Ben Weinman

Ben Weinman
Weinman live at the Gods Of Metal festival in 2008
Background information
Born	(1975-08-08) August 8, 1975
Genres	Mathcore, progressive metal, alternative metal, experimental metal, jazz fusion, electronica
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar, programming, keyboards, piano, bass, drums, vocals
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Season of Mist, Party Smasher, Relapse, Epitaph
Associated acts	The Dillinger Escape Plan, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, Kimbra

Ben Weinman (born August 8, 1975) is an American musician, most notable for being the lead guitarist for the band The Dillinger Escape Plan. He is the founder and only original member remaining in the band.

Weinman was named one of SPIN Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time.^[1] Weinman was named one of Guitar World Magazine's 50 fastest guitar players of all time alongside Guitar players such as Eddie Van Halen and Les Paul.^[2] He was also recently named one of Guitar World's Top 25 Cult Guitarists,^[3] and one of the top modern Metal Guitar players by metalsucks.com.^[4] Weinman has also been listed on About.com as an example of today's most important musicians under their definition of "guitarist" and was named one Alternative Press Magazine's "10 Favorite Guitar Slingers." ^[5]

Weinman attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey where he received a degree in psychology. He then went on to study corporate communications at FDU. Weinman, Chris Pennie, Dimitri Minakakis and Adam Doll began The Dillinger Escape Plan in 1997.

Career and work in The Dillinger Escape Plan

Weinman has been involved in the production of all the band's releases since their self-titled debut EP, as well as various other musical works. Ben Weinman has self-managed or has been involved with the management of The Dillinger Escape Plan since the band’s inception. Known for his outspoken views on the music industry, he has contributed to various publications and spoken at Universities and conferences on the subjects of music production and the music business.^[6]

On Feb 6, 2012 Weinman appeared on the VH1 series Metal Evolution in the final episode on progressive metal ^[7] where The Dillinger Escape Plan was quoted as being "the worlds most dangerous band".

The band's second full-length album, Miss Machine, was the first album released by record label Relapse Records to make the Billboard charts. Weinman's first full-length studio album with The Dillinger Escape Plan, entitled Calculating Infinity was listed in the book "The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time" by Martin Popoff. Calculating Infinity was also recently named one of "100 best rock albums of all time" by Kerrang magazine, who recently presented Weinman with a spirit of independence award.

Other projects

Weinman has performed with acts such as Nine Inch Nails and System of a Down.

He is currently in the process of writing and recording music for Giraffe Tongue Orchestra, a supergroup which also consists of Actress and singer Juliette Lewis, Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds, The Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen, and Dethklok and Zappa plays Zappa bassist Pete Griffin ^[8]

It has been confirmed in an interview on http://musicfeeds.com.au/ ^[9]that Weinman is collaborating with New Zealand-born artist Kimbra (perhaps best known for her contributions to the Gotye hit "Somebody That I Used To Know") on the follow-up to her debut album, "Vows". He also recently collaborated with rapper, producer and politician Wyclef Jean, contributing drums to a new song for the former Fugees frontman. At present time there is no information as to where or when the song will appear. Weinman also composed the score for the 2014 film Alien Abduction.

Equipment

At NAMM 2014 ESP announced the release of the BW-1, Weinman's first signature guitar. He is also known for frequently playing the ESP H and MH series. For amps, Weinman is seen using a variety in the studio, ranging from a Bogner Uberschall to a Marshall JCM, mainly uses Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifiers and a Mark V for live performances, and a Laney GH50L while recording in the studio.

Discography

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Other Collaborations

Remixes

References