Benjamin J. Sams (30 min)

For Festival Passes ($40) click here.

Ben is a 100% Canadian singer/songwriter, reaching through soft acoustic ballads into heavy rock projects and beyond. Ben has been playing guitar since he was four years old and has been writing songs since the age of nine. He is now a young 39, settled down and making music again.

Ben has a wide range of musical influences including, Mark Knopfler, Jack Johnson, Sia, The Stones, the Black Crowes, Lynard Skyard, Zeppelin, even Django Reinhardt and Billie Holiday.

Ben played in a number of bands when he was younger: “Grandma’s Conniption” - age 15; “Creature” - age 16; “Division 3” - age 17/18, and; “Kyle Stein” - age 21. and has recently joined a local (Gabriola) Rock Project. When he was 25/26 (2006), Ben began playing solo shows in coffee shops and restaurants around the Tri-Cities area, just outside Vancouver. 

Overall, Ben’s music history is extensive and colourful, full of diverse influences and wrought from work on two continents with hundreds of other musicians and artists of all backgrounds and creative endeavours.

We hope you enjoy the show. Be safe! Have fun! Much love!

How do Couch Fest concerts work?

Artists receive 100% of profits and donations from Couch Fest!

Once you buy your individual tickets or festival pass, you'll receive an email confirmation, with the links to the livestream(s).

Couch Fest will happen on Zoom videoconferencing. Each concert happens in a different "room", so you'll use different links for each show.

We want to create that intimate concert vibe that Gabriolans know and love from live events. A concert host will be on-hand to introduce the musicians and host a short post-show with the performers.

We encourage you to make an event of it! Put a blanket out on the lawn, connect some good speakers, order takeout from one of great Gabriola restaurants, and serve up some special drinks.

We also ask you to not share the links with others who haven't bought a ticket.

Why Couch Fest?

Couch Fest is an initiative of the Gabriola Chamber of Commerce, supported by Gabriola Songs, to help support artists who have lost work due to COVID-19. We recognize how important performers are to our island culture and economy.