| Ben Morris | |
|---|---|
Ben on stage in 2004 |
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Stripes |
| Genres | Alternative, Metal, Punk, Queercore, Rock |
| Occupations | Musician, Guitarist, Songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, Vocals |
| Associated acts | Zig Zag Tree Honey Nick Name & The Normals Ballentine Band The Blackerbys |
Ben Morris is an American musician. He is also known as Stripes.
Contents |
In 2000, Kent James began performing as "Nick Name", an out, proud, and sometimes confrontational punk rock singer with his back-up band "The Normals".[1] "The Normals" were Ben ("Stripes"), Ralf Balzer ("Demon"), and Ralf's sister Sandra Balzer ("Demon Sister"). In 2001, Nick Name and The Normals recorded with music producer Michael Vail Blum and released the "Nick Name" album.[2] All of the songs were written by Ben & Kent. The band performed their original songs "Head Rush" and "I Fucked Your Boyfriend"[3] on the "Tolerance" episode of "Flipped" on MTV. In 2002, Sandra was replaced with Ben's long-time live-together girlfriend Rachel Rattner ("Sunshine") and Tony Jardine ("Clean"). The "POW!" album[4] was released and the band toured the U.S. West Coast. In 2003, Willamette Week proclaimed "If Kurt Cobain had stayed around long enough to come out of the closet, he would have sounded just like Nick Name and The Normals".[5] The band performed at the Sunset Junction Street Fair. In 2004, a documentary film titled "Nick Name and The Normals" premiered in London, England.[6] The film also screened in New York City, Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Dallas, and Providence, Rhode Island. In 2005, the band's final performance was on the Q Television Network.
Ben resides in Los Angeles, California.
Albums and EPs
Compilations