Ben Brandt – Solid Ground Katalex Records
From the first note of the title track, Ben Brandt makes one thing clear. Solid Ground is not a guitar record. It’s the sound of a band, and there’s a difference. That doesn’t mean Ben’s brilliant guitarwork is just part of the mix. It means it stands firmly on the ground the title promises.
The Pennsylvania-bred, Nashville-based artist arrives with 11 tracks that sprawl beautifully across crunchy drums, fat fuzzy guitar grooves, jangly passages and a borderline psychedelic warmth that feels lived-in and deliberate. Brandt isn’t chasing a sound. He’s found one.
The title track opens the door wide, and seven tracks later Under The Weight of Us walks through it with conviction. Both anchor an album that earns its musical range without ever overreaching. Then there’s the Matthew’s Tire trilogy, Parts 1, 2, and 3, where the record stretches out and breathes. These aren’t filler jams. They’re a band pushing the VU meter into the red, with an engineer brave enough to let it ride.
Produced by Chicago native and Nashville staple JD Simo, Solid Ground carries the kind of sonic depth that only comes from someone who knows how to capture a room when it’s on fire. Two guys originally from colder climates who together know exactly how to heat up a studio, a stage, and an audience. A perfect storm.
Brandt has long pushed the boundaries of what it means to make music on his own terms, and this record delivers. Influences are present but never borrowed. Fifty years of American rock-blues filtered through a singular voice that knows where it’s been and exactly where it’s going.
Solid Ground doesn’t just hold up. It holds everything together.
Move The Needle Music (MTNM) is an independent music editorial webzine and record label founded by Buffalo, NY musician and industry veteran Mick Hayes. With 25 years of experience on both sides of the glass, MTNM covers the artists, records, and moments worth your time — no filler, no fluff. We cover the music that moves us. Keep The Needle Moving.
