...Benjy Ferree
Kids from fame:Would you leave your children alone with this beardy rock 'n' roller? Well, actually yes, you would. Not only is Benjy Ferree a dab hand at songwriting, he's good with kids, too - indeed, his babysitting skills are legendary among the Hollywood glitterati. While a struggling young actor in LA, Benjy earned an extra crust by minding the three children of a top scriptwriter; his press release describes him as "Hairy Poppins". He also worked at Starbucks in Hollywood, where customers included Jay Leno and Gwen Stefani, but he really hoped to meet such heroes as David Lynch ("Twin Peaks was my teenage obsession"). However, the nearest he got to the maverick director was meeting his kids, who were playmates with his own young charges.
Don't fuss:Benjy Ferree was grew up in Silver Springs, Maryland, to the sound of Baptist hymns and movie soundtracks. Cinema soon took precedence over church, and Ferree moved out west to find fame and fortune as an actor. Instead, he found a starring role as a nanny - and not in Mrs Doubtfire. Eventually acting began to lose its allure, but Ferree's obsession with music remained strong. He would often keep the scriptwriter's kids entertained by bringing out the guitar and getting them to sing along to Dylan and Beatles songs. Soon he was writing his own tunes, innocent, folk-tinged blues with a surreal edge, inspired by the likes of Tom Waits, Daniel Johnston, Howlin' Wolf and Wu-Tang Clan.
Romping home:Ferree returned to Washington, DC and got a job bartending. On his nights off he played gigs to a steadily building fanbase at such clubs as The Black Cat. He also played daytime gigs such as Rock 'n' Romp, where the audience was largely made up of kids, many of whom would enthusiastically invade the stage. He released his debut album, Leaving the Nest, in 2005; a year later, UK label Domino signed Ferree up, and he found himself labelmates with such terminally hip UK acts as Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys.
Rabbiting off:Ferree's album is getting a proper release on Domino, and it features songs inspired by childhood memories (You Were Here), movie magic (Hollywood Sign), American history (Private Honeymoon) and such classic children's books as Watership Down (Dogkillers!). Imminent success hasn't affected Ferree much; after signing his Domino deal, he still kept his bartending job, and politely demurred from doing interviews.
