Ben Seretan ’10 is always running around making pretty music. You might have heard him playing with Duchampion, or winning Awesomefest with Sweaty Boys, or making people weep into their paninos at Red and Black. This year, when he hasn’t 
been doing those things, he’s probably been (a) practicing for one of said performances, (b) taking advantage of happy hour at ION, or (c) putting together a thesis exploring the music of Arthur Russell. Who’s Arthur Russell, you may ask? Ben explains:
Arthur Russell is a queer Iowan Buddhist cello player country music lover swimmer disco maker avant garde Indian music bi-coastal hip hop drum machine singer. His music is about love and fun and swimming and being close to people and being so happy that you cry.
Ben writes lyrics about the tiny things that people think about when they’re not talking, like the anatomy of the human hand or the visual structure of trees. His songs are catchy, fun, and technically tight, but when he breaks through his veneer of restraint, he has a whole lotta vocal and guitar power to release. His musical persona is a hardened wild west cow herder dressed proudly in Donna Summers’ favorite sequined dress–he’ll make listeners feel nostalgic for an ill-defined Old West as he performs under a disco ball. The man has a solid stage presence.
This Friday, Ben will be performing the recital part of his thesis. He’ll play some Arthur Russell songs with some musically talented buddies, he’ll play some Arthur Russell songs by himself, and he’ll play some of his own songs.
Date: Friday, March 26
Time: 9:00 PM
Place: CFA Hall (the old CFA Cinema)
eds: HE ALSO PUTS OUT!
eds: HE ALSO PUTS OUT!