Meet Ben CHILDS | Professional Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben CHILDS and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
There are a lot of people working in music and there is a common misconception that you have to “make it”. This is a fallacy. Plenty of people, myself included make a living in music and the secret for me and many others has been being able to turn my hand to multiple aspects of music. I play paid gigs, teach music lessons, record bands and MCs in my home studio and also record a weekly podcast. Not only do all of these things provide seperate income streams, they also inform and help each other. The people I meet in one aspect of my working life can be useful in another and the skills learned in one help with the others.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a professional musician. What this entails is playing paid shows with my band Killbillies from 2-5 times a week, As with many working bands in Florida, there are different packages that we offer from me as a solo act up to a four piece band. The most commonly booked version is the 3 piece. This is the core of the band. We play original music and covers and can play from a 45 minute original music show all the way up to shows that last 5 or 6 hours.

In order for me to keep socially and intellectually plugged in to the world and also to supplement my income I teach music as well. I do this on Mondays Tuesdays and Wedneadays (the off days for most bands).

On top of this I record bands in my home studio for money and also host a podcast with my band mate Hector Diaz, called 561 music.

I was born and brought up in England. I was taught music from a young age and took to it very early on. My parents encouraged it and my brother and I would crash around on drums on guitars throughout my childhood. I took music at school and was in all the bands, orchestras and choirs I could be in all the way through my teenage. I studied music composition at college and was immediately in a band out of college called Sonic Boom Six. We had global success on a small scale in the ska punk scene.

After leaving that band in 2009 I moved to the USA and when I got here I continued to pursue music. Through this 3 pronged approach of teaching, playing and recording I have supported myself and slowly grown in local notoriety to the point where when Hector Diaz and I decided to start a local music podcast, people were interested and have been following it with considerable enthusiasm.

I am most proud right now of my band Killbillies. It has it’s roots in celtic and folk music. We mix this with bluegrass and Americana to create an original rootsy blend of acoustica that fans of anything from traditional Irish music to folk punk or bluegrass can enjoy. The mix is very much our own. The classic 3 piece lineup is guitar, banjo and stand-up bass. The banjo player and I play the kick and snare drums with our feet to add a bit of punch. There is an alt-country and bluegrass upswell at the moment and this music is experiencing some exposure which is great for us as we have just released a single called “Promised Dream” that you can find on all streaming platforms with an accompanying video that you can find on Youtube.

I also play and write for a Ska Punk band called the No Name Ska Band. This is very much a passion project that harks back to the Punk Rock days of my youth. We are releasing a record this June called Side Two. keep your eyes open for that!

The biggest challenge that I have had to overcome in my life has been sobriety. I struggled with alcoholism for many years. This coupled with the kind of environment that musicians find themselves in proved to be the great struggle of my life. I currently have a year and a half sober and everything is looking good for me but as they say, 1 day at a time! I am lucky that my family is supportive in this regard and has helped me get to this point. Also Florida has a strong and far reaching recovery community. I owe my current success and welfare to them.

The biggest lesson I have learned in music is to not constantly compare yourself to others. If you are happy and making money then you are doing something right. The trick to life is to enjoy the journey and work slowly and steadily, one step at a time to where you want to get to.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Jupiter Florida and the best things to do here are outdoors. From the beaches to the fishing to the diving and walking inland, nature is all around us and beautiful! I would try and do as much outdoor stuff as possible with them. Maybe rent a boat from Jupiter Inlet Boats and and stop off at some of the tiki bars like Guanabanas or the Square Grouper for some music and virgin cocktails. As far as late night stuff goes, I’m a rocker so Respectable Street in West Palm or Propaganda in Lake Worth would be spots I would take them to. There is a great new vegan place that has opened up called Plant Based Mafia in Palm Beach Gardens that we would hit up. The trip would not be complete without a visit to a biker bar that my father in law Peter Pinello and I recently re-opened in Jupiter called Handlebars. It is a cool hole in the wall bar and Grill and we have been putting on great bike nights there with music from local bands like Sons Of A Tradesman.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family has always been very supportive of my life path. It was evident from a young age that I had a strong interest in all things music and they have been supportive in allowing me to follow my passion. My wife Christie has always been in my corner. All she wants for me is to be happy and has never put pressure on me to do anything other than what I want to do. Following artistic career paths can be nerve wracking and I have had nothing but support in this regard from my nearest and dearest. I am also a year and a half sober and the support from my sober network is invaluable as a stabilizing influence in my life.

Website: Www.killbillies.net

Instagram: /killbilliesfl

Twitter: /killbilliesfl

Facebook: /killbilliesfl

Youtube: /killbilliesflorida

Other: Www.561music.com Www.youtube.com/561musicpodcast

Image Credits
Band Photos by Danelle Michaud