, there’s a lot of diversity, but a lot of skepticism. You have to meet the groups halfway, you know?

BH: Right.

HPR: Do you think you’ll do more writing/recording than playing live?

BH: I want to play as much as possible, but then I want to use the internet to my advantage. I want to reach out to more people, locate these forums, find a niche market. I’ve whacked out some demos, but I still want a nice (official) recording. I want to get the other guys involved with the writing; I’m the primary writer, but I know what I want.

Check out S0und on www.facebook.com/SOundMusicUSA for music updates and upcoming shows.