http://www.BalconyTV.com <br />'Like' us on Facebook - http://on.fb.me/mhECp2 <br /> <br />BROUGHT TO YOU IN ASSOCIATION WITH METEOR <br />http://www.meteor.ie/pay-as-you-go <br /> <br />FROM THE MORGAN HOTEL IN TEMPLE BAR <br /> <br /> <br />'Singer-songwriter' is not a term embraced by many musicians. Too often the phrase is used to denote generic clichés, excessive emotional angst or middle-of-the-road blandness. But 21-year-old Benjamin Francis Leftwich feels it's far from insulting; 'My songs are personal and acoustic guitar based so why not? I am a singer-song-writer.' With influences including Elliot Smith, The Beatles, Kate Bush, Ryan Adams, Sigur Ros and Bruce Springsteen, his floaty, melancholic vocals and deft finger-picking lie somewhere between Jose Gonzales and Iron and Wine. <br /> <br />'A Million Miles Out', Benjamin Francis Leftwich's debut EP will be released on October 25th through Dirty Hit. Produced by Ian Grimble (Mumford & Sons, Manic Street Preachers, Siouxsie & The Banshees), it will be followed by a full length in March 2011. Although born and bred in York, Benjamin is of South African and Australian descent; he sees Sydney as a home-from-home and has been writing songs for the album there as well as in London. <br /> <br />A self-taught guitarist, Leftwich has had plenty of time to perfect his craft; he began playing at the age of ten and realised early on that song-writing was a natural means of expression to him. 'I like the way a song can grab you for a couple of minutes and take you somewhere, and how the different elements in a track can make you feel.' Growing up on a diet of The Rolling Stones and Nina Simone, Leftwich discovered Placebo, Bob Dylan and Elliot Smith in his teens and quickly began playing out on the York music scene. <br /> <br />Written whilst in the secluded countryside of Southern France, the four tracks on 'A Million Miles Out' have a sense of hopefulness. The delicacy of EP opener 'Atlas Hands' is a case in point, with its refrain: "I've got a plan. I've got an atlas in my hands. I'm gonna turn. When I listen to the lessons that I've learned." The stunningly subtle 'More than Letters' -- which is featured on the 'Communion Compilation' (the label from Mumford & Sons and Cherbourg) -- also showcases Leftwich's talents at their most powerful. <br /> <br />Having previously played with Mercury-nominated I Am Kloot, Fionn Regan and Lisa Mitchell, Benjamin Francis Leftwich will be playing a string of shows across the UK later this year. <br /> <br />http://www.benjaminfrancisleftwich.com <br />https://twitter.com/BenLeftwich <br /> <br />Tune in again tomorrow!!!
