Ben Himmelfarb grew up listening to Woody Guthrie, Buddy Holly, and Elvis. When he was 12, he heard The Band and knew he had to play music. As a teenager, Ben studied with local guitar players and songwriters and spent countless hours learning by playing along with records. The roots of Ben's music lie in folk, country, blues, and soul. However through exposure to diverse styles of playing, from jazz to Indian music, he developed a dexterous guitar style that works in many settings. He has been in rock groups, reggae bands, and played guitar with a gospel choir. During the past few years, Ben has focused on his songwriting and learning to play mandolin and lap steel. Recently he played with Tor and the Fjords and Brenda Fisher, two Capital Region musicians. Ben's first full-length solo album of original material, Little Bridge, comes out on June 21st and will be available on CD and digital download. Little Bridge was produced by Mitch Elrod, who has known Ben for ten years and exerted a strong influence on his musical development. Ben is looking forward to playing more gigs and continuing to collaborate with other local musicians.