H’burg native to sing at local venues

Even though Ben Arthur, a 31-year-old seasoned singer-songwriter, chose not to attend JMU as a student, he is sure to cause a stir during his scheduled performances later this week. A native of the ‘Burg — as well as having two parents who are professors at JMU — Arthur is coming back to his roots to play four shows and speak to a music management class on campus.

Arthur picked up his first guitar at 15 and knew he’d found his life’s passion. "I’ve always gotten a kick of out of music," Arthur said. "It is what I depend on to get me through."

Some of his major musical influences include Def Leopard, Led Zepplin and Spearhead.

Since both of Arthur’s parents are teachers at JMU — his mother teaches art history and his father teaches theater — he decided to attend UVa. In Charlottesville, he acquired a local fan base, and soon was sharing the limelight by opening for such big names as Tori Amos and fellow townsman Dave Matthews. Arthur says that a major highlight of his career was touring in Europe and experiencing unique sounds and experiences.

Earlier this summer, he was on tour with Abre Moore. He traveled in what formally was Willie Nelson’s tour bus, complete with a goofy desert scene on the side and the wacky rockstar décor inside.
Arthur offers this advice to fledgling artists attempting to break out into the business, "Make sure you’re doing it because you love it, not because you imagine that you’ll be on MTV or have money or people knocking on your door to hang out … bottom line — it’s a long, slow grind … You do it because you love it."

For more information on Ben Arthur, visit his Web site, www.BenArthur.com, or see him live in Harrisonburg on Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. at Finnegan’s Cove, Sept. 20 at 9 a.m. at Harrisonburg High School and Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Little Grill. He also will be making future stops in Virginia, Washington, D.C., New York and Ohio.