Ben McAllister

Half the time I will just say: "I don't know, I'm just a guitar player", the other half of the time, I will say:

I'm an insatiably curious multi-disciplinary artist pulling on threads in music and technology. I play guitar, I compose, I do a lot with computers, I write. I use this site to think, through writing posts and making sounds/demos/audio experiments. Check out minutes for a new minute of sound every day. I think out loud on my blog.

Like what you hear? Drop me a line:

ben_at_listenfaster.com

2025 Shows

Caudal Peduncle

Saturday April 26 at Darrel's Tavern
Saturday June 14 at Slim's Last Chance
Saturday August 2 at Sunset Tavern

Medicine Hat

Saturday August 9 at Showbox Downtown - opening for Blackhappy!

Latest Projects (updated Spring 2025)

There's a ton going on all of a sudden, just when I thought I was going to be feeling like a lazy-ass:

Caudal Peduncle: I'm stepping into Bob's shoes and taking over guitar in Cousin Mike's glam punk goodtimes band. I need clothes!

Medicine Hat: we got together for a well-attended reunion in 2023 and again back in Jan of 2025. We are looking at a vinyl reissue of our first record on Latent Print, as well as writing and recording new EP material. It might sound like this. There's a big show in the works in August, soon to be confirmed. In the meantime, check that link or look at our soon-to-be-migrated facebook page.

[Stropes Foundation Archives]:(https://www.stropesfoundation.org/) is custodian of a massive archive of fingerstyle guitar recordings and artifacts. I'm working with mentor and publisher John Stropes to sort things out and make them accessible as we prepare to publish transcriptions by Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges and others this year. I should have some new pieces up there soon, myself.

The Guitar Cult, my electric guitar ensemble. Recording in progress.

Chiwas. This is one of my favorite Chiwas demos. It's a new project from brother Jason Thomson, bass player from Medicine Hat, I occasionally play on 'em.

Day job: I work here. Our platform tracks lots of data that, at the end of the day, indicates responsible behavior in energy production. There's a lot going on under the hood though - I'll spare you the details for now. I'm stoked to be working with a lot of people I consider friends. If I didn't know how to pull bands together to make music, I wouldn't know how to get teams of engineers together to move toward a goal. It seems like the same thing to me.

Scores and Parts of my pieces are available through Stropes Editions

Past groups, ever a part of my being

Degenerate Art Ensemble | Tuktu | Wizard Prison | C'mon C'mon | Medicine Hat