Just last Friday, one of USC’s own students released his first EP, “Eden.” Though second-year marketing student Ben Wolverton is already in Tweito, a local alternative- rock band. “Eden” is his first solo work, which he characterizes as chill music that breathes more than his band’s typical style. Months in the making, “Eden” is a project that began in a dorm room last year and made the leap to production in May, finishing just a month ago.
Wolverton got into music early, first becoming interested in the first grade when his father started giving him piano lessons. He moved on to learning how to play the bass guitar when he was inspired by “School of Rock,” and then started learning the guitar as he became bored with the bass. Wolverton also taught himself other instruments like the mandolin and ukulele.
Wolverton is inspired by the creative aspect of music and the sharing of music with others.
"Music is one of the most creative things that you can do in a way that everyone can relate to," Wolverton said. "It's a really cool thing to be able to reach out to different people."
Recording was new for Wolverton, and he said that the challenge was a big reason as to why he took it on. He and his friend, who produced the EP, went as far as taking studio equipment to a lake house to remove themselves from their usual recording environment to get "the creative juices flowing."
With “Eden” being so stylistically different from what he usually plays with his band, Wolverton noted that it was nice to be able to make music in a way that he hadn’t done before. One part he especially enjoyed was the fact that he was writing for every part, not just writing for bass or guitar.
Though he sings casually, this project is the first major experience Wolverton has had with singing.
"I just stick to my instrument because I know I can do that well," he said, remarking that learning how to write and perform vocals was difficult and that he had some "definite phony moments."
The worship based music draws upon the idea of hope, inspired by the current state of the world.
"All these issues that seem hopeless, but for me when I look at them, I know that there is hope and life beyond the world, and that this is kind of, for me, a temporary home. It's very hopeful and I wanted to share that," Wolverton said.