A Year in Music – 2019 – Ben Vendetta (Author)
by Killian Laher

Let’s begin with 2019.  What music/albums have you enjoyed most this year?

Some favourites include the new ones by Comet Gain, She Past Away, Bubblegum Lemonade, Ceremony East Coast, Crocodiles, Singapore Sling, and Drab Majesty.

Do you think this decade has been good for music?  What are your highlights?

I think this decade has been great! For me, it’s been a nice mix of old bands that I grew up loving playing reunion shows and in some cases, even reforming – Jesus and Mary Chain, Ride, Swervedriver, Chameleons – and newer bands that are just as exciting. Some favourite bands who popped up this decade include She Past Away, Crocodiles, Drab Majesty, Ringo Deathstarr, Moon Duo and Weekend (San Francisco shoegazers not to be confused with The Weekend).

Is streaming taking over from owning music completely?

Maybe on a mainstream level but all of my friends still buy vinyl and CDs. Streaming is fine for exploring new sounds but I have a hard time listening to music on my phone or computer. I still need my stereo!

Anything really big for you musically that ten years ago, you had no interest in?

Nothing extreme but as I get older I’ve found that I’ve been getting more into the goth scene, which I grew up loving but ignored for the first half of this decade.

Is music as important for you as it was ten years ago?

Yes. I don’t see quite as many concerts as I did in my twenties and thirties but I can’t imagine a life without music.

How are things yourself, have you any interesting projects going on?

Things are going well. I am currently working on my fourth novel, while still doing PR for my third, Sunset Trip, which came out at the end of 2018. Like my other books, the one I’m working on is quite music-centric though in this one, the characters are teenagers in small town America c. 1988.