Ben Gibbard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ben Gibbard
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Gibbard with Death Cab for Cutie in 2018
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| Birth name | Benjamin Gibbard |
| Born | August 11, 1976 Bremerton, Washington, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
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Benjamin Gibbard (born August 11, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is famous as the lead singer and guitarist for the indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie. With this band, he has made ten studio albums. He is also a member of the indie pop group The Postal Service. Ben Gibbard released his first solo album, Former Lives, in 2012. He also made a collaborative album, One Fast Move or I'm Gone, with Jay Farrar in 2009.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ben Gibbard was born in Bremerton, Washington. His parents are Allen and Margaret Gibbard. Because his father was in the Navy, his family moved around the country. They lived in Northern Virginia before coming back to Washington.
Ben grew up during the exciting time of grunge music in the early 1990s. He finished high school at Olympic High School in Bremerton in 1994. After that, he studied environmental chemistry at Western Washington University.
Music Career Highlights
In 1996, Ben Gibbard was playing guitar in a band called Pinwheel. He recorded some songs on a cassette tape under the name Death Cab for Cutie. The tape was called You Can Play These Songs with Chords. People really liked the songs.
Because of the positive feedback, Ben decided to turn Death Cab for Cutie into a full band. He added guitarist Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer, and drummer Nathan Good. The band released their first album, Something About Airplanes, in 1998. Their next album, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, came out in 2000.
Ben Gibbard also had a small part in the movie Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. In 2007, he went on a solo tour across the U.S. He performed with other musicians like David Bazan and Johnathan Rice.
In November 2014, Ben Gibbard was a guest on the Foo Fighters' album Sonic Highways.
Personal Life and Interests
Ben Gibbard was married to actress and musician Zooey Deschanel from 2009 to 2012. He later married photographer Rachel Demy in Seattle in 2016. They lived in Capitol Hill, Seattle.
Ben has been a fan of the MLB team, the Seattle Mariners, since he was five years old. He has even thrown the first pitch at two Mariners games. When the Mariners traded player Ichiro Suzuki in 2012, Ben wrote a song called "Ichiro's Theme" to honor him. The handwritten lyrics for this song are kept in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. In 2024, Ben performed the national anthem at the Mariners' Opening Day game.
Ben is also a runner and has completed several long-distance trail races called ultramarathons.
Views on Important Topics
Ben Gibbard is a supporter of gay rights. He wrote an article for The Daily Beast explaining why this issue is important to him. He shared that seeing his lesbian sister get married was "the most beautiful thing" he had ever seen. He supported Washington Referendum 74, which was about marriage equality in Washington state. He said he would be very proud if his state passed it.
Ben has also shared his political views, supporting the Democratic Party. In 2016, Death Cab for Cutie released a song called "Million Dollar Loan." This song was part of a project called "30 Days, 50 Songs." The song was about Donald Trump and how he said he built his fortune with a "small loan of a million dollars" from his father. Ben said he was disgusted by how flippant Trump was about it.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ben Gibbard performed daily concerts online from his home. He did this after his shows were canceled. He played songs by his bands, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, and also songs by other artists like The Decemberists and Radiohead. He used these online concerts to help promote local non-profit organizations in Washington.
Musical Instruments and Gear
When Ben Gibbard performs, he often uses four special 1970s Fender Mustang guitars. He also uses two custom-made Acme Silvertone amplifier heads. For acoustic songs, he plays two 2008 Gibson J-45 Acoustic Guitars. Since 2016, he has also started using Supro amplifiers.
In January 2021, the company Fender announced a special guitar called the Ben Gibbard Mustang. This guitar was designed with Ben's ideas and was inspired by the guitars he uses on tour. It has unique features like a special body and custom pickups.
Music Albums
Death Cab for Cutie Albums
- You Can Play These Songs with Chords (1997)
- Something About Airplanes (1998)
- We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes (2000)
- The Photo Album (2001)
- Transatlanticism (2003)
- Plans (2005)
- Narrow Stairs (2008)
- Codes and Keys (2011)
- Kintsugi (2015)
- Thank You for Today (2018)
- Asphalt Meadows (2022)
Ben Gibbard Solo Albums
- Home Volume V (with Andrew Kenny, 2003)
- "Couches In Alleys" (on Styrofoam's album Nothing's Lost, 2004)
- Kurt Cobain About a Son: Original Score (with Steve Fisk, 2008)
- Former Lives (2012)
- Bandwagonesque (cover of Teenage Fanclub's album Bandwagonesque, 2017)
- "Do You Remember" (on Chance the Rapper's album The Big Day, 2019)
- "Me & Magdalena" (written for the Monkees' album Good Times!, 2016)
- "Provider" (on Chong the Nomad's EP A Long Walk, 2020)
- "Every Beginning Ends" (on Noah Cyrus' album The Hardest Part, 2022)
The Postal Service Albums
- Give Up (2003)
¡All-Time Quarterback! Albums
- ¡All-Time Quarterback! (EP, 1999)
- The Envelope Sessions (1999)
- ¡All-Time Quarterback! (album, 1999)
Other Music Projects
- With Kind of Like Spitting: Bridges Worth Burning (drums, vocals, 2002)
- With American Analog Set: New Equation / All I Want For Christmas (backing vocals, 2001)
- With Jay Farrar: One Fast Move or I'm Gone (2009)
- With Pinwheel: Pinwheel (1996)
See also
In Spanish: Ben Gibbard para niños
- Jason McGerr
- Nick Harmer
- Chris Walla
