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Ben Kenney

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Ben Kenney
Ben Kenney performing live with Incubus in Madrid.
Ben Kenney performing live with Incubus in Madrid.
Background information
Birth nameBenjamin Lee Kenney
Born (1977-03-12) March 12, 1977 (age 47)
Brielle, New Jersey, US
GenresAlternative rock, alternative hip hop
Instrument(s)Bass guitar, vocals, guitar, drums
Years active1994-present
LabelsGhetto Crush Industries
Websitebenkenney.com

Benjamin Lee Kenney Sr. (born March 12, 1977), is an American musician from Brielle, New Jersey. From 2003 to 2024, he was the bassist for the band Incubus[1] and had previously played in the Roots as a guitarist. He also records as a solo artist, usually recording every instrument and singing all vocals on his records.

Career

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Kenney played guitar for the hip-hop group the Roots before he joined Incubus in 2003 after the departure of the bass guitarist and founding member Alex Katunich (aka Dirk Lance).[2] He had previously played with Incubus members Mike Einziger and Jose Pasillas in Time Lapse Consortium. By the end of 2023 he had left the band having spent most of the year in recovery from brain tumor surgery and thus unable to participate in their touring.[3]

Kenney plays at least six different instruments[citation needed] and sometimes plays drum duets with Incubus' drummer Jose Pasillas live on-stage.

He has also done studio work for artists including Justin Timberlake, Faith Evans, Erykah Badu and Blackalicious, and producers Timbaland and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

26, Maduro, Distance and Comfort and "Burn the Tapes" were all released by Kenney's own record company, Ghetto Crush Industries. Ghetto Crush has also released music for the Division Group, Aleda and Root Valdez. Kenney helped the Smyrk to produce their EP, New Fiction.

Solo career

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Kenney started in New Jersey band called Racecar in 1994 with Jimmie Muller and Sam Hofman. After this, he and Chuck Treece started a musical duo called Supergrub in 1996, with three CDs released: Norma & Thurselle, Communicator and Challenger.

He has five solo albums, 26 released on December 1, 2004, Maduro released on March 1, 2006, Distance and Comfort released on January 15, 2008, Burn the Tapes released on October 1, 2010, and Leave On Your Makeup released on September 17, 2013. Kenney plays guitar, bass guitar and drums while singing and writing every part on the solo records. When touring to support his solo records he plays guitar and sings, accompanied by Ashley Mendel on bass guitar and vocals and Sekou Lumumba on drums. Recently, Simon Harding from the band Fin has replaced Lumumba.

Equipment

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His bass equipment includes Lakland bass guitars, Line 6 effects[4] and Mesa Boogie amplifiers. He has retrofitted several of his Lakland basses with JBE pickups. His collection of bass guitars includes a seafoam-green USA Joe Osborn, sunburst USA Joe Osborn with a fretless fingerboard, sunburst Skyline Joe Osborn, red Skyline Bob Glaub, shoreline gold Skyline Hollowbody, custom 44-94, light blue 44-94, cherry sunburst 55-94 with Gibson knobs, fiesta red 30" Jazz Bass (44-60), 1975 Fender Jazz Bass, Gibson SG Bass, Fender Jaguar Bass, and a Hofner 500/1 "Beatle Bass". Most of his bass guitars have rosewood fingerboards and are strung with GHS flatwounds, with the exception of the Skyline Bob Glaub and the 55-94 which are strung with Thomastik-Infeld roundwounds. Kenny also plays Gibson Les Pauls which is seen in the DVD video for "Not Today". His live Mesa/Boogie rig consists of a pair of Big Block 750 heads and a Roadready 8x10 cabinet. In the studio and for solo gigs and small live gigs with Incubus, he uses Mesa Walkabout 1x12 combos and extension cabs.

Personal life

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In January 2023, Kenney announced that he had a brain tumor removed, and that Tal Wilkenfeld would play bass for Incubus while he recovered from brain surgery.[5] It was later announced that he had departed the band permanently and been replaced by Nicole Row.[6]

Discography

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With Incubus

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Solo

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  • 26 (2004)
  • Maduro (2006)
  • Distance and Comfort (2008)
  • Burn the Tapes (2010)
  • Leave on your Makeup – EP (2013)
  • Must Be Nice – (2019)

With The Roots

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Guest appearances

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Notes

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  1. ^ Jon D'Auria. "Ben Kenney Takes Incubus Into New Sonic Territory". Bassplayer. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  2. ^ Huey, Steve. "Incubus – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  3. ^ Martoccio, Angie (February 6, 2024). "Incubus Revisit Their Past With 'Morning View XXIII' — and the Future Looks Bright". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "(interview)". Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2008.
  5. ^ Matt Owen. "See Tal Wilkenfeld play Wish You Were Here, Anna Molly with Incubus in first live show with the band". Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Ben Kenney Leaves Incubus As Nicole Row Becomes Full Time Member". Bass Magazine. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
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