|
Ben Pu and Crew: Home Sweet Home - Ben Pu and Crew |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by Glenn BurnSilver
|
|
Wednesday, 26 July 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 5
 It’s not exactly a local boy makes good story, that of the all-American kid who hits it big in the small town, grabs the hottest girl and becomes everyone’s hero. But it’s not so far off either, at least, not when it comes to the gritty realm of rock ’n’ roll.
For Ben Puchalski, just playing guitar is reward enough as his band, Ben Pu & Crew, which also features drummer Zach Shelley and bassist Chris Manichanh, has earned a reputation as one of the better acts in northern Colorado, and in particular, their one-horse hometown, Greeley.
“It’s really cool overall,” Puchalski explained during a break from his day job as a social worker at a nursing facially. “We do the bar and festival thing. Greeley’s not that big, and even with the college kids, few places get really happening. But when they do, it’s really cool. Getting a taste of what it’s like having people yelling for you, you just want to keep doing it and doing it.”
 For Puchalski, playing music seemed inevitable coming from a family of musicians as he grew up “playing a little and listening to a ton.”
His father encouraged him, providing classical guitar lessons, but what kid doesn’t want to rock? Puchalski did, and after his older brother introduced him to the music of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Puchalski knew what direction his music needed to take.
And though Puchalski is certainly no Stevie Ray Vaughan, he uses Vaughan’s Texas blues style as a jumping off point for the bluesy rock excursions favored by his band.
 “I went for the Stevie Ray Vaughan thing because it was cool, and there weren’t a lot of kids around into that kind of stuff,” he said, adding that Big Head Todd and the Monsters was also an important influence. “In Greeley there’s not a huge blues influence as far as original blues guitarists, so I tried to make it into my own thing. It felt good, and I stuck with it.”
It seems to be working. Puchalski said he is ready to leave the day job behind for a music career, but he balks at the idea of heading to a bigger music scene to do so.
“People ask why don’t we find a hot spot like the coast, but we have all these great bands coming out of Colorado. It’s a good music scene,” he asserted. “It’s not coming out of Greeley right now, but it’s not as convoluted and packed as the coast, so I think there is still a good chance we can make it big in this state. The main goal is getting a huge following here, branching out and taking it as far as I can. … (The band members) all have the same goals in mind — to make it doing music.”
 Listen to the some of the band's songs:
- After Hours
- Amy's Ex
- Summer Joys
|
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
