By Katherine BernotContributing Writer
Northwestern alumnus Ben Eichorst’s attic is filled with advanced music-making equipment: a drum set, a sequencer, an eight-track player and a keyboard workstation.
But Eichorst, Weinberg ’06, has no agent, no record deal and no band; he works in computer coding and data processing as he applies to medical school.
Though he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, Eichorst found outlets at NU for the music he had been creating since he quit formal piano lessons in the eighth grade.
His three years as a Willard Residential College resident and ResCon gave him the opportunity to perform with bands such as The Foster-Walker Complex, create music for theater groups such as the Titanic Players, and auction off an original song as part of Willard’s service auction to benefit Dance Marathon.
The song he auctioned, as well as some old and new compositions, are posted on his Web site, “Ben’s Music Page,” at www.beneichorst.com.
“I never viewed music as a career – it’s strictly an outlet for me,” he said. “I mean, my Web site is my name.”
Eichorst learned to play piano without much formal training.
“I started playing at age two,” Eichorst said. “That is, if you consider banging your fists on a piano to be playing.”
After two years of piano lessons, Eichorst said he realized he could play music without reading it. Many of the songs he has available on his Web site are improvised, and he rarely writes down the music, he said.
Eichorst combines piano solos with sounds from other digitally-produced instruments such as accordions, drums and strings. This creates a unique musical style that Eichorst describes as “techno/electronica/jazz/classical.”
Jenny Conat, a Weinberg junior and rock disc jockey for WNUR-FM (89.3), said she is a fan of Eichorst’s music.
“He really creates a lot of different sounds with the synthesizer,” she said.
Eichorst tests his musical abilities by experimenting with new technical ideas such as improvising in 7/4 time or descending 13 minor chords.
He captures the complex nature of his songs with eccentric titles such as “Drunk off of Root Beer,” “Fromage in the Street” and “Rushing Alpha Omega,” a lighthearted piece about what Eichorst referred to as “the horrible process called sorority rush.”
Now Eichorst is challenging himself to add vocals to some of his new pieces.
“I always felt I wasn’t exploring enough musically without singing,” he said. “It seems that songs with lyrics reach people with greater ease.”
As a child, Eichorst sang with the Colorado Children’s Chorale and a local church choir “despite lacking any semblance of religion.”
Since then, Eichorst has not received any vocal training.
After moving back to his home state of Colorado, Eichorst said he hopes to continue exploring his musical talents.
He has committed to producing two soundtracks for his friends’ final film projects, a longtime goal.
He said he is always searching for new instruments to learn and plans to purchase a saxophone soon.
As Eichorst continues to develop new music away from NU, he said he’s content with not being a phenomenon like the world’s next Justin Timberlake.
“I guess I am sort of low-key in the sense that I’m not actively looking for a contract,” he said. “But I definitely wouldn’t oppose it. (It’s) not a bad way to get yourself through med school.”
Reach Katherine Bernot at [email protected].
