Ben Pirani

Ben Pirani, a New York-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist drawn to vintage soul and R&B, led several projects for independent imprints such as Cherries Records and Palmetto St. Recording Co. during the mid-2010s, prior to releasing his first solo album under his given name, the refined retro-soul effort How Do I Talk to My Brother? in 2018.

Born in Chicago, Pirani was raised in a household steeped in music and began performing as a drummer in punk groups. Across subsequent years he explored an array of genres, both supporting other artists and leading his own ensembles, among them the mod-psych outfit the Civilized Age and the blues-rock group Chicago Stone Lightning Band. Most of these endeavors reflected his preference for sounds of earlier decades; after moving to New York in 2013, he immersed himself further in classic funk, R&B, and soul. Fronting a group simply named Benjamin, he cut a pair of singles and a full-length album steeped in 1970s and 1980s funk and disco. He then joined the Daptone-distributed Palmetto St. Recording Co., issuing the 2016 single “Light of My Life/Dreamin’s for Free” under the name Benjamin & the Right Direction. Working squarely within a 1960s soul framework, he delivered a follow-up 7-inch in 2017, “Not One More Tear/That’s What You Mean to Me,” credited to Benjamin & the Dreamdancers. Upon signing with the Ohio-based soul label Colemine Records, he released the 2018 album How Do I Talk to My Brother?, now billed under Ben Pirani, which gathered all four tracks from his earlier singles.