Ben Rector is known for his smooth voice and just-the-right-amount of sap love songs. Combined with the crowd-engaging opener Tyrone Wells, Rector’s Walking in Between Tour is a stellar success.
A surprise (the good kind) came in the form of opening artist Tyrone Wells. The singer-songwriter created just the right atmosphere with some stellar love songs of his own. The highlight was definitely his “Top 40 Medley”- a blend of Lorde, Justin Timberlake and Imagine Dragons that earned loud screams of approval from the crowd. When The Bite spoke to Wells, he stressed his love of making positive music.
“I feel like my music is hopeful in nature and I think that is coming from the fact that I believe that God loves us and that we have hope for the future. And so I think you can hear that through the music,” he said. “Last year I literally released three different projects—two full-length albums and one EP—and that was really freeing to be able to release as often as I want to, because I write a lot of music.”
His positive attitude stems from his love of the business. Wells’s performance created a feel-good atmosphere in the room that set the stage for headliner Ben Rector.
What sets Rector apart from the rest is his pure musical talent. Well-loved tunes such as “When a Heart Breaks” and “Beautiful” came to life with stellar instrumental breaks and light shows. He frequently interacted with his backing band—just jamming out and having a genuinely great time. His songs were broken up by quirky anecdotes that kept the crowd engaged. Stripping down the vocals for slower ballads, Rector proved that his spot near the top of the music industry was well-earned.
Rector’s personable stage presence translated into an engaging personality when The Bite spoke with him. He explained that his inspiration for the album was actually quite laid-back.
“The thing[s] that filled me up were just ordinary things, like being with my wife or being with my friends or having a good conversation,” Rector said. Read below for the full interview.
The Walking in Between Tour combined two talented artists who clearly have a knack for what they’re doing. Regardless if love songs are your cup of tea, you’re guaranteed a fun night of good music when you see Rector and Wells.
The Bite had the chance to speak with Ben Rector before his show—here’s how it went:
You have been in the music business for quite a while. How would you describe the progression of your career?
I would say it’s really been slow and steady. That’s the best way I can describe it. But I don’t know, I started in college and kind of one opportunity led to the next until where I am today.
When you write music, what do you like to focus on?
You know, there’s not really one particular thing that I always focus on, it’s just kind of whatever I’m feeling or whatever I’ve been thinking about at the time. That’s kind of what usually comes out in songs.
Where did you get the inspiration for “The Walking in Between?” Where did the title come from?
The title comes from one of the songs on the record. The song is called “I Like You.” As far as my inspiration for the record, I’d say I’ve always been a little bit pessimistic about business, I definitely believe more in doing…I’ve never said I wanted to be famous or anything. When stuff started picking up a little bit for me in the last two or three years…I thought I’d be really fulfilled or have a sense of accomplishment and in a weird way I didn’t. I was getting to do a lot of cool stuff that I wanted to, but I didn’t feel any better or more fulfilled. Writing the record, it was an interesting thing because…the thing that filled me up were just ordinary things…I wrote the record kind of about that, and the title plays into that. The line in the song “I Like You” is “life is not the mountaintops, it’s the walking in between.” So I think that feeling is why I wrote the record.
Why do you think you started making music? Has that reason changed?
It’s just something that was really natural to me. I liked music growing up. It wasn’t really something that was a part of my family, but it just always felt natural to me. In high school I started writing songs, and in college I got really serious about it and wanted to be a good songwriter. That’s really how it went. There was no like specific moment that I was just like, “Oh I’m gonna do this.” I think it just kind of kept growing a little bit, and I tried to foster that growth.
Do you have a favorite musician or band that inspired your music?
I like a lot of old music, so that plays into it a lot. I don’t know if there’s one specific band I would say is my absolute favorite or anything, but I definitely like The Beatles. I like Randy Newman. I like James Taylor and Billy Joel. I like a lot of new music too. I love pop, just all of that stuff really. I’m really just a fan of songs that I like more than specific genres or artists. But in general I like old music.
Right now, what’s your favorite song?
That’s a great question. I’ve been listening to the band Dawes lately. I like that they’re really good at their instruments. I enjoy that a lot. I like a song of theirs called “A Little Bit of Everything.” I’d say that’s something I’ve been listening a lot to lately.
Do you think there will ever come a time when you stop making music?
I think there will be a time when people aren’t as interested as they are now. Like I said, music wasn’t really in my family or something that I thought I’d be doing long-term. I kind of feel like it’s a gift that I get to do it professionally for however long I get to, and I don’t know how long that will be. I don’t know exactly what that would look like, but I think I’ll always practice and enjoy writing. I think there’ll definitely be a time where people are not that interested that I’m making it…I definitely don’t think that it’s a right, that I deserve a job playing music. As long as people are interested, that’s awesome and I’ll do that.
