When thinking of a “prodigal son” of Texas, many will conjure thoughts of famed football players or a typical cowboy aping the John Wayne look. Multi-instrumentalist, record label owner, and singer-songwriter Ben Kweller may not even ring a bell to some native Texans, but his return to Texas—music epicenter Austin, to be exact—has reverberated throughout the music community. On March 6, Kweller released his fifth studio LP, Go Fly a Kite, yet another timeless classic in the Ben Kweller canon. The humble workaholic, father, husband, musician—hell, everyman—never seems to have a spare second in his life. Somewhere between a visit to Japan, the ensuing madness of Austin during SXSW, prepping for tour, and running his own record label, The Noise Company, I caught up with Kweller to ask him about the million projects that compose his life’s work.

 

 

Hmmm. I'm not sure. I know lots of artists who came in to this under different circumstances than me. We all approach creativity a little differently. I do believe that you have to be passionate about what you are doing to really be fulfilled in life. That's true in all walks of life.

 

 

Exactly. As I write songs, I put them in different lists in my sketchbook. I always have a few album concepts happening at any given moment and I also have random songs lying around in a miscellaneous list. 

 

 

I'm very proud of that song! Probably my favorite lyrics on Kite. When I left NYC and moved back to Texas, I very much felt like I was coming full circle. Life is very cyclical. Things come and go, and before you know it, you’re back where you started. There were many things at the time of writing that one that gave me the feeling of coming full circle. 

 

 

Man, it's hard to say really, there are so many little things and bits of inspiration that went into this one. Different people I've known and things that went down. Lots of feelings about change and how, while it's 100 percent necessary, it can hurt or be wonderful.

 

 

I gotta say, my approach to music and appreciation for it has remained the same no matter where I am. Austin has just given me great freedom in my everyday life. It's such an easy place to live. Regarding the new label, I couldn't have started it in NYC, or really anywhere else. There are so many resources here, and people are super friendly and willing to lend a hand. That's nice, and something you can't find just anywhere.

 

 

Not yet. Still in the plans. Just trying to get through this album cycle and we’ll then start thinking about our next move. 

 

 

Oh, it was one of the most creative experiences I've been a part of. It was like the quickest, most intense love affair ever. Hot and heavy, but short-lived. Collaborations like that can always happen again, and the three of us want it to happen again. It's just a matter of time.