PIANO MAN

As I have stated here previously, there is nary a musician in this town I haven’t worked with in some capacity. So writing objectively about some of my friends in the local music biz can sometimes pose a challenge, but I’m enough of a dick that that hasn’t been much of an issue in the past.

But when I was asked to write about pianist/songwriter Tom Bennett, I felt a special pang. We’ve worked very closely in many projects, including his own Tom Bennett Band, for which I played drums, engineered and coproduced a recent album. Bennett, a classically trained pianist, has also assisted me on several productions, including my most recent album, charting and performing material for a musical, and performing live with a few ensembles I’ve put together.

So the challenge was to see his work through the same prism through which I view a stranger’s. And so here is my brief assessment of his work, before I default to a Q&A style interview with the man himself.

What I like about Bennett’s approach to music: He isn’t afraid to mix genres and styles in an attempt to create something new. I’ve heard some compare him to Billy Joel, Steely Dan, and Ben Folds, but he’s just as influenced by Motörhead, Deep Purple, and Slayer along with prog rockers and fusion artists of the ’70s. Bennett also places himself in awkward musical situations as a learning tool, playing music he might not necessarily enjoy or prefer, simply for the experience of doing it.

What I don’t like: Bennett’s lyrics are a bit too angst-y for my taste. And not ’90s grunge angst-y. Bennett, who lives in a stucco home deep in the strip-mall-cluttered Jacksonville/Orange Park borderland, has a particular dislike for modern suburbia and its inhabitants, and it shows in his songwriting. Songs of his last album like “Soccer Dad” and “Wine & Prozac,” along with new songs like “Creepy People,” can come across as nihilistic redundancies. Especially if you’re one of those soccer dads or wine-ingesting moms.

It must be said that I appreciate his sarcasm and humor, and hope that he expands his sardonic lyrics into wider areas with his new work. Bennett is a talent for sure, and when he’s not battling constant lineup changes and booking schedules, he’s busting his ass in the woodshed and studio, something more local musicians should be doing more often.

Folio Weekly Magazine: Give me the five-minute version of your musical development in Jacksonville.
Tom Bennett: I started playing piano when I was 14. The family was pretty into music so it was sort of natural to start hammering the keys – violently. I had anger issues. My jazz band teacher Mr. Ogilvie was a super-cool guy who supported me as a musician, and I studied classical piano with Burt Carasquero, Kevin Sharp – from whom I learned a lot in a short time even though I was a horrible student – and Gerson Yessin – from whom I learned a lot even though I was a horrible student as well.

When did the Tom Bennett Band first rear its ugly head?
I think five or six years ago, maybe more. I have always played in bands but time forced me to get to work on my own music rather than languish in unresolved musical frustration.

You’re a strong opponent of cover band work. Explain.
To characterize me as a “strong opponent” of cover band music would be incorrect. I’m definitely more drawn to creative projects than cover projects, however, last weekend I played a Friday and Saturday cover gig with Paul Ivey & Friends and have been playing in cover bands for well over a decade. I’m all for musicians making money. I think I just prioritize the creative projects more for myself.

Talk a little bit about the difficulties of keeping a steady lineup.
This is a constant challenge for growing bands. Finding the perfect fit for a band seems almost to be the key to having a great band. I’ve just kept moving forward each step of the way. I don’t know how else to do it. Currently, the guys I play with – Chris Poland, Keith “Bongo-Boy” Everett, Andy “Ocala Y’all” Jones and Dan Luft – are awesome team players and superb musicians. I love these guys.

Your last record, the one I engineered, lambastes suburban American culture.
Why the disdain?
Interesting question because I think artists write about what they know and who they are. My song ideas come to me from a place that I can’t really identify other than to say that when I “lambaste,” it’s done with love and self-deprecation. 

What’s on the horizon for the band?
I’m two songs – “Wine and Prozac” and “Hot Yoga” – into a song cycle about a dysfunctional suburban family and their interactions with death, drugs, alcohol, yoga, military enlistment, Starbucks, and a tense “standoffish” family relationship. I’m very excited to be working on it. It’s blossoming into a six-to-eight-song project.

What’s the biggest problem with Jacksonville’s original music scene?
The biggest challenge to the original music scene is probably geography, but it has always been that way. There are good established venues in town with more opening all the time. More people seem to be going out to enjoy local shows, which is great. I see a lot of good things right around the corner for Jacksonville with the Elbow, so kudos to the venue owners and patrons who support original music.

What’s its biggest asset?
Jacksonville has an unbelievably good pool of great – not good – musicians. We have a lot of superb players here.