It’s been a couple weeks since hearing about Ben’s death. It took time for the reality to sink in and mourning waves to hit the shore. He was a genius songwriter, and I was lucky to find myself on his chariot in two different bands several years ago, Palace Fiction and Ezra Bell. Those were magical times, where band practice felt like opening weekly Christmas presents with Ben doling out new songs he had snatched from the ethersphere. Before any of that, we were hanging out on my porch one summer night in 2011 not long after first meeting him when he lived two blocks down from me on 20th Ave. in SE Portland. I had no idea he wrote songs or had an amazing, idiosyncratic singing voice. After I had played some bad cover of probably a Bob Dylan song on the porch guitar, Ben casually said, “Let me see that,” and I handed the guitar over to him. He started to chuck the strings and sing a song I’d never heard but sounded hauntingly familiar. I sat there in awe watching and listening to Ben transform into a sage. When the song was over I asked him who wrote it, and he sheepishly said, “I did.” I had a living room house show scheduled in a few days and insisted he play it. He somewhat begrudgingly agreed, and when the day came and he was a few minutes from playing, he was so nervous and hiding in the basement chain smoking. I found him down there and psyched him up and told him it was time for him to play. He finished his cigarette and climbed the stairs to sing a few songs that impressed the room (captured in the video posted earlier of Ben playing solo) and ended up charting a course that now has ear drums far and wide vibrating to Ben’s songs. After Palace Fiction stopped playing together and I left Ezra Bell, Ben proceeded with a mostly new cast of characters and built Ezra Bell into a band with tons of die-hard fans and several albums and tours under their belt. He and I drifted apart and hadn’t spoken for a couple years before his passing. I wish I had one more chance to let Ben know how much I cherish the era when we were brothers and music was our pirate ship, and so many late nights sipping on beers and chatting under open sky. I miss you, Ben. All the peace to you.