The Story of Indigo Cosmos
Where it all started...
When Nancy Ludwig signed up to be a parent volunteer for Central Dauphin High School’s spring production of Footloose, she had no idea she was making the first move in a chain reaction that would result in the formation of a musical powerhouse. Her son, Max, wasn’t even in the show– he was busy making a name for himself on the baseball team. But he was also a masterful piano player and was looking for someone to join him in starting a band. Jamie Gordon knew just the person. Ben, her youngest, had been cast as the musical’s lead character and spent his time outside of school writing songs on his guitar. Jamie and Nancy arranged for the boys to meet blind-date-style after a rehearsal, and it was immediately clear that their mothers’ chance encounter had been a stroke of fate.
Anyone lucky enough to sit in on an Indigo Cosmos rehearsal will tell you Ben and Max have a near-telepathic connection that transcends space and time. Ben and Max will tell you it’s all formulaic. Indeed, their approach to composition is highly mathematical. It’s also effortless, fluid, and infused with a once-in-a-generation kind of artistry. The resulting sound is a standalone musical experience– Max’s warm, emotive piano reaches out to meet Ben’s calculated, precise guitar, and they become interwoven in a meticulously choreographed auditory ballet. It’s all tied together by their witty, insightful lyrics (with just a touch of classic coming-of-age naïveté).
Since the release of their first single, “With Me,” in May of 2019, Indigo Cosmos has been living, growing, and finding their footing. Their first album, a collection of demos recorded on a bare-bones setup funded by first jobs, is an artifact of their youth. In the time that’s passed since Ben and Max met, both boys have graduated high school, and Ben earned his bachelor’s degree in physics last spring. They find themselves now 500 miles apart and advanced beyond the world of school-sanctioned activities. They’re evolving, and their sound has come right along with them. It’s gotten older and fuller. It’s seeing things from a new perspective.
Like you’re looking down from space.
Guitar & Lead Vocals
Ben Gordon
One half of Indigo Cosmos, Ben Gordon is a guitarist and singer with an easygoing and witty personality.
Ben’s love of music might simply be because he’s never known silence. The 1800s farmhouse where he grew up was always overflowing with sound– his older brothers and their friends playing in the house, a host of animals, and the musical stylings of the 60s. He adopted many of his most formative influences, such as Billy Joel, John Denver, and The Beatles, from his parents. His natural knack for performing inspired them to enroll him in guitar lessons when he was six years old. He quit after a year but never stopped learning.
Ben kept up with organized music through youth choirs and school productions, but the real excitement about music was writing his own. Starting at 16 years old, Ben began writing and performing his original songs, going from family holidays to local coffee shops and eventually regional festivals. Some of Ben’s favorite artists and top influences include The Beatles, Coldplay, John Mayer, Lizzy McAlpine, the Lumineers, and Adam Melchor.
Ben graduated with a B.S. in Physics from Lebanon Valley College and moved to Boston to pursue a job opportunity in biotech and further his musical career. He plans to continue attending graduate school to earn his Ph.D. in Physics and eventually teach physics at the collegiate level.
Starting when he was ten years old, Max Ludwig began playing around with the musical patterns and sounds of the piano. At first, displaying moderate interest, the theory and performance of the piano clicked immediately when starting lessons. This sparked a lifelong passion that brought joy, happiness, and motivation to his life and those around him.
Being classically trained for over ten years, Max has a solid underlying knowledge of music theory and classical music. However, where his passion truly lies is in making his own music for others to hear. He played in the jazz band all his High School career but mainly loves improvising independently.
Growing up, music was always present in the household. Every Friday afternoon at four, the Ludwig family would drop what they were doing and start dancing to WXPNs funky Friday. Every year around Christmas, Max’s parents, Nancy and Travis, would begin putting together all their favorite songs released that year, picking out the top 15-20 songs to burn onto a CD and handing out to friends and family as a Christmas gift. Of course, with Max and his sister Grace in the house, they also had some input. This gave Max a base influence of many different musical genres and ideas. Stemming from this influence, Max has developed his own musical taste from friends and family. Some of his top influences include Dawes, Mac Miller, Ben Folds, Jon McLaughlin, and Ben Rector.
Now at the University of Pittsburgh, Max is studying Computer Engineering. His intention is to relate this major back to music on the digital side of music. This will help broaden his spectrum of music to improvise with and gain a better physical understanding of the piano and the sound it produces.