Ben Kweller

Ah, springtime.
The birds are a-chirpin', the sky is clear and blue, the yard is overgrown and Town Lake is full of newbie kayakers.

This warm weather makes me want to listen to one of my favorite Austin artists, Ben Kweller.

Kweller is a baby-faced stud. He looks like he could be 15, but he's married and has kids and he knows how to put on an incredible show. He has the whole crowd dancing in one moment and then feeling the blues in the next.

One of my favorite things about Kweller is that he is an active part of the culture of Austin. Friends of mine have spotted him hanging out at Spider House and other local restaurants. He tweets petitions for his fans to sign to save Zilker Elementary. He plays shows for local causes, like the Austin Parks Foundation.

While he remains locally active, he has made a pretty big name for himself performing at ACL music festival multiple times and having been featured in a major campaign for Ray Ban:

He's good for any season, but especially springtime and summer. Penny On The Traintrack is the perfect soundtrack for a drive on a sunny day. Things I Like To Do is great background music for a cookout with friends. I could go on, but just trust me. If you are anything like me and you enjoy front-porch-sitting on a warm evening or going on a jog around Town Lake, Ben Kweller is the perfect, upbeat soundtrack for this spring.

Word on the street is that you can score 4 of his songs for free on Daytrotter. Plus, he just released a new album, Go Fly A Kite, in February. So go check it out. You can thank me later.