Josh Bennett A few words with Josh Bennett. He sings, plays guitar, sitar, dilruba, tabla, didgeridoo, stomp box and generally has a good time.
Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself. Josh: I'm a musician. That means I make things vibrate in a very deliberate way so that your ears send signals to your brain that very closely resemble the ones that were in mine. Pretty cool job. I live in Adelaide, Australia, when I'm not touring, but spend most of my time on the road.
LB: How did you start out making music? Josh: I was banging the keys of the piano as soon as I was tall enough to reach them. My parents met when they were in a band together, so I was doomed from the get-go. Then, like all teenage guitarists, I wanted to be a blues guitar-god a la Clapton, Hendrix etc., then was introduced to music from different countries and found I loved it all. Now I study every year in India, and travel the world playing to as many people as I possibly can.
LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now? Josh: My parents were hippies. I grew up listening to The Beatles, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, The Doors, Peter Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, and so on. They definitely influence my songwriting and playing, especially Joni and George Harrison with his use of Indian sounds.
LB: Tell us about your latest release. Josh: It's called Echoes of You. I launched it in Adelaide to sell-out crowds at the Fringe festival in March 2010, and was nominated for Best Music of the festival. It has some great friends playing on it, filling out the sound with tabla, keyboards, saxophone, percussion, and my brother plays bass guitar. It's jazz meets blues in an Indian restaurant somewhere in Brazil. To understand what that might mean, you'll have to listen to it.
LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows? Josh: Playing live is what it's all about for me. I perform solo, and with a bunch of different lineups, typically with tabla, bass, and keys, but I also tour with the Bluegrass band The Lawnmowers (at the cutting 'hedge' of Bluegrass), and occasionally sit in with a local Brazilian choro band. Whatever style is being played, on whatever instrument, it's music from the soul.
LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy? Josh: I love being able to communicate thoughts and feelings to others. In particular I love performing with other musicians, and being as much a listener as a player, hearing sounds over and above what I could ever have come up with alone. Anyone who doesn't believe in mental telepathy should join a band.
