Biography
Ball and Chain & The Wreckers are an Ottawa based band with Michael Ball and Jody Benjamin as the shackles holding this group together.
Formed in 1997, they now have five full length CDs in their catalogue. Their latest release, Louisiana Love Bug, was recorded, produced and mastered by Dirk Powell in Louisiana. Dirk is well known for his work with people like Joan Baez, Jack White, Loretta Lynn and T. Bone Burnett. Dirk assembled some great Louisiana musicians for the Ball and Chain recording.
Michael and Jody have been making frequent trips to Louisiana since 1997 and the music from Southwest Louisiana and its cultural context continues to fascinate them.
Michael and Jody were instrumental in bringing the first outdoor dance floor to a festival in Ottawa(OFF Dance Tent) and they have the band to make the dancing happen. They play a mixture of Roots Country and Cajun music, always with the dancers in mind.
Their Ottawa band members are:
Michael Ball - fiddle, mandolin and vocals
Jody Benjamin - acoustic guitar and vocals
Don Evans - bass
Alistaire Dennett - drums
Al Bragg - pedal steel
They play a mixture of original and cover tunes leaning towards the earlier country that still sounded like country. Some of their favorites are Hank Williams, George Jones, Roger Miller and Webb Pierce.
Ball and Chain often appear as a duo, one that understands the beauty of a simple style, where melody and groove can carry the music all the way to your soul. When Michael gets going on the Cajun tunes with Jody on the triangle, you can almost taste the jambalaya.
Jody Benjamin was the lead singer in the Toasted Westerns, Ottawa’s favorite singing sandwich, from 1988 to 2008. She is a talented rhythm player and her triangle, rub board and rhythm guitar (as well as harmony vocals) can be heard on many recordings by various artists including: Juno nominee and Maple Blues award winner, Michael Jerome Browne (www.michaeljeromebrowne.com), Keith Glass (www.prairieoyster.com),Finest Kind (http://ianrobb.com/finestkind), Grouyan Gombo (www.myspace.com/grouyangombo). She currently directs the two Ottawa chapters of Georgette Fry's community women's choir, Shout Sister! (shoutsister.georgettefry.ca).
A student of the violin since childhood, Michael Ball was first exposed to Cajun and Zydeco music when he joined Danielle Martineau’s band,Rockabayou in 1992. The band toured Europe, Canada and the U.S. and recorded three albums between ’92 and ’97. Michael also plays with other musicians including party favorites, Zydeco Loco and (Prairie Oyster) Keith Glass’ band, Twister. He can be seen playing bass every Sunday night at Irene's with the popular bluegrass group, The Dusty Drifters. |
