NXNE 2006: Ben Gunning

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Official Website: www.bengunning.com Ben Gunning has long shed his Local Rabbits' past. Nowadays he's an all-over-the-place soul-funk-pop-rock 'n' roller. Here's what he said about his upcoming NXNE appearance:ChartAttack: Playing NXNE is cool and all, but if you could travel back in time, which festival do you wish you could have played at… Altamont, Woodstock or the first Lollapalooza? Why?
Ben Gunning: I don’t have much preference. Whatever would have caused more people to hear my music would be my choice.Music festivals are notorious for being populated by weird industry weasel-type people. What are three tips to deal with the shameless upward graspers of the music industry?
Not many people I know in music are interested in fending those people off. I think most of them go to great lengths to make sure those people are at their shows. I don’t have that problem though because I don’t think my music is something that anyone sees any kind of commercial potential in necessarily, so I can’t say that’s been a problem for me over the past few years.What's the best way to score free stuff at music festivals?
I don’t really obtain that much free stuff. If there’s food, I’m usually up for that. I think I’ve probably got some free food before flying around various places.What do you do when a band you're put on a bill with suck?
I would just play my set and have a few drinks, the same as I would normally do, but I may not be in the same room as the band. I’m not being radical. I don’t want to break their legs or anything like that.How important is it for you to "circulate and flirt" with the audience before or after the show?
I think that would probably be a good idea for me. It’s not something I’m very good at. Maybe I can work on that. I don’t know how to go from playing a set to going down and just saying, "Hey, how’s it going?" And then everyone, whether they liked it or not have to say that they liked it, scrounging up some compliment that suits what you did whether they were listening or interested or not. And then it’s awkward. So I’m not too good at that but I suppose that if I was I’d maybe have a sliver more success in my career. So I should probably work on that a bit. When you're meeting so many people and shaking so many hands on the road, do you ever get concerned about catching something from them?
No. I’m absolutely in no way interested in that whole germaphobia that’s been concocted by the powers-that-be to sell more products. I’m more afraid of something that the body is built to contend with than any of the poisons that we use on a daily basis.What are the best and worst things about your music?
The best things; what I try to do is make something that is ambitious and sophisticated, but hopefully not so far off the planet that people can’t enjoy it. I try to keep a good beat or at least something to hold on to. Worst thing; I try to avoid bad quality in my music if possible. Any of the things I don’t like about it, is just a case of compromise due to circumstance. Lack of resources or not enough money to record the way I’d like and such. But given that I start from scratch and that I really don’t have much in the way of monetary resources, I’m happy with what I’m doing and I put in a lot of effort. Last question: Have you done anything new or interesting this week?
Yes, I went on this annual fishing trip with my father and a gang of guys with a wide age range. It was about 25 or 27 people and we went up north of Kingston for the 27th year they’ve done it. It’s just a lot of drinking beer, fishing, relaxing, a lot of bullshitting, cracking jokes and ball-busting, but it’s pretty good. Ben Gunning will play The Drake Hotel at 9 p.m. June 8 for Chart's NXNE showcase. —Phil Villeneuve