Like all things artistic, it’s hard to predict where one’s musical muse is going to be. A lot of musicians find a move into some beautiful surroundings provides the necessary inspiration–there’s nothing like Mother Nature to open your mind to the wonders of life. Wyoming resident Ben Musser found the opposite. After spending years in industry hotspots like Austin, Nashville, and New York City, Musser moved to Jackson Hole. And while the scenery was gorgeous, he missed the artistic environment of the cities. To help compensate, he and his wife (a fine art dealer) built their own community of like-minded individuals, with artists and designers and musicians including Aaron Lee Tasjan and Scott Mathews.
The latter goaded Musser into embracing the situation and sharpening his multi-instrumentalist skills. Mathews then brought him into his northern California studio for an intense 2-week recording of a debut album where Ben plays all the instruments. That production, Sentimental Fever, will be released May 1st. It’s a cornucopia of Americana sounds, from the doo wop of I’m the Lucky One to a couple of keyboard-driven rockers. Along the way you hear autobiographical sketches of Musser’s journey, like New York Is the Place and the ode to his daughter, Fearless Little Pearl.
I’m especially enamored by the title track. It’s a wistful, almost melancholic ballad about his bout with Covid in the early days when the prognosis was frequently poor. Being alone and afraid went from being something you read about to reality, and in those moments Musser realized what was truly important–his wife and kids. As the song builds he wails “I would be nothing without you,” and you can hear the love pouring out, fighting the fever. It obviously turned out fine, and now we’re so happy to be presenting the premiere of Sentimental Fever.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.