ORTSGESCHEHEN

Benji rocks 'The Alan Parsons Project'

Didn’t we know the guy on the guitar behind little Benji?
Well, the middelaged among us sitll may know him: Alan Parsons, sound engineer of the Beatles tracks „Abbey Road“ und „Let It Be“ as well as of Pink Floyds „Dark Side of the Moon“, founder and musical brain of “The Alan Parsons Project“, one of the most successful and innovative bands of the 70s and 80s („Lucifer“, „Eye in the Sky“, „Don’t Answer Me“).
He fits as a background musician for Benjamin, 7, from the “Tree Group” in the Eching’s pre school „Rainbow“, participant for two years at the „Musical Kindergarden“ of the Music School in Eching. Featured from “The Alan Parsons Live Project“ he sings live on stage in Circus Krone „Eye in the Sky“.

This weired story must be told from it’s ending. Ending (up to now) will be a little family video that dad Simon Lowery is shooting with and for his son Benjamin. „Just for the fun of it“, Simon points out.
Lowery has been best mates with Alan Parsons for years and had shot video material for Parsons' latest production in his studio in Santa Barbara together with the German band „Lichtmond“. Just for fun he cut some lacklustre material with a sequence showing Benji at the dinner table at home, moving his lips to the as yet unreleased song „Precious Life“.
That was what gave birth to the idea for the Video „The Journey“. In it Benjamin „sings“ „Eye in the Sky“ – in a racing car in Monza, a pink car the Austrian Alps, waterborne in an ATV, in a gondola in Venice's Grand Canal and in the side car of the family motorbike at home in Büchnerstraße, Eching. The beginning and end of the „Journey“ was the stage, the big event, the real deal: Benji together with Alan Parsons.
Mum Gyöngyike was welling up all through the show, dad Simon, who was shooting the whole thing, was totally blown over when watching the finished material: „Money can’t buy this“ he said, his voice raw with emotion. Oh, and Benji enjoyed it too: „It was okay“, he said, clearly a rock star in the making. The noise levels of a seven piece rock band were right up his street. „I like it loud“ he states coolly, by his own admission at home he and sister Abigail (4) are experts in noise.
The master himself was pleased too: „He was a great sport“ – hey! Of course Alan Parsons is promoting his buddy Benjamin via skype from his hotel room in California for a story in the echinger-zeitung.de!
The sound check for the concert in the Munich arena was late, 2500 fans queuing outside the door, but Chief Parsons really wanted to pull off „the Benji thing“. „We wanted to do this video“, he is very clear about this, „and the band enjoyed it.“ Benji is well known there, he is an oldtimer backstage. „But it was great to have him on stage singing this time“, Parsons adds excitedly. Yes, they are good mates, Benji confirms. Whenever Alan Parsons is on tour in Munich, the taxi first takes him straight from the airport to Büchnerstraße for a nice cup of tea or maybe a beer with the Lowerys.
With the end of this academic year, Benji has completed the early music education programme the the music school, Eching. He is now starting with the piano – the instrument is already set up in the lounge. At kindergarten his nursery teacher Ingrid Lindbüchl used to play “Eye in the Sky” on the guitar and he used to sing. He also enjoyed his music class with music teacher Katrin Masius. He is no longer quite word perfect on “Bruder Jakob”, but the song with the little pony he can still do by heart. But – Ms Masius has to be very brave now – live on stage with Alan Parsons and the band: “That is more fun!”
 
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