Stuck in Vermont: Benjamin Lerner and Joshua Sherman Team Up to Make Music About Recovery

Benjamin Lerner is a musician with an unusual sound. He is a classical pianist who passionately raps, and his lyrics illuminate his experiences as a recovering addict — he has been clean for five years. Two and a half years ago, Benjamin crossed paths with music producer Joshua Sherman, who recently renovated a historic building in East Arlington and transformed it into a world-class recording studio called Old Mill Road Recording.

Both artists come from impressive musical lineages — Benjamin’s great-grandfather is Irving Berlin — and both grew up spending summers in Vermont before eventually settling in the area. Joshua was a set designer and producer on Broadway and more recently has become a medical doctor. He purchased 23 buildings in the picturesque town and multiple print publications. Joshua hopes to entice creative people to the area in order to revive the artist colony scene from the 1950s, which attracted greats like Norman Rockwell.

Together, Benjamin and Joshua produced Clean, Benjamin’s debut album, which came out in 2020. On a sunny Saturday, Eva got a tour of Joshua’s East Arlington campus, listened to Benjamin perform and learned about their unique artistic collaboration.

You can read more about Joshua and Benjamin in this week’s cover story.