Ben Gunning Likes His Pop As Long As It's Not Too Poppy

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and former Local Rabbits member Ben Gunning is an old-school indie artist who finds himself in awe at the new-school indie landscape.

He's lost all musical connections he once had with Local Rabbits, as well as with most of the fans whom once followed them. So now, starting from scratch, Gunning is speaking out about the music world's sad state in hopes of making some repairs with his off-the-wall R&B-soul-pop-rock.

"I think the over-arching problem with pop music now is the way that consumerism and capitalism have formed our way of thinking about music," Gunning says. "The reason seems to be that it's easier to sell something that's a little bit predictable and a little controllable.

"How to get out of that hole? I have no idea. But speaking out about it a little bit and seeing more artists in positions of power saying 'something's wrong' would be good. But I don't get the impression that that's going to happen.

"I'm in the position where I have nothing to lose to say that, and not to be a crusty cliche ex-hippie-type guy, but I'm just trying to point out the way things are and just be honest about it, and I think that's the duty of any artist."

Despite his criticisms of the pop world, though, Gunning has a deep appreciation for the genre. His music, although joyfully chaotic, is made up of some of pop's best qualities. There are choruses, catchy lyrics, beats and melodies that have all been carefully sifted through his musical filter.

"I like to satisfy my own tastes," says Gunning. "Even if I'm listening to something like fusion jazz or some sort of avant-garde sort of thing, I would try to bring that in to some degree without going off the deep end.

"'Cause I still like elements that have been in pop music since the beginning."

So how does Gunning translate his indie rock on stage in a way that doesn't scare anyone away?

"My show is very much about the music and that's it," he says. "Theatrical? No, not at all.

"I don't think anybody that I'm playing with is theatrical, but I do try to write music that's vivid lyrically and musically. But as far as how I present it, for me I don't value those things too much. There are certainly no costumes."

Ben Gunning will play Toronto's Drake Hotel at 9 p.m. on June 8 as part of Chart's NXNE showcase.