‘Hold On To You’ is the lead single from Ben’s debut solo album set for release on December 2nd. Known for his work in Vancouver alt-country/jam band Real Ponchos (as vocalist and guitarist), Ben is now pursuing a solo career in more traditional, roots based country music which he sees as a tribute to the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Merle Haggard and all the great country music singer/songwriters. The sparse and beautiful ‘Hold On To You’ is a fitting first offering with the diaristic desert road trip video laying bare the song’s theme. 

“I wrote this song on a road trip in Big Sur and some of the imagery, like the lonely rock in the ocean from the first verse, comes from that,” says Ben. “The subject of the song, what I was holding on to, was originally the wheel of the Nissan Pathfinder I was driving. Then it evolved and became about relationships and how you have to be vulnerable to be supported by love.”

In a lonesome, scraggly drawl, Ben Arsenault sings songs about the road he’s travelled and the characters he’s spent time with along the way. Drawing on experiences from relationships of which he’s had the pleasure and pain of sharing, Ben’s songwriting takes a laid-back look into the conundrum that is human existence. Inspired by the wild mountains and waters of his BC home, and all the open country from Canada to Mexico, his music makes a good driving companion as you’re going down the road.

It was the Grateful Dead that led Ben to discover country singer-songwriters like Merle Haggard, as well as introducing him to bluegrass music. Ben’s first performances were at the Sunday night bluegrass jam at legendary Montreal hole-in-the-wall, Barfly. Although the regulars looked suspicious when he started with the Dead, they accepted Ben when he steered his voice towards the Stanley Brothers and Bill Monroe. He soon became a regular at Barfly and would wander the streets of Montreal, hunting for songs in the Plateau with Gram Parsons in his head.

Now back on the West Coast, Ben plays and records regularly with Real Ponchos, who, since 2010, over the course of countless tours and three full-length albums, have been building a cult following with their psychedelic-country-soul jams. The Ponchos will likely be seen and heard supporting Ben as he takes his new songs to the stage.

‘Hold On To You’ is available now on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers and streaming services worldwide. For more information, please visit benarsenault.com.