Mr Ben Hodges

**55bar** · Jul-09-2013, 11:45am

http://youtu.be/huEGW4fHhBA

Just happened across this guy, great player, just stolen the double stop lick at 1.36 ish.

I'm sure I'm late to the party but just though I'd share it.

**55bar** · Jul-09-2013, 11:49am

... I can't stop listening to this clip! All the double stops a person could ask for!

**Doug Edwards** · Jul-09-2013, 4:17pm

Ben's a great player. It been a couple years since I've been by, but he's the manager at Fiddler's Green in Austin. Bout time for another sales call.

**Capt. E** · Jul-09-2013, 4:59pm

Ben plays a beautiful Ellis and pulls everything out of it. Talented young player and a great guy. Just don't let him demonstrate a mandolin for you unless you are prepared to buy it...

**55bar** · Jul-09-2013, 5:18pm

Does Ben have a band? Is he a member here? And ... What tune is he playing in that clip? I'd really like to try and get that style together. Sorry for all the questions. Any advice much appreciated.

**GRW3** · Jul-10-2013, 10:51pm

Yes, he's in a group. The Austin Steamers. They have a CD that I like a lot.

**Tobin** · May-31-2016, 10:46am

I happened to catch the 2014 movie Boyhood on TV yesterday. Pretty neat film that was made over the span of 12 years as the main character literally grew up. It takes place in Texas.

Anyway, at one point there was a scene in a club that had a live band playing. Seeing and hearing a mandolin, of course, got my attention. Then the camera zoomed in and I saw the Ellis name on the peghead. Suddenly it clicked in my brain (yes, I'm slow): that's Ben Hodges! That's the Austin Steamers!

It was mentioned in another thread a while back here on the Cafe, but I guess I never saw it. This cameo appearance took me by surprise, and I thought it was worth pointing out again. I hadn't realized that Ben's mandolin playing was in a movie.

The scene, as I recall, was supposed to take place in an Austin club. But it sounds like it was actually shot in La Grange. This video is not from the movie, but I think it's the same time and place that the movie scene was shot.