Ben Babylon and The Episodes to Open for Macy Gray

Five years after emerging onto the Southern California music scene, singer/songwriter Ben Babylon has reinvented his former Ben Babylon Band, renaming it The Episodes and adding a new member. The now 17-year-old alternative rocker hopes audiences will enjoy the stories, or "episodes," he tells in songs, as if watching reruns of a favorite TV series, discovering different nuances each time.

"The name The Episodes could have any number of meanings," Babylon explained. "It could mean a period of time or a show, or it could be a mental breakdown type of episode. I think we, as The Episodes, will have many 'episodes' or chapters, as we continue to develop and try new things, musically."

Babylon describes The Episodes as a high-energy, piano-based alternatie rock band that experiments with other musical genres. That musical versatility will be on display for the first time under the band's new name on Saturday, November 22, when The Episodes open for Grammy-winning R&B artist Macy Gray at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California.

With six studio albums behind her, Gray has been nominated for five GRAMMY Awards, winning one for the megahit "I Try," from her multi-platinum debut album "On How Life Is." In addition to her music, Gray is an accomplished actress, having appeared in numerous TV shows and movies, including "Training Day," "Spider-Man," "Lackawanna Blues" and more.

"A lot of our musical influences are R&B," Babylon said. "Although we are not an R&B band, we try to capture the soul that so many R&B singers and bands have, in our rock music."

Babylon, whose late father, Guy Babylon, was Elton John's keyboardist and arranger for 21 years, has been working on an album with members of the Elton John Band and Grammy-winning producer Matt Still, among others. The first single by The Episodes, with Still as producer, is titled "Never Stop." It is available on Bandcamp at https://theepisodesmusic.bandcamp.com/releases.

The newest member of The Episodes is Jacob Staben, who plays rhythm guitar, keyboards and percussion. The rest of the band is comprised of Ben Babylon (lead singer and keyboardist), Alex Arnaout (bassist), Jagger Krusen (drummer), Brian Schwartz (lead guitarist) and Joshua Barish (artist and creative consultant).

"Everybody in The Episodes contributes creatively, in different ways," Babylon said. "We still play some of the songs we used to perform as the Ben Babylon Band, but reimagined. We are also doing a lot of new material that our fans have never heard. I can't wait for people to hear our new music."

Ben Babylon and The Episodes will open for Macy Gray at The Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Drive, Agoura Hills, CA 91301-3304, on November 22. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Also performing: Sayed Sabrina. Show starts at 7:15. Macy Gray goes on at 9:00. Tickets are $28 / $38 / $58 and can be ordered through www.BabylonMusic.biz or by calling The Canyon Club at 818-879-5016.

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