The Ben Melius Trio joined DJ Jules live on KGNU for a fun, soulful session featuring originals and a George Michael cover for Pride Month. Ben, Matty Smart, Phil Chappell, and guest Dan Williams shared their musical influences, creative process, and upcoming shows in Black Hawk, Nederland, and Denver, inviting listeners to connect with their heartfelt sound. (Studio Session: 6/10/25)
DJ Jules: Now I have the pleasure and the honor to share with all of you — I’ve got the Ben Melius Trio here in the studio with me. Hello, Jules. How are you doing today?
Ben Melius: I’m doing good. Thanks for having us.
DJ Jules: Thank you so much for being here. What brings you into the studio at KGNU today?
Ben Melius: Well, we’re just here to kind of reintroduce ourselves to the local music community. We’ve got some dates coming up — a few shows in Nederland and Black Hawk at the end of the month. On the 21st, I’m playing with… actually, first let me introduce the band.
We’ve got Matty Smart on drums, Phil Chapel on bass, and my good friend Dan Williams, who’s helping us out today on keyboards and saxophone. We’ve been playing together for quite some time, but Dan’s helping us out today. I’m playing with Dan for his big birthday party on the 21st up in Black Hawk. Then, on the 22nd, we’re at Busey Brews in Nederland, one of our favorite little places to play.
After July 4th, we’ve got a show on the 17th at the Rhino Beer Garden in Denver, and I’ve got a solo show in Denver on the 29th at the Hampton Social.
We’re really just here to reintroduce ourselves to the music community, play some cool tunes for you all, and enjoy this great experience at KGNU.
DJ Jules: Amazing. We are so excited to have the Ben Melius Trio live in the studio at KGNU today. We’re going from Black Hawk to Nederland down to Denver — you are a busy man! All right, let’s get some music going. What’s the first song you’re going to play for us today?
Ben Melius: This is a song called Spinning the Wheel, a deep cut George Michael song. It’s our interpretation of one of his great tracks.
We want to do this in honor of June and Pride Month and all of our friends and family in that community. It’s a great track. Ready to hit it?
(plays music)
DJ Jules: All right, very nice, guys. Thank you. You just made me realize I don’t know enough of George Michael’s catalog.
Ben Melius: That’s one of his later tunes — I think it was mid-90s. It’s kind of a deeper cut, but we love that album and that track for sure.
DJ Jules: I love that. Thanks for sharing. You guys sound great. How long have you been playing together?
Ben Melius: Phil, Matty, and I — we’ve known each other since I got to Colorado in 2006. We’ve been playing off and on all this time. We took a little hiatus for family health and getting good habits going. Around 2014, we got back into playing a little more officially. Just last year, about this time, we really got back into it, and we’re having a lot of fun, getting some cool gigs and doing this awesome radio show with you.
So it’s been a blast getting back together. We’re super thankful to be playing.
DJ Jules: I love it. This is a year in the making, and it’s sounding so polished and crisp and clean. I appreciate that you’ve got things on the calendar — this is awesome. Amazing.
Hey, I want to know: who are you currently listening to these days? When you put on music, what are you vibing out to?
Ben Melius: My listening habits are divided up between when I’m working out or when I’m driving. I get a lot of Top 40 exposure.
I’m kind of a sucker for The Weeknd and Billie Eilish. But I guess my sweet spot, my comfort zone, has always kind of been quiet storm — sort of quiet storm R&B, down-tempo, lo-fi, hip hop — anything that’s R&B with flavors of jazz. That’s my home base for music.
Some of the more modern stuff I listen to would be Daniel Caesar, SiR, Summer Walker, and SZA — I love those ladies. My old throwbacks are always going to be Erykah Badu and D’Angelo.
Matty, he’s an audiophile. He listens to a ton of cool music. What have you been listening to, Matty?
Matty: Lately, I’ve been totally on some of that good R&B music that’s got nice strings behind it and that twangy guitar that was really huge in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
It’s making a comeback right now. Michael Kiwanuka, Curtis Harding, Leon Bridges, Mount Kimbie… well, I guess they play with Arctic Monkeys, whatever. Black Pumas. Disclosure, even, just for some crunchy — I call those oompa beats.
Literally anything. I’m loving deep bass, tight drums — no resonance on that snare, just boom — but really tight. And just loving some falsetto vocals because they peel away from the music so nicely when you’ve got all those low tones. Just anything that sounds good and is crunchy, you know? Deep pockets.
I listen to a ton of stuff. I get into public radio, I’m listening to classical music — it’s a little bit of everything.
DJ Jules: I love this. I’m just going to have to replay this interview and geek out for a bit — just a bunch of music nerds talking about what they’re listening to.
All right. Since we talked about what you’re listening to now, I want to know: who would be your dream collaboration?
Ben Melius: Oh, that’s a tough one. I really like Terrace Martin — he’s an incredible producer out of L.A. He’s worked with a lot of heavy hitters. It’d be really cool to work with him.
I also really like this gal from Sweden named Snoh Aalegra — she’s incredible, great singer, with some really cool R&B vibes.
But honestly, we’re just having a good time collaborating with these guys — Matty, Phil, and Dan. This is a lot of fun too. We’re just some older fellas over here living the dream.
DJ Jules: Right? Perfect. Well, let’s get these older fellas living the dream back on their next song.
So, KGNU listeners, if you’re just tuning in, we’ve got the Ben Melius Trio here live in studio. Ben, you’ve got two songs that you’re going to play for us now. What’s on deck?
Ben Melius: This next one’s one of ours — it’s called Return to Saturn. And the one after that is also one of ours — it’s called Jesus, Help Me.
DJ Jules: Let’s go. Let’s hear it.
(plays music)
DJ Jules: Amazing. And let me just say, folks, that you can’t see this at home — but Dan Williams on the saxophone, in the fabulous shirt, is completely rocking it and crushing it. That sax, man — right? Crushing it.
Ben Melius: I’m seeing pastel suits with a white undershirt — like Miami Vice, just that sexy sax man vibe.
DJ Jules: Yeah, it’s a really good vibe over here in the studio. I just had to jump back on the mic to let the listeners know. Now we’ll get to this next song.
Ben Melius: Some good-looking dudes in here.
DJ Jules: Get out of town. I’m so lucky.
(plays music)
DJ Jules: Excuse me, but I am a sucker for that song. Oh my gosh. We’ve got keys on it, and beyond keys — fun little commentary.
Ben Melius: That’s my man Matty Smart.
DJ Jules: I couldn’t see who was giving me the talk-back on each one, and I love it. Nice, nice. There you are, babe.
I am here for that — the Jersey girl in me just got way too excited.
Ben Melius: Nice. I love that — all about the banter.
DJ Jules: All right. So how are you writing stuff? How are you coming up with this and thinking, “This is what we’re going to do”?
Ben Melius: That’s just us practicing the tunes and coming up with some ideas. Writing is super personal for me. I’ve always written in some capacity — since I was a kid. I journal, I write short stories, poetry, and a lot of songs.
When I’m writing music, it’s really a lot of self-therapy — a self-release. I’m working through my experiences, mistakes, triumphs, and trying to tell stories for myself.
Sometimes those stories translate into songs that are a little more relatable in the music. But a lot of times, I’ll just pour myself a glass of water, sit down in the quiet, go through chord progressions, and allow myself to think deeply — and stuff just starts to happen.
I really believe that music is magic. It’s like a spell. Sometimes stuff just starts to happen when you’re messing around and giving yourself that space to create. I think that’s really important. I’ve found, as I’ve gotten older, that if I don’t create, it actually takes a lot out of me.
So yeah, things just kind of happen when you sit down and start playing.
DJ Jules: I absolutely love that. Listen, Ben — I’ve always respected and admired you, but having you in studio talking like that and playing those songs — I’m your number one fan.
Ben Melius: Back at you, Jules.
DJ Jules: Oh my gosh.
Ben Melius: I got you. My wife Rachel and Sarah B. are in the studio. I’m surrounded by unbelievable women, unbelievable friends — this is really a cool experience.
DJ Jules: And what about that nugget of yours?
Ben Melius: Monet — my daughter — she’s having a good summer. She’s hanging out with my wife right now. They’re listening, and I’m shouting them out.
DJ Jules: I love that. Good for the girls.
Hey KGNU listeners, if you’re just tuning in, we’ve got the Ben Melius Trio here live in the studio. They have one more song for us. But before we hear it, I’d like Ben to share where your upcoming shows are — because these songs need to be seen live.
Ben Melius: I’m playing guitar with Dan’s project on the 21st at the brewery in Black Hawk — that should be really cool. They’ve only been around for about a year.
Then, Sunday the 22nd, we’re at Busey Brews — one of our favorite places up in the hills. That’ll be the trio here, and we’ll have some special guests too.
On the 29th, I’m playing solo at Hampton Social in Denver. Then there’s a bit of a hiatus through the holiday, and we’re back on the 17th at the Rhino Beer Garden in Denver — another really cool spot with a great patio.
I think in August we’re going to start recording our EP — we’ve talked about that for a while. That’ll take up some time. We’ve got some things we did last fall and winter that we’ll probably try to do again.
Just keep an eye on our website — benmelius.com — and on Instagram, it’s @benbensmusic. We’ll have dates and everything on there.
DJ Jules: That is perfect. KGNU listeners now have their options of where to go see the Ben Melius Trio live.
We’ve got one more song for all of you. Ben, what are you going to grace us with right now?
Ben Melius: This is a song called Death Letter.
(plays music)
