Artist Spotlight: Ben Rector

What you need to know:

1. Style- Singer/Songwriter

2. Sounds like- If Jason Mraz and John Mayer were to have a baby

3. Originally from Oklahoma but currently resides in Nashville

4. Currently on tour with Needtobreathe promoting his album "Something Like This"

5. What should I listen to first?- If you like a good love ballad (and i'm talking, "I want this as my wedding song" good) check out the video I took of him opening for Needtobreathe performing "Forever Like That". It's breathtaking to say the least.

Side note- The adorable baby laughing in the video, is his nephew. 

Usually when an opening act comes out, the crowd is just counting down the minutes until it's time to see the headliner. While no one around me in the crowd had ever heard Ben before that night, I can tell you that no one wanted to see him leave the stage once they did. There were several looks being darted around which said "Where did this guy come from, and why have I never heard of him?" Myself included. 

Everything about him was just, refreshing. Everything from his smooth vocals, catchy lyrics, sarcastic personality, and a smile that made all the girls melt. Sorry ladies, he's married! I know, I know, very sad.

If you still need convincing to love this guy, listen to his cover of  "I Wanna Dance With Somebody". It's pretty great.

Here's another video I took, called "Home"

All in all I definitely became a big fan that night and can't wait for him to come back to the west coast!

Go buy his album "Something Like This"!

You can also follow him on Twitter, @benrector (he's pretty funny)

Needtobreathe and Ben Rector at Club Nokia

Show: Needtobreathe and Ben Rector
Venue: Club Nokia, Downtown Los Angeles
Date: 3/20/12
Show #12

I had been waiting for this show for what felt like an eternity because I had gotten my ticket several months beforehand. Tuesday finally rolled around and I could not have been more excited to see my favorite southern boys of Needtobreathe. Needtobreathe has easily become one of my favorite bands to see live. They somehow find a way exude even more energy on stage than the last time. It's difficult to explain how amazing they are live without seeing it for yourself. They just pour their heart and soul in to each and every note they play, and lure you in with their beyond compare powerhouse vocals, mesmerizing stage presence and overall expert musicianship.

Oh, and they're not half bad to look at either.

This was my 4th time seeing Needtobreathe, and each time, the lead singer Bear, let's everyone know how humbled by the response they get when the come to so cal. It still continues to baffle them, and will admit they used to be afraid of playing in front of us here in LA. 

They also had an amazing opening act (I will be doing a larger post on him separately). His name was Ben Rector. I couldn't recommend him more highly.

For all my videos from the show, visit my YouTube channel!