In 1996, a new star was lit in the horizon of world music - the Skillet band. Its main direction was Christian rock. The group still exists. The results of 20 years of work were nine studio albums and two live albums. Throughout the history of the group, its composition has changed. In the period from 2001 to 2011, the place of the guitarist in Skillet was occupied by Ben Kasika. He became one of the most striking and mysterious members of the group. Why? And what is his path in rock music?
Biography
Who is Ben Kasika? His biography is practically unknown to the general public. He was born in the United States (presumably in Memphis, Tennessee) on April 15, 1984 into a religious family. He has siblings. Benjamin (full name) grew up as a fairly calm and assiduous boy. And no one imagined that he would show a serious interest in rock music. Ben started playing the guitar at age 11. And the Skillet group formed a year after that. The musical group began to quickly gain popularity in America. However, at the age of 12, Ben Kasika was not yet a professional musician, and it was impossible to take the boy to the group. Then he set a clear goal. In a good way, Kasika took advantage of Kevin Haland’s departure and, thanks in part to meeting Skillet member Corey Cooper, got into the team. At that time he was a full 16 years.
Personal life
The creative path of a virtuoso guitarist can be called smooth and bright. There are no scandals and dark spots in it. However, over the years, he kept secret information about his family Ben Kasika. His personal life was also not covered in the media. But fans are closely following the musician’s activity on social networks and sharing information. So, it became known that Benjamin’s beloved girl’s name is Caitlin. And in November 2014, the guitarist made her an official offer. However, the exact date of the wedding never became known.
Creation
According to music critics, the first Skillet compositions were created in post-grunge style. In the 90s after the death of Kurt Cobain ("Nirvana"), this direction was the most popular in rock music. Ben Kasika joined the group when she moved to industrial metal.
It is noteworthy that the guitarist began with classical music, but two years later he tried the electric guitar and began to develop in this direction. And yet, as experts say, the influence of the classics is felt in his famous solos.
Ben Kasika became famous as a virtuoso guitarist. All this thanks to unusual tricks with the guitar at the concerts of the group. The virtuosity of his game lies not only in the technique of performance, but also in the use of a musical instrument behind his back. He also uses techniques borrowed from post-grunge and alternative rock styles. Namely, palm muting, melodic inserts and acoustic busting.
In the Skillet group, Ben Kasika earned respect for his honest and conscientious approach to work and the things around him. This was repeatedly said in an interview with frontman John Cooper.
Leaving the group
Despite the warm relations within the group, in early 2011, Ben Kasika decided to leave the group. He announced this on his page in social networks. He also clarified that he thanks every Skillet member for ten wonderful years together, for exciting tours around the world. But now the guitarist needs a stable church and family life. As Kashika admitted, he leaves the collective, but remains in the world of music, art. Now he is interested in producing and designing clothes.
Interesting Facts
- Musical instruments play an important role in the work of any guitarist. And their musicians are especially anxious about the choice. When Ben Kasika joined the band, he had exclusive GMP guitars at his disposal. Soon, however, with Corey Cooper, his companion in guitar business, he switched to the PRS brand. Awake used a Gibson guitar to record a studio album.
- It is noteworthy that the period when Ben Kasika played in the group is called golden in its history. It was from 2001 to 2011 that Skillet created his most popular albums, Collide and Comatose.
- During the period of participation in the musical group, the guitarist had the habit of walking at a concert along his section of the stage. This happened during the execution of his parts and in pauses. Fans have always been curious about this fact. In one of the interviews, drummer Lori Peters admitted that he does this just to make faces in her direction or to “shake” at the drum stand. It was also believed that Laurie and Ben met.
- As planned, after leaving the band, Ben Kasika became the owner and producer of the Skies-Fall recording studio. One of her famous projects are the rock bands Random Hero and Stria. Also, the ex-guitarist today is a co-owner of the Christian organization for the production of clothing. The brand has already become popular in America and has received the name LiveLoveMusic, which means “Life, Love, Music”. The ideological side of the company is based on a religious principle - to bring light to the world and give love to all people.
- In addition to music, Ben Kasika is interested in photography. Over the social networks, his art images scattered for a long time scattered landscapes of travel places and photos of relatives and loved ones. In addition, he lectures on the art of writing song lyrics.