Ben Pelchat

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Ben Pelchat (b. April 26, 1982) is the lead singer and instrumentalist of Canadian rock band The Other Children. He is their songwriter, with hundreds of songs written to date. He is also a web designer and graphic artist. He is a committed vegan and environmentalist.

Pelchat was born in Deep River, Ontario; he moved to Montreal soon afterwards, and has lived there for most of his life. From early on, Pelchat has had a major musical inclination. It was his family however, that sparked his love for music. His mother was a music teacher. His older sister is an opera singer and vocal teacher. (Ben followed suit, eventually becoming an accomplished guitar teacher himself.)

Pelchat taught himself to play the guitar at the age of twelve, after having learned the baritone ukulele a few years earlier. He first started writing songs at the age of thirteen.

Contents

[edit] Permabliss

Ben formed his first band when he was fourteen. Jam sessions with Steve Trewin in 1996 eventually led to what would become Permabliss in 1997. The lineup included Pelchat on vocals and guitars, Steve Trewin on bass, Giles Marino on lead guitar, and Sam Dufour (later of Sweetsalt) on drums. Their sound was unmistakably rock with an alternative and experimental edge. They toured the region of Quebec in 1998, and also performed at numerous music festivals throughout the year. By the end of 1998 Permabliss had gained a devoted following in the region of Montreal, but tension between band members and a lack of funding forced the members to go their separate ways.

[edit] The Other Children

While attending college in 2000 at eighteen (he studied to become an environmentalist before studying music production), Pelchat met bass player Mike Dyball (later of Priestess). The two formed The Other Children in 2001. Pelchat and Dyball put together an eleven-song demo which was later shelved in favor of creating what became their first album, The Other Children.

Released in January 2006, the album features songs written and recorded over a three-year period (2002 to 2005). It was engineered and produced in its entirety by Pelchat.

"My goal is to always try and keep things interesting. I always like to have great songs underneath the bombast of effects", says Pelchat.

Pelchat's projects include producing music for numerous artists, films, and advertisements. He works on his musical side projects, DJ ShovelCat (alias) and Jacks and ShovelCat in his spare time.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Demo albums

  • Over There (2001)

[edit] Podcasts

  • The Other Children and Friends volume 1

[edit] Other projects

  • Kirsten Pitkanen — Audio Mink (2003), Pelchat producer
  • The Finer Things — Original Soundtrack (2003), Ben Pelchat composer/producer
  • DJ ShovelCat — Derelict Technology (2004), Pelchat’s alter ego
  • Jacks and ShovelCat — "Find" (single, 2005), Pelchat’s side project with Jermaine Troy Jackson

[edit] External links

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