Ben Shelly’s Provocative Multi-Genre Commentary

We first heard from Ben Shelly in May upon the release of his song “Three Steps Out.” That track introduced readers of The Static Dive to an eclectic singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a sound as interesting as his story. After working for years in New York as a hedge fund trader, Ben left the concrete jungle for the sands of paradise. He now makes music on the beaches of Oahu, Hawaii.

“Three Steps Out” was the fourth in a series of monthly singles Ben Shelly has dropped since making his solo debut earlier this year. While living on the East Coast, he fronted a number of bands. With a broad range of influences from Bob Dylan to Rage Against the Machine and 2 Pac to Prince, his sound is fluid and a lot of fun to listen to. He pairs Beck-style 90’s Alt/Folk/Hip-hop with Blues guitars and a beat poetry writing style.

“Auntie Vax” is the latest single from Ben Shelly, released worldwide to all major streaming services on October 29, 2021. Percussive analog and electronic elements set a funky Lo-Fi Indie Rock scene as a mix of acoustic and electric guitars play syncopated rhythms on that groove. A rolling bassline adds some nice melodic flourishes as Ben delivers his stream-of-consciousness commentary on the sorry state of public discourse surrounding COVID-19 and its vaccines in 2021.

As the track progresses he peppers the lyrics with intentional bites on everyone from Bobby Bland to Poison. Then, after a nice dose of psychedelic electric Blues guitar he closes the track on the “where do we go now?” refrain from Guns N’ Roses’ classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” It is a wild mix of fun Pop culture references and heavy socio-political issues.

Check out the video for “Auntie Vax” below. You can also hear the song on the Deep Indie Dive playlist, or listen on your favorite streaming service. Follow the links below to connect with Ben Shelly. He doesn’t do social media, but check out his various music and video profiles to stay in the loop on all of the music to come from this prolific and thought-provoking artist.