Brent Bennett

By: Mut Asheru

We like this artist because his music makes us feel good about ourselves.  From the first listen we felt Brent Bennett had a lot to offer from a very seasoned place.  His heart.

UTM:   What drives you artistically?

 

Brent:  It's something I've just had in me since I was a little boy. I don't know how to explain that. There isn't really any outside force that drives me musically, although the state of current lyrics and songs tends to make me think I'm a little more constructive. I don't see today's music, especially rock & roll, having the art to it, as far as lyrics, that it once did, or that I try to have in my songwriting. No one really thinks how to say something in a clever way that will make people ponder what they're saying; they just come out and say it.

 

UTM: How do strike a balance between the business of music and your creativity?

 

Brent:  I handle the creativity part and my wife handles the business end.

 

UTM: How personal is your songwriting?  Can we get an accurate view
of you through your lyrics?

 

Bent: I believe any songwriter's creation is personal to them. I'm not a commercial songwriter who writes songs for money for a corporation, so anything I write has a personal side to it. My songs are my children. I'd like to think that, like children, they'll grow up and contribute something to society, leave a lasting mark.

 

I tend to write story-type songs; a few of them have to do with situations in my life, although there's been a lot of artistic license used. A lot of times something I hear or see gives me the idea for a song. My music is not autobiographical by any means. Songs in the vein of "Pain in My Past" have a ring of truth in my life, but that's true in most people's lives. Anyone who's been through a divorce can relate to that song. "Pine Box," on the other hand, is a totally made-up story written with my longtime songwriting partner and friend Rob York, who contributed to the lyrics.

 

UTM:  How long have you been singing and writing anyway?

 

Brent:  About 30 years. Drums were my first love, but you can't write songs on the drums. Not pretty ones anyway. So I switched to guitar, learned three chords and wrote a song. I learned how to play the guitar so I could write songs.

UTM:  Life or music.  Which one is more fun.  Which one is more rewarding?

 

Brent:  Life is music, and music is my life. I'm fortunate enough not to have to stand in front of a machine all day long and write songs in the evenings. I'm a full-time musician for the first time in my life, so my life is music. They're both fun as hell, and I'm working on the rewarding part.

UTM:  How do you feel about comparisons to other artists?...you know
they're coming!

 

Brent:  It amuses me to hear people make comparisons to my music when several name the same artist, because I don't see it. My influences are the 60s and 70s singer-songwriters -- Neil Diamond, Harry Chapin, etc.-- that my parents introduced me to when I was a kid. As far as my actual favorite musicians, I'm very eclectic. My favorite guitar player is Stevie Ray Vaughan, and my favorite bands are Live, Rush, Kiss and The Band. A review that is my personal favorite classified my music as "Tom Petty meets John Mellencamp... and kicks his ass."