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‘Downbeat’, one of the world's foremost jazz magazines for over half a century, called Lacy “a true multitasking machine.” The review in the March 2003 issue went on: “To mere mortals it might seem that there’s a twosome going at it. Lacy’s impressive technique is built upon complex slapping, hammer-ons, and rhythmically devised chord progressions.”
Modulus said, “This soft-spoken musician is possibly the most exciting thing to happen to guitar playing that we’ve heard in the last ten years.”
Thousands of awestruck conventioneers have watched him move effortlessly from Led Zepplin...to Stevie Wonder...to Van Morrison, not just playing the guitar parts...playing all the parts, at the same time. Snapping and slapping nasty bass grooves, stabbing inspired chord voicings, thumping staccato drumbeats and playing sassy solo lines...all simultaneously. But this isn’t just a circus trick. It’s pure inspiration crafted with superhuman precision and Mojo to burn.
In 2011, Ben headlined alongside guitar greats Dick Dale and Jimmie Vaughan in The LA Guitar Festival. In November 2013, Ben had the pleasure to open for Blues Traveler and perform "La Grange" with John Popper. Ben has also recently opened for Kenny Wayne Shepard, Victor Wooten, Tom Keifer, Shooter Jennings, Leon Russell, and Bret Michaels. He has performed in the Long Beach Jazz Fest with drummer, Alan McKenzie. In 2015, Ben has appeared at the Nashville Guitar Festival, The International Guitar Summit, and opened for 80's Rock w/Dokken, Firehouse, and Trixter. In October 2015, Ben performed in The Breeders Cup Festival in Lexington, KY. In November 2016, Ben Lacy and Jay Roberts opened for Steve Vai on his Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary Tour in Nashville at Marathon Music Works, and in Knoxville at The Bijou Theatre. For the past few years Ben has been drawing huge crowds to the Brian Moore Guitar booth at NAMM.
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Nationally Known Guitarist Comes to Berea
It was a sweltering Nashville night, but the mosquitos weren’t the only thing
buzzing. Drawn by the largest nusical trade show in America, 50 of the world’s
best musicians took the stage last summer at the Ryman Auditorium for an
all-star tribute to Chet Atkins.
One musical legend after another playined on into the night - people like Vassar
Clements, Junior Brown, Kenny Burrell, Phil Keaggy, Victor Wooten and Seymour
Duncan.
A young guitarist virtuoso named Ben Lacy took his turn center stage. Minutes
into his performance, a hush fell over the auditorium for the first time that
night. Thousands of awestruck conventioneers held their breath as they watched
him glide effortlessly from Led Zeppelin to Stevie Wonder to Van Morrison, not
just playing the guitar parts, but playing all the parts at the same time. He
snapped and slapped bass grooves, stabbing inspired chord voicings, thumping
staccato drumbeats and playing sassy solo lines simultaneously. This was not
just a circus trick. It was pure inspiration crafted with super-human precision.
Applauding wildly, the crowd jumped to its feet with one of the few standing
ovations of the night. The review simply read, “Show stopper, jaw dropper.”
Madison Countians can enjoy this guitar wizard performing free Saturday for the
Coffee Conspiracy on Chestnut Street in Berea.
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Downbeat
Guitarist Ben Lacy is a true multitasking machine. The title of his CD One Track
Mind indicates that Lacy performed the bulk of these works in one take. To mere
mortals it might seem that there’s a twosome going at it. Lacy’s impressive
technique is built upon complex slapping, hammer-ons, and rhythmically devised
chord progressions.
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