Gentle Ben & The Rising Tide

RTP: What’s your full artist name and where can we find your music?

GB: Gentle Ben & The Rising Tide ~ gentlebenmusic.com

RTP: You’re part of the transgender community, right? How much of your music reflects that?

Yeah, I began transitioning in 2012, and I’d say that most of the music I’ve written since then reflects an aspect of that journey to some degree. Writing has been a really awesome way for me to process and share my experiences, hopefully into something that is relatable to all kinds of people, not just those of us in the transgender community. At the same time, I hope that my music resonates with people struggling to come to terms with their identity and helps them through that.

RTP: Are there other artists in the transgender community that inspire you? Who are they?

GB: I feel inspired by my community in general because it takes a lot of guts to live your truth. I started my transition listening to a lot of Joe Stevens, Ryan Cassata, and Skylar Kergil. Those guys, in a way, gave me permission to exist, because I saw myself in their experiences and was able to recognize myself in their art.

RTP: What’s your favorite song on your album? Why?

GB: My favorite song off of my new album is ‘For My Family’. I guess it’s my favorite because I really love my family and despite all the crazy things we’ve been through I wanted them to know that I’m alright and I’m grateful for all of it.

RTP: What are you hoping to achieve by releasing this album?

GB: I wrote the songs on ‘Worth The Weight’ to help me through my darkest days. I was basically singing myself into believing that everything was gonna be okay. So I’m releasing this album with the hopes that it might do that for somebody else.

RTP: Is there anything else you want to tell us about this album?

GB: I had quite a few talented folks playing on this project with me, so if you like what you hear I encourage you to check out all of the music that my friends are making too. Shout-out to Joe Stevens, River Glen Band, and Alex Andrews for making me sound so great.