Benny Marchant is making musical waves in LA (Photo by Frances Vega)

The singer/songwriter sounds like Ben Harper and says he is influenced by Tom Petty.  He describes his music as alternative folk-rock. Marchant has a diverse range that can be soft and soulful for one song and rough and upbeat on the next.

Coming back to L.A for the second time in a month, Marchant will be at The Viper Room on Sunday night. 

The performances will likely be just as good –if not better—than his last show at The Mint on October 15 where he performed songs off of the recently released EP "Conversations Missed." 

Marchant and his band opened the set with "Eleven Seven" a relaxed ballad that made listeners want to close their eyes and sway. "Eleven Seven" had a little bit of an old-school feel that differed from the rest of the set.

There were more slow ballads in the set, but Marchant knew how to change things up. "Killing Me" was a funky and upbeat tune. It had more of a hard rock feel than his other songs. Audience members seemed to enjoy the change in tempo.

He also played a couple of songs that are featured on his MySpace page. "Conversations Missed" and "Cold Weather" are two very melodic and more poppy songs. The juxtaposition between the upbeat guitar rifts and Marchant’s melancholy lyrics in "Conversations Missed" made the song somewhat haunting. It was definitely unforgettable and seems like a great choice for a title track.

Marchant partnered up with producer Joe Chiccarelli for the EP. Chiccarelli has worked with artists such as Radiohead, the White Stripes, Counting Crows, My Morning Jacket, The Shins, Manchester Orchestra, and Minus the Bear. The result of these efforts is a mesmerizing collection of songs with sincere lyrics that any listener can relate to. Conversations Missed is an introduction to a talented musician with a range that can please a wide variety of listeners.  Marchant’s full-length debut album entitled Cold Weather is due to drop in early 2011.

VIDEO: Benny Marchant Live at The Mint

SLIDESHOW: Benny Marchant Live at The Mint

Benny Marchant will also perform on Trojan Vision’s CU@USC on Tuesday, November 9.

Reach reporter Frances Vega here.