Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Benjamin Davidow. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Benjamin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

To be not only only motivated, but fully immersed in a project I have to have total buy in. I envelop the work. I make it my life. There’s little to no separation between my own hand and what I’m holding in it on the other side. It’s a part of me and I father it. And with that same paternal instinct, I must also lean intuitively, soften and learn to let go. I will pick a project up or put it down from time to time, allow it to breathe, grow and become it’s own entity. I do this with a great amount of gratitude for the work. I’m thankful to be allowed to shepherd it. I do it with love and care so that it will intrinsically transmit to others in need who are poised and ready to receive it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

First and foremost I am just a human trying to navigate this strange multiverse to find instruction in the pains and pleasures of existence. I’m committed to learning how to abandon what doesn’t serve me and how to let go like my life depends on it.

I am an entrepreneur, international recording artist and poet. I have performed and recorded at some of the most famous studios in the history of the world including The Beatles’ own Abbey Road Studios in London, England with famed engineer John Barrett (Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Jonny Greenwood, Paul Thomas Anderson) & mastering engineer Alex Wharton (Radiohead, The Pixies, The Beatles) in addition to Dave Catching’s Rancho de La Luna in Joshua Tree, CA where I worked side by side with producers and musicians key to Queens of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters, and Eagles of Death Metal such as Catching himself, producer Chris Goss, and former Queens of the Stone Age, bassist, Nick Oliveri. I have also shared stages with Guitar Legend Dick Dale, The Wood Brothers, Primus, Snoop Dogg, Gov’t Mule, The Dead Kennedys, Nick Oliveri, Mike Watt of The Minute Men, and many others.

Based in Decatur, Ga. I had the great fortune of studying guitar under Oliver Wood of The Wood brothers, and poetry with David Bottoms, who was the former poet laureate of Georgia for 11 years. I flew to San Francisco and hand delivered my first self published book of poetry titled, “Baghdad Battery Acid”, to Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s famed City Lights Bookstore, to stock it on the shelves next to other poets I greatly admire. I am a contributing writer and performer who tours actively. I am proud of the work I have done for Gas Hound, MammaBear, Black Cat Rising, Phantom Electric, Nuncio, Peter James, Sash the Bash, Houston in the Blind and The Buzzards of Fuzz – many of which are known to both U.S. Coasts and Europe.

I am currently working on a US to UK record with percussionist, producer, and engineer Takashi Takemura called “Cross Atlantic Transmissions” where we are collaborating with Ian & Ang Marsh of We Believe Promotion from Cerrigydrudion Wales, J. W. Darwin from Stockton-on-Tees, The Oliver Shaw Experience from London, Tom Peplow of Third Dart from Chelmsford, Niall Fenwick of The Casbahs who lives just a short stint from the Roman built Hadrian’s Wall, Luke Hunter from Edinburgh, Scotland, J.J. Chamberlain of BoxTime from London, Kyle Gordon frontman of MammaBear from Atlanta, Ga and Pete Delorenzo formerly of Gringo Star who is also from Atlanta, Ga. The record will include photographic covers from my most recent UK Tour this past October made by myself and close friends and brilliant minds Kristofer Sampson, Kit Gordon, and Kyle Gordon.

I own a PR, strategy and consultancy company called Pipe Dream PR. I help people to imagine, far reaching abstract possibilities and bring them to fruition in the tangible world just as I have done with my many years of experience in so many different fields of work. I also import Peruvian handmade Andean Fedoras and alpaca blankets with my company Boho Llama that doubles as band merch.

And finally, I am co-owner of West Coast Craft Distributors with my cousin, financier and spiritual backbone Brian Lewis. We recently acquired a wholesale distribution license through the State of California ABC as a Type 18 Craft Spirits Wholesaler. We have brought together over a dozen of the state’s finest master distillers under our portfolio in addition to developing and launching several of our own brands – Cockswallow West Coast Gin, Poison Dart Vodka and Gold Digger Reposado.

This year is the year of the dragon, and I am exactly that only a bit fuzzier. Be on the lookout for my second book “For You I Would Put My Hands in the Fire”, lots of hand-typed poetry, many more songs and videos to be released from all of the musical endeavors I mentioned, more llama shwag, and of course much more top shelf, award winning liquor.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

To better support artists, or anyone for that matter, we must start with recognizing everyone’s basic goodness as they say in Buddhism. We have to lead with compassion and empathy. Through that framework we can then begin to unravel the clogged soap-scum hairball of our spiritual deficits which are much deeper in debt than our own credit craving country. Mental and spiritual health have become open war zone oozing wounds that we are attempting to suture with Narco-pharmaceutical gangsters reaping the benefits of being government approved drug dealers. And yet, I think the cure may be more simple than we think. It might look like small acts of kindness and gratitude. It might look like pausing to breathe. It might look like watching a wave recede from the shoreline to give you brain and body a break. It might look like learning to cook a new meal, my favorite personal therapy. It might look like forgiveness. It might look like putting the screens down to be more present with our loved ones, as time can be so cruel yet unimaginably fair.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being a conduit. I enjoy becoming a radio transmitter actively transmitting and receiving messages out into the world. Having the ability to tend to these wayward phantoms of thought and emotion is a true gift that is uniquely humbling. Art brings us closer to the true nature of our ever shifting reality and helps us to better align our spirit with meaningful purpose and action as we bring it with us into our every day lives and interactions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/bendavidow
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gas_hound/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ben.davidow.5
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminjdavidow/

Image Credits
Kristofer Sampson & Kyle Gordon