Ben Prestage is an extrordinarily talented musician Hailing from Vero Beach, Florida. Ben never ceases to amaze with his lightning guitar picking style, tasty slide guitar work, top notch jaw harp and fiddle playing, as well as carrying the beat and the bass as he performs his solo act. Yes, Ben is a ONE MAN BAND ans plays all the instruments at once... As much as that might sound like a bit of a novetly, the amazing thing is Ben pulls that off with more talent and charisma that pretty much any band you are likely to see in this lifetime. Ben's lightning guitar picking style is off the charts! I would say the man is destined for greatness, but I beleive in a way Ben has already acheived a sort of greatness in his abilities as a musician that commands the respect of fellow musicans and his growing fan base. A talented songwriter and natural at working the crowd. Ben well deserves the praise. His independent albums are great and are available on CD Baby. net. Without a doubt the best picker of the guitar I have ever seen. Ben excites the senses and mesmorizes in a bluesy, bluegrass style that transcends those limitations and progresses to an amazing sonic meld that will inspire awe and set the crowd into motion in a musical event that will stand out as something unforgettable. Top that off with Ben playing a cigar box guitar with a slide and two broomsticks for the neck in such a way that everyone is up dancing and having the time of there Lives! Just a taste of Ben Prestage. Written by Robert Arnett, singer songwriter and former FM disc Jockey for WYNF, Sarasota, Florida.

Ben's blues are a fascinating blend of acoustic old-timey music, down-home blues, and nicely crafted original tunes. If you set them to some scratchy background noise, they could easily have been ripped from old 78s. There's enough variation in the styles and the songs here that the one-man band backing doesn't get monotonous. Prestage is a dexterous picker and talented guitarist, so there's plenty of different music styles to go around. He also picks up on a few classic blues as well, from the deliciously salacious Mississippi John Hurt tune, "Candy Man," to Muddy Waters fine old "Can't Be Satisfied," with some appropriate slide work, and the Robert Johnson warhorse, "32-20 Blues." This is a fine little album. It's fun to play sides like these and get the kind of real enjoyment that you get from discovering something fresh and new. This is a live CD, recorded, as the title implies, at someplace called Pineapple Willy's. Anyplace with that name has to be a fine blues bar, so I looked it up and found that it's in Panama City Beach, Fla., founded by a guy named -- Panama Willy -- with a rum drink of the same name. Sounds like it could well be the southern branch of the BlueNotes World Headquarters.

"Prestage has made a reputation on lighting things up on stage, so those with the preconception that the blues are dull are sure to be blown away. Armed with a host of homemade guitars, a foot operated drum set, and a distinctive southern growl, he blasts an electrified mix of swamp and delta blues."

Caught Ben live at a rare New Jersey appearance recently (actually had the unenviable task of playing in an opening act before him)and picked this disc up at the show. Within days I ordered two more of his albums from CD Baby. Ben is the best guitarist I have ever seen and a heck of a nice guy to boot. Beyond being a sensational blues singer and finger picker, he executes two-hand tapping and fluid harmonic runs that Tommy Emmanuel and Lenny Breau would be proud of. If you can catch him live, do so. It is shocking that he is so little known but I suspect that will change in time. This album, a 2 disc live set, is my favorite but all his recordings are worth owning.