has been playing music most of his life, reaching the kind of success most artists only dream of before he was even out of his teens.
That musicianship and raw talent would be passed down to his two sons, Dorian and Judah 鈥� so much so that the family planned a summer tour with 16-year-old Dorian, who performed under his middle name Zev, opening for his father, and 13-year old Judah working the merch table.
Their plans were tragically sidelined in 2023 when Dorian was killed in a car crash near the family鈥檚 home in Dripping Springs.
Just months after Dorian鈥檚 death, Ben Kweller did what many might consider the hardest thing to do 鈥� he continued to perform, and in late May he released a new album called 鈥溾�� on what would have been his son鈥檚 19th birthday.
While difficult, the constant companionship that music has provided to Kweller throughout his life again remained a reliable outlet.
鈥淗e鈥檚 in everything I do,鈥� Kweller said. 鈥淥ne constant in my life has been music. And when a tragedy like this happens, for me, I have been thinking a lot about, okay, well, what is it? What is my soul鈥檚 purpose? Why am I here? Why are we all here? And I keep coming back to the fact that I was given this gift of music, and you do have to nurture those things.鈥�
It was a gift that father and son shared, one that Kweller remembers seeing grow in Dorian and connecting it to his own upbringing in music.
鈥淣ow that he鈥檚 gone, I can鈥檛 help but feel like, okay, well, I鈥檓 still here. I better get back to work and really just carry out my soul鈥檚 purpose,鈥� Kweller said.
While the tragedy permeates 鈥淐over the Mirrors,鈥� somber tones don鈥檛 dominate the sound. Rather, a sort of curious sense of joy can be found in tracks like the album closer 鈥淥h Dorian.鈥�
鈥淚 just started thinking more and more about him as a person and his beautiful, long hair and his spirit and his smile,鈥� Kweller said. 鈥淎nd then I was thinking about all of his friends that lost him.鈥�
Following that sonic thread, a song of remembrance became a song looking forward to a reunion.
鈥淚 quickly realized that this song is actually from the perspective of his friend,鈥� Kweller said. 鈥淭he song never says, 鈥極h, Dorian died and he鈥檚 gone forever.鈥� It鈥檚 just like, as if he鈥檚 just a friend of ours who moved away.鈥�
Dorian鈥檚 memory hasn鈥檛 only inspired original music from his father. Kweller says his son was himself a prolific songwriter, leaving behind dozens of finished songs on his laptop and hundreds of unfinished ideas.
Kweller says he hopes to eventually release some of the material into what would have been his son鈥檚 debut album.
But in working with the pieces his son left behind, Kweller says he鈥檚 also found ways to still collaborate. Dorian鈥檚 unfinished song, 鈥淭rapped,鈥� for example, appears on 鈥淐over the Mirrors鈥� 鈥� his father having picked up where his son left off.
鈥淚t was a song that he was working on for a few weeks before he died, and I just remember walking into his bedroom while he was singing that first verse, and it has like this haunting melody,鈥� Kweller said.
鈥淔ast forward a few months, now he鈥檚 gone. At this point, I know I鈥檓 making a new album, and so I decided I鈥檓 gonna just try to finish it. And so I looked up to the sky and I鈥檓 like, 鈥楧orian, bring some lyrics to me, dude. Let鈥檚 finish this song.鈥� And so we did.鈥�
鈥淐over the Mirrors鈥� has its fair share of other collaborators. MJ Lenderman and The Flaming Lips make appearances, as well as Waxahatchee on the song 鈥淒ollar Store.鈥�
But alongside such names, Dorian鈥檚 presence is still felt. Kweller said he composed the song, along with much of the album, in his son鈥檚 room 鈥� a space still untouched since his passing.
It鈥檚 a space Kweller says has become something of a music room, one he shares with his younger son, Judah, who also became a collaborator on the song in a way.
鈥淚 was messing around in Drop D, which is really fun guitar tuning to work in,鈥� Kweller said. 鈥淎nd Judah walked in the bedroom and was like, 鈥楧ad, what鈥檚 that? Like, that鈥檚 really cool. That鈥檚 the coolest thing you ever made.鈥� I鈥檓 like, oh, when your kid tells you it鈥檚 cool, you鈥檝e got to pay attention.鈥�
Listen to an extended interview with Ben Kweller in the audio player at the top of this article.
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