British Prog Keyboardist Benjamin Croft To Release New Single “Wrestling With Plato” From Forthcoming Album “We Are Here To Help”
New Album Featuring Simon Phillips, Marco Minnemann, Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm, Jeff Scott Soto, Greg Howe, Mike Stern and Frank Gambale!
Benjamin Croft is a British Prog keyboardist, music producer and songwriter. He will be releasing his new single “Wrestling With Plato” on February 2nd. The song features Lynsey Ward (Exploring Birdsong) on vocals and virtuoso drummer Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats).
“Wrestling with Plato” is a tragic love story told over the lifetime of two people. A song about elaborate excuses; in the case of our protagonists, these are far reaching…
From a very young age, Benjamin developed a strong interest for music. At the age of 7, Benjamin began piano and trumpet lessons. “Around age 17, my life was forever changed after hearing the album ‘Close to the Edge’ by the band Yes. I quickly developed a love for progressive rock. Keyboard players such as Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson inspired me to practice for up to 8 hours a day,” says Croft.
At 19, he won a scholarship at Leeds College of Music. After graduating, he completed several contracts on international cruise lines, travelling and performing. He lived and played in the US, and toured the world twice, working with artists as diverse as Belinda Carlisle, Leslie Garrett, The Temptations and The Platters. “One night I was playing country, the next musical theatre and then jazz or rock.”
Benjamin relocated to London in 2012 and quickly began to make a name for himself. In 2018, he recorded for Beautiful South founder Dave Hemingway’s latest project ‘Sunbirds,’ and worked as a session musician, composer and arranger. He recently joined the progressive rock band The Gift.
While keeping up with a busy schedule performing and recording, Benjamin started composing his own music and released his first album “10 Reasons To…” on 33Jazz Records in March 2019. 12 original compositions blending jazz fusion, classical and progressive rock.
His second album, “Far and Distant Things,” was recorded throughout 2020 and released in the summer of 2021 on Ubuntu Music. It features some prestigious guest musicians such as Randy Brecker, Allen Vizzutti, Frank Gambale, Barry Finnerty, Mike Miller, and Chad Wackerman.
Both albums have been critically acclaimed in the UK, US and Europe.
Benjamin spent the last 2 years making his latest album, “We Are Here To Help,”. “It has been a great honour to record with legendary musicians including Simon Phillips, Marco Minnemann, Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm, Jeff Scott Soto, Greg Howe, Mike Stern and Frank Gambale.”
“We Are Here To Help “ is an epic project with a heavier blend of progressive rock and metal, pushing further the boundaries of creativity, musical mastery and sonic excellence. The album also marks the launch of his record label “Galactic Receiver”. It is due for release in 2024.
“Benjamin Croft is a force to be reckoned with, and I can’t wait to hear what he comes up with next.” – Sea of Tranquility
“Wrestling With Plato”
Produced, written and arranged by Benjamin Croft
Lyrics by Marsha Swanson
Lynsey Ward – Vocals
Benjamin Croft – Keyboards
Per Nilsson – Guitar
Dave Marks – Bass Guitar, Additional Guitars and Percussion
Marco Minnemann – Drums
Recorded at:
Sleeper Sounds
Engineer – Marcus Locock
Greystoke Studio
Engineer – Andy Whitmore
Mixed by Stephen W Tayler at Millside, Real World Studios
Mastered by Barry Grint At AIR Studios, London
Art Direction, illustration and design by Hugh Syme
Music video directed by Sam Chegini
A selection of analog keyboards have been used on this track including Yamaha CS-80, Roland Jupiter 8, Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, Oberheim ob-xa, Mellotron M4000, Hammond Organ and Steinway.
To pre-order: https://orcd.co/wrestlingwithplato
For more information:
Website: https://www.benjamincroftmusic.com/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/BenjaminCroftMusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenjaminCroftMusic
Instagram: https://instagram.com/benjamincroftmusic?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@benjamincroftmusic8126?si=vPQwYyHhEPJOAoNY
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeVaKVED/
