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Interviews June 2007
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An interview with Brent Bennett |
Indieguitarists.com Interviews | An interview with Eric Brewer |
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1. Describe the early years of your musical roots and how your talent was nurtured. I can’t remember not having music in me. I have a picture of me at about age 2 or 3 holding a toy guitar left-handed. My earliest memories of music in my household were singing along with the radio with my parents. Through them I gained an appreciation of songwriting, particularly on the guitar due to exposure to Neil Diamond, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Harry Chapin, Joe South, Glen Campbell, etc. When I showed an interest in learning the guitar, my parents did what most parents do: sent me out for guitar lessons, which was a terrible experience for me because the instructor insisted that I play right-handed. So for several years I played drums until I one day found an old acoustic guitar in the back of my parents’ closet. I strung it up backwards, bought a Paul McCartney-John Lennon easy chord songbook, and the rest is history. My parents fought me tooth and nail about being a musician, but through the experience with the drums and now the guitar and the ability to write songs, I knew what I was meant to do.
Tons of events. Growing up, seeing guitarists like Ace Frehley of Kiss and Alex Lifeson of Rush, along with my parents’ constant musical influences with the Eagles and country artists like the Gatlin Brothers and Steve Wariner. All the guitar players influenced me. My going to California for college and playing out there for a few years in the scene around Hollywood exposed me to all kinds of different genres of music: punk, New Wave and glam rock. Once back in Indiana in the late 80s, I played in a band that covered lots of Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and gained a huge appreciation for the blues at that time. My parents always listened to country music, and I always listened to hard rock as a teenager, so I feel that my music combines all those elements. Indiana’s basically wedged between the blues of Chicago, the rock ‘n’ roll of Detroit and the country of Nashville, Tennessee. Most of the people my age and older have been exposed to all of these types of music all their lives in one form or another. They just seem to come out naturally in my writing. And women have been an event in my life, because they love to have songs written about them. And the beauty of it all is, long after the girl is gone, I still have the song. As I said before, a mixture of blues, rock, country and folk. I believe that the song should say something. I’m a big believer in the story songs. The singer-songwriters of the 70s could capture your whole imagination with a guitar and their voice, and those days seem to be gone now. In a recent review covering my previous album, “Under My Own Power,” some of my music was compared to the early Eagles, and I believe that’s because I write more in the style of the 70s than in the current genres. So because I write from the heart and don’t follow the commercial vein, I can never tell whether the next song is going to be rock, country, blues or a mixture of all those elements. My style is just a big multicolored quilt of music. “The Movers Are in Town.” This is the first CD that has my band playing on it. I engineered, produced, sang and played on the album. I wrote all or part of all the songs on it with Rob York. I’m also involved in the artwork on the CD, and I own the recording studio. Myself on guitar and vocals, Matt Allen on the drums, and W.D. Spade on the bass guitar and vocals. Every musician has low points, scrounging through the couch cushions for Taco Bell money, etc. I thank the powers that be I’ve moved beyond that. Every day is a high point, and hopefully tomorrow will be even higher. I’m honored to be featured for this interview on IndieGuitarists.com. The Internet has become a medium that allows the independent musician to show the world what he can do when a suit in a high-rise building won’t listen. I feel very fortunate to see that my music’s being played all over the world, and I’m getting very positive feedback. It’s a very exciting time for me right now. Nothing elaborate. We like to travel light. Because we play such a varied assortment of venues, we can do everything from a small, personal acoustic-type situation all the way up to larger theaters. Since the departure of our rhythm guitarist, we are right now playing as a three-piece band, but we’d be interested in a keyboardist who could add some vocal abilities, and I’m currently auditioning guitar players. My current live setup consists of a 30-watt Crate tube amp and assorted effects pedals. My guitars vary from the faded Gibson Les Paul DC to my Eastwood and Raven West and my assortment of guitars by Stagg, which I am endorsed by. For the guitar geeks, I prefer the P-90 or P-100 pickups and Digitech and Boss pedals for effects. I’m under the type of management that keeps a man honest: My wife manages me. Well, I might add. The Movers will be playing several local original venues around the Indianapolis area as well as branching out with some small festivals. On June 30, we will be releasing “The Movers Are in Town” on a split bill with Sindacato at the Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, Indiana. Tickets can be purchased through our website, www.BrentBennettMusic.com. Of course you should insure your equipment. It should be covered under your homeowners insurance, whether it’s in your vehicle or home, if the policy is worded right. Everyone should have a working inventory with serial numbers, an itemized list of gear, and photographs if possible. 12. What are some of your favorite venues to play in North America & Europe? In California in the 80s I played several venues: Gazzari’s, Troubadour, Pomona Valley Auditorium. In the Indianapolis area: Verizon Wireless Music Center, The Vogue in Broad Ripple, the Artcraft Theatre in Franklin. So far I’ve not toured in Europe but from what I understand, they’re playing my music on the radio and the Movers and I are very open to such an experience.
13. Is there a venue that you play regularly at? We frequent all of the local original music venues. Our schedule is continuously updated and available at www.BrentBennettMusic.com. E-mails for submission to our mailing list are welcome. To become a prominently known songwriter in the area; to continue to record and release CDs with the several hundred songs I have stockpiled; to tour the tri-state area and perhaps beyond. Don’t be influenced by the commercial market; write and play what you feel. Remember that we’re all artists; it’s not a competition, it’s not a popularity contest, it’s all about art. So support each other and be friends, because friends remember each other when good things happen to them. Don’t give up! For more info on Brent Bennett visit: www.brentbennettmusic.com |
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1. Describe the early years of your musical roots andhow your talent was nurtured. I was around 16 then and desperately wanted my own electric guitar. My mom delivered me a challenge stating the day I could play "Layla" on that old Hondo was the day she'd buy me my own guitar. Good to her word, a trip was made to the local music store to purchase my first guitar, a red Ibanez, and a practice amp. I have since then amassed a large collection of guitars and am now employed at that same music store as an instructor. 2. Were there any events, people or catalysts thatmusically influential? My parents always had music on in the house, so it's been ingrained in me since I was young. My mom listened to 90's bands like Counting Crows, Collective Soul, Tom Petty, plus all the old classic rock. U2 is her favorite band, and I picked up some of the Edge's influence as a kid without even knowing it. After I had taught myself to play basic stuff, I began taking lessons for electric and classical guitar. Both of my teachers at the time were highly accomplished players and I learned a wealth of information from them. I took college courses for classical guitar while still in high school for full college credits and played in their ensemble. Learning classical really makes you concentrate on economy of motion and tone control, which improved my overall technique tremendously. With the head start on my credits, I decided to pursue a degree in music and studied jazz at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. There I was fortunate enough to learn from some of the best players on theEast Coast. I also took sound recording, which seemed arduous and even painfully boring at the time but certainly came in handy when I started to record myown stuff! 3. How would you describe your sound? I'd like to think it's just a straight ahead rock sound with undertones of every other style imaginable. I've been told that I sound like many different guitarists so it's difficult to pinpoint exactly who I sound like at what time. I guess that's for the listeners to decide. I'd say that my style is a cross of influences such as Steve Morse, Jimi Hendrix, and the wild improvisational bent of Trey Anastasio all while still striving to create a sound that is uniquely my own. 4. How has teaching guitar affected the way you approach your craft? I've been teaching for about the past three years, and I find it very rewarding. Not only is it awesome to see the improvement in my students from week to week, but you become more informed yourself as you teach. There is something to be learned from the simplistic approach of a beginner. In the book "Zen Guitar," by Phillip Toshio Sudo, (one of my recommended reads), it tells the guitarist to always have a "beginner's mind". Which means to pick up and play what naturally comes out as if it were the first time you played guitar, with no preconceptions. Teaching gives me a lot of new perspective while reminding me of how lucky I am to be able to do something I love for a living.
One, "Still Life in Motion", recorded at home with minimal equipment. I used a digital 8-track and a drum machine. This was in 2005 and I was 20, playing with two different bands and traveling a lot. In my spare time I sat down and recorded some ideas and they eventually came together as an EP, which was a happy accident. "Still Life" has since been re-recorded on new equipment and features original instrumental selections. Right I am working on my second CD in the studio. The new CD, which is yet to be titled, will be available by late summer. It does include vocal tracks and hopefully will feature a well-rounded band line up for live perfomances by the time it's ready 6. How involved are in the recording process of the projects you have worked on? I am 100% involved in the recording process. For my age I've been fortunate enough to be in the studio many times, and I feel I've developed a good ear for mixing and recording. I also have a pretty good set up at home to capture all my ideas as they come. So at this point, I pretty much know exactly how I want my music to sound and I'll get as involved as I need to in order to make that happen. I like to work closely with the sound engineer in order to get the effects sounding just right, or to create segues between songs. I also try to avoid cut-and-paste recording techniques to achieve a more cohesive flow. I really dislike the manfactured production I hear on the radio a lot these days so I try to go the other way when I record. 7. What does your live setup consist of? I use an emerald green Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 Artist Series which is my # 1 guitar. I've never played anything that comes close to it. The second I enjoy all types of venues where there is an enthusiastic audience. Although I've been lucky to play some larger stages such as Hard Rock Live in Orlando, The Theatre of Living Arts in Philly and Pittsburgh's Post Gazette Pavilion, a small venue with a great audience is equally rewarding. I also like outdoor festival settings where the sound floats on air and you're able to draw your audience from the crowd to the stage. 9. What music organizations are you affiliated with? Since I do write a lot of original material, I am a member of BMI. Several of my instrumentals are being considered for soundtrack use and performing
For more info on Eric Brewer visit: www.sonicbids.com/ericbrewer
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