Ben Cronin '11 - Songwriter for Gilligan Moss

Upon listening to “Mystic People,” the first track on Gilligan Moss’s album Speaking Across Time, the listener is filled with a sense of carefree euphoria. With its upbeat tempo, bubbly electronic sounds, and sampled electronic female vocals, the songs on this album reflect the songwriters’ lighthearted and positive outlooks on life. Gilligan Moss is a two-person group with Evan Dorfman and CC Alum, Ben Cronin, ’11. The CC Music Department had the distinct pleasure of bringing in Cronin as a guest artist and instructor during Block 5’s Digital Music Production class with professors Dr. Iddo Aharony and CC’s Technical Director, Schylar Woods.

Cronin is a New York-based musician who grew up in Chicago. At CC, he majored in He graduated Creative Writing on the poetry track, participated in outdoor activities, and joined a band that performed at Llamapalooza twice, won Battle of the Bands twice, and played in the First Friday concerts. He also had a radio show on KRCC. Cronin states the reason he didn’t study music at CC was due to the intensity of the jazz program at the time, and the feeling that it would have limited his creativity. Instead, he found limitless creativity in writing and poetry, and spoke highly of English Professor Emeritus and Colorado Poet Laureate, David Mason – the inspiration for Speaking Across Time - as well as Heather Powell Browne who was and still is a music blog writer and the Associate Director of Global Education at CC.

Cronin believes in creating success through pursuing your passions and staying true to your intentions. When asked about how CC shaped his career and future, he turns to the “tired but true” response that the Block Plan helped him cultivate a lifestyle where it’s okay to focus on just one or two projects at a time and take breaks. He says, “I would be a different person if I had done a more traditional semester plan.” The Block Plan immerses students in subject matter where amazingly they can learn a completely new skill or subject in just a few weeks. Over the course of the Digital Music Production class, students go from having never used the digital music software Ableton Live to producing their own music and tracks. Cronin also speaks about the many opportunities that CC offers, and that if there’s any advice he can give to incoming or current students, it’s that experimenting in your early years is key, and networking and getting to know people is incredibly valuable. “Every industry and job is really enriched by listening more widely and participating more widely.”

Cronin is now back in New York continuing to work on his projects, but he gladly offers himself as a resource to anyone in the CC community. He looks forward to visiting campus again soon.

Ben Cronin

benjicronin@gmail.com