For local country artist Ben Myrick, attempting to build a music career while earning a degree in supply chain management can at times be difficult. His boots hit the stage around 10 p.m., and then they carry him to the library after playing a full set to study for the next day’s test.
Apart from the late nights in RBD, trying to juggle a curriculum and a passion for music can make it hard to fully focus on either.
“All day long, my head’s just kind of all over the place,” Myrick said.
Myrick is constantly trying to mentally write music, and while that can be distracting when considering school, Myrick has learned to make the necessary accommodations and put forth the extra effort to manage his work and his music.
Myrick decided he wanted to pursue music when he was 17 years old. From a young age, he knew he loved it.
His aunt and uncle met singing in local beer joints, his dad was a religious Elvis Presley and George Strait listener, and he sang in the car with mom constantly – music was everywhere.
Myrick “dabbled” in guitar and voice for a while and then discovered that he had a knack, and a love, for sharing his thoughts with others through his six strings and deep voice.
When he first began playing, he rarely strayed from classic country, a George Jones era style.
“That’s what I was raised on,” Myrick said.
Myrick also preferred to keep his music clear of heavy guitar and loud drums. However, his freshman year of college changed that as his friends encouraged him to listen to “more heavy” music, specifically 90s rock.
He described his current style as a combination of this older country and rock instrumentation.
“To kind of keep it upbeat but still have that classic country sound in there,” Myrick said.
His freshman year at Auburn, Myrick began to hunt for opportunities to play in Auburn. He talked to bars, fraternities, and other entities, but his search efforts often fell flat.
“It’s really hard to get your foot in the door,” Myrick said. “To find a way to try to get people to give you a chance to play.”
In spring 2016, Myrick released his first single, “Small Town Southern Things.”
That song would find him his first gig at an Auburn bar.
Myrick visited Bourbon Street Bar looking for a job application, and as he walked outside, the bar’s manager approached him with the question “Hey, are you Ben Myrick?”
The manager then went on to say someone had shown him Myrick’s latest single, and he liked it. He invited Myrick to play that weekend, and so launched Myrick’s entry into the Auburn music scene.
Myrick believes the downtown bars set a nice stage for a strong Auburn music culture.
“We’ve got everything from DJs to country singers to blues bands,” Myrick said. “You can always find somebody playing somewhere.”
Myrick said playing in Auburn has helped him a great deal, and he enjoys watching other performers in Auburn and learning from them.
As far as his own aspirations in the music industry, Myrick focuses on attaining small goals and building upon them rather than immediately chasing the “make-it-big” dream. His next single will be available on Spotify and iTunes on April 27th, and his goal for that is to see it on an iTunes chart.
“I don’t really care how high it goes,” Myrick said. “I just want to see it on the chart on iTunes.”
Myrick’s fervor for music lies in people’s reaction to his songs. He calls music his “therapy” and is thrilled when he sees people connect with it.
He loves sharing his therapy with an audience, an audience who might be able to relate to his own experiences.
“I’ve been there before when I thought I was alone in a situation and I hear this song and I say, ‘That’s exactly what I wanted to say but I couldn’t say it.’” Myrick said.
Myrick’s next performance in Auburn will be at Bourbon Street Bar on April 28th.
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