Music is spilling out of 24 year-old Ben Walden in all directions.
In 2016 the Moscow singer-songwriter and guitar player released three albums. He’s at work on two more, each project with a different band and distinct sound.
“The only thing I really care about in life at the moment is recording music, performing a little bit and working with musicians and artists to bring new ideas out in the open,” Walden said in a recent phone interview.
Walden graduated from Moscow High School in 2010 and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., and The Evergreen State College in Washington state. He’s been playing music since he was a kid.
“I have an unhealthy obsession with music. It’s one of the few things I care about all that much. I want to get as much original music out there in the world as possible.”
Sometimes that music is written by him, other times by bandmates, he said.
Walden will perform with the band @tlas Saturday night at Humble Burger in Moscow. The Moscow-Pullman trio plays post-rock, incorporating odd time signatures, polyrhythms and complex harmonies into its music, Walden said. The group, which also includes Ben Swanson and Machado Mijiga, recorded the full-length album “Peninsula” this summer. It’s now available on Bandcamp.
Walden also performs country blues with the band Samadelic Bluegrass and old-time folk with gypsy elements with the band Stringtown Ambassadors, based in McKinleyville, Calif.
Amidst all this collaboration, Walden found time to record a solo album, “$6.66.” It’s a funky international blend of American folk, Celtic, North African and Brazilian influences also available on Bandcamp.
“Ideally I’d like to be on the cutting edge of music and art. I wouldn’t say I’m there yet but that’s what I aspire to,” Walden said.
If You Go:
You can find Ben Walden performing at these upcoming events:
-- 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 with @tlas, Port Of Morrow and Griffey at Humble Burger, Moscow, $5.
-- 4 p.m. Dec. 2 with Samadelic Bluegrass at the University of Idaho Dad's Weekend Beer Tasting, Best Western Plus University Inn, Moscow, $25.
-- 7-9 p.m. Dec. 10 with Samadelic Bluegrass at the Blue Lantern Coffee House and Wine Bar, Lewiston.
