Ben Fox Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ben Fox Smith | |
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 Performing in London, August 2006. Taken by Sam Brett, rights reserved
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ben Fox Smith |
| Born | 13 March 1978 |
| Origin | Pimlico, England |
| Genre(s) | Rock, pop, prog rock, art rock, industrial rock |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals , Guitar |
| Years active | 1997—present |
| Label(s) | none |
| Associated acts | Serafin Razorlight French Car and the Bulimic Wizards Young Saw Bones Stony Sleep |
Ben Fox Smith (born 13 March 1978) is best know for being the lead singer in London based rock band Serafin. He plays alongside his brother and ex-Razorlight drummer Christian Smith-Pancorvo. Before Serafin, he was the lead singer in Stony Sleep, also with his brother, Christian. He also works under the name of Young Saw Bones.
Smith mainly plays the electric guitar and sings and also plays the piano. He also plays synths and programs drum loops in Young Saw Bones.
[edit] Background
Even from as a teenager Ben's lyrics appear to have a maturity that would not be associated with someone of his age group. Although receiving little attention from critics, a noted fan, Ozzy Osbourne, was quoted as saying they were "really fucking cool" and awarding them 'single of the week'.
They had a few appearances on TV and radio including Jools Holland and The John Peel Sessions. In their second John Peel Session, the lineup is the same as the current Serafin lineup with the exception of the Bassist.
Ben dissolved Stony Sleep in 1999, although it didn't become official until 2000.
[edit] Serafin - Early Stages
Ben started Serafin in late 2000 with Darryn Harkness, Stuart Quinnel and Johnny Borrell. The line-up changed a lot to begin with, with their first EP recorded with Richie Mills on Bass and Stuart Quinnel on the drums. By the time of their second EP Ben Ellis was playing bass and Ronny Growler was on the drums. This was the set up for the first album.
[edit] No Push Collide
Serafin's debut album was recorded and released in 2003, it was 12 track album featuring the singles "Day by Day" and "Things Fall Apart". Ben had written the lyrics for all the songs, some with guitarist Darryn Harkness.
Notable lyrics include those of "No Happy" which hear Smith having a conversation with a God or Deity asking for advice in life. To which the other person responds in a nonchalant manner and suggests "Why don't you end it today?". This appears to be a comment on Ben's religious views.
Also "Things Fall Apart" whose title comes from The Second Coming appears to comment on the end of a relationship and picking up the pieces afterwards. "Everything you gave me, Everything you know, It's my newest form of torture, My newest broken bone."
