A second chance

NOW that everyone seems to be either watching or wanting to be the next “American Idol,” it’s hard to imagine a musician being grateful for not becoming a household name. But that’s just how singer-songwriter Ben Kweller views his 1997 brush with success as the leader of grunge-punk trio Radish.

At a time when record labels were searching for the next Nirvana, the band from Greenville, Texas, generated big buzz. It was signed to Mercury Records, was profiled in New Yorker magazine and toured the world. But the label’s commercial hopes were never realized, and the group disbanded in 1999.

It wasn’t a bummer, insists Kweller, now 21.

“The biggest thing is, thank God we didn’t become the new Silverchair or Hanson,” he says from a Seattle stop on his tour, which brings him and his new band to the Roxy for sold-out shows Friday and Saturday. Despite lingering flashes of outrage that his teenage self’s wishes were often disregarded, he’s grateful.

“The best part,” he says, “was the experience it gave me as a songwriter, as a touring artist and recording in the studio.”

Kweller says that meteoric fame would probably have led to early burnout rather than a newly invigorated solo career. Launched all by himself with 2000’s home-recorded, self-released collection “Freak Out, It’s Ben Kweller,” his career has built momentum with last year’s “Sha Sha,” released by ATO Records, the RCA-distributed label co-owned by heartland rocker Dave Matthews.

After a post-Radish move to Brooklyn with his girlfriend, the wry-yet-sincere Kweller recorded “Freak Out” on his computer and made 2,000 CDs. The songs were very personal, about such life changes as leaving home, and feeling both intimidated and inspired by life in the big city.

Kweller played acoustic shows around New York and established himself in a niche, rather than being shoved into a role.

One day, he got a phone message from erstwhile Lemonheads leader Evan Dando, praising “Freak Out” and asking Kweller to call back. “I was just floored,” he says. “That meant more to me than any record deal or anything that happened with Radish.”

Dando took Kweller on the road with him, and at one New York show, an ATO representative approached Kweller. Soon the youth had a label deal again, this time on his own terms.

“It’s run by an artist who always makes music the way he wants, which I totally respect,” Kweller says. Plus, it’s an indie-esque company with major-label distribution, guaranteeing exposure but pretty much ruling out excessive hype.

Not that Kweller needs to be hyped. The unpretentiously honest, slightly goofy “Sha Sha” has found its audience, describing youthful concerns from sex to vulnerability to pursuing dreams. The melodically sophisticated piano- and guitar-driven music draws from widely varied influences, including the Beatles, Pavement, Frank Black and Dando. Reviewers often compare Kweller to fellow piano player Ben Folds, but Kweller says keyboards are all they have in common.

Well, that and a latent desire to play drums, which they’ll get to do after Kweller’s tour ends. That’s when he, Folds and Aussie wunderkind Ben Lee will team up in Australia for a tour.

Ben Folds and “I get to play drums for the first time on stage, which we’re both really psyched about,” Kweller says. Each artist will perform his own songs, and the group also will play four tunes it recently recorded in Nashville.

That project is just good fun for Kweller, however. He’s already written new tunes for another solo album, but mostly he’s just enjoying the power of adult autonomy.

“Now when I have an idea, like, ‘Oh, I want to make a video, and I want to jump off this big strawberry,’ I don’t [hesitate] to tell someone.” He laughs. “I know I’m old enough to be taken seriously, because someone will say, ‘All right, ... let’s try to find a strawberry.’ ”

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Ben Kweller

Where: The Roxy, 9009 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood

When: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.

Cost: Sold out

Info: (310) 276-2222