Fellow New Jersey native Phil Bensen sat down with me before his performance at The Knitting Factory. Bensen’s music is the perfect blend of soulfulness reminiscent of the Jackson 5 intertwined with pop influences of musicians like John Mayer and Maroon 5. Before warming up for his set, Bensen took some time to discuss his musical influences, hopes for the future and the inspiration behind some of his songs.
I read that you started out performing in college.
I always wanted to get into music but I never had the patience to sit down and do it. My college was a real liberal arts school, it was very artsy - people playing music in courtyards and stuff like that. They had these coffee houses and the first night I went to one of those I was like, “I have to do this. This is what I have to do.” And that’s when I started to play live. I had played before that, but I really got inspired. I loved it. So then I started playing, never thinking it could be a career. And then i just kept getting better, and my voice developed, and i wrote some songs..it was a natural progression. Here I am two years later, there you go.
You've been on tour the last two years, right? How has it been touring with bands like Lifehouse and the Jonas Brothers?
Well, technically I guess the last, yeah two years. But not really always on tour. Kind of getting shows here and there and recording and getting all that stuff ready to go. I only played one show with Lifehouse. The Jonas Brothers have been great to me. It’s not like, the best fit musically, but it works. For them to be playing sold out House of Blues and to invite me along because they like my music is a really cool thing. And so I’ve done shows with them, toured the west coast with Secondhand Serenade and Powerspace and just shows like this, up and down the east coast with Sparky’s Flaw. Bamboozle. Two years ago I was there, but it was on the small stage and no one knew who I was. Last year I played on the main stage and it was really cool. This year I don’t know yet, but I know I’m in the line-up.
What inspires your music?
The great songs with great hooks... real music, you know? The Beatles, Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Maroon 5, Bright Eyes I love. There are so many. I’ve always been a big fan of Elliott Smith. My stuff is . . . I don’t know, I’m kind of breaking away from the acoustic ballady kind of stuff and going more towards funky, cool, sort of stuff. But i'll also write some ballads too.
I really like your song, “Paper Airplanes.” What’s the story behind it?
It’s actually a good story behind that song. I was playing an open mic, trying to get anywhere in music, and there was a guy singing a song, “Paper airplanes fly so high” and I’m thinking to myself, “No they don’t. That’s kind of a dopey thing to say. They crash. It’s a piece of paper.” And I thought, “Hey, that might be a cool concept.” You know, something delicate and beautiful that gets destroyed. I thought it’d be a cool thing to pair that with life in general.
There are all these stories within the song, what inspired those stories?
A lot of times, especially when I was in college, after partying it would be like 2 in the morning and it was always cool to look up at the sky and just see planes go by and... I don’t know, it was just almost like a somber, sad kind of place. And then, the train story in there was a real thing. You see yourself and you see a guy that’s 20 years older and a guy that’s really old and you’re like, “Wow, that guy was once my age, once this young.” And there was this guy on the train ready to die. I don’t know. That’s my song. It’s almost like a Catcher in the Rye inspired song in a sense where the guy in Catcher in the Rye wants to be protecting all the kids jumping over the cliff and there’s no way he can do that.
Do you have a favorite song to perform?
You know, it changes every night. It’ll be like, “Wow that song felt really great or that song didn’t.” I like to play “Bruised.” I think it has a bit of a cool dynamic. It’s just a MySpace special, but it will be on my next album. Then there’s this song called “A Little Respect” that I like to play. “Not Good Enough” I like to play. There are more, but I like to play the more upbeat songs because they’re just more fun live.
so i was thinking after the concert tonight, i wonder if phil ever remembers anyone he meets during his shows. i know your really bad with names you always say but i was still just curious. you completely made my night, my week, my month, and probably anything else you could make tonight. but anyway its been wayyyy to long and im really happy i got to see you in concert again tonight. i really hope i can go to the show in vienna to but im thinking i wont be able to. i really hope so though. your one of the most amazing singers i have ever heard by the way. thats really long so byeeeee. <3
PHIL!!!!!!!!! i cannot cannot cannot wait to see you in TEN DAYS in rhode island!!! i miss you soo much...i will be expecting a huge hug. :) sooo it would make my life if you played August at the show. its one of my favorite songs and i've never heard it live!!! see you very soon mr. bensen :)
Thank you so much for meeting me! I had a blast chatting with you last night. I had been feeling pretty down abut not getting good enough fast enough and you really helped me get out of that and be optimistic. Thank you so much!
I just read Push Play's past bulletin saying you have a voice from god. lol it is truee!
I've had not good enough stuck in my head for so long! When is the new album coming out?!?
Hope to see you soon!
Love,
Allison
So Phil...... im thinking you have to come to Boston when you are on tour with Ian Walsh. If you dont I'm gonna be pretty upset... if you end up coming, I call dibs on selling merch :) -Katelyn
Hey, I was just wondering if you knew anything about Saturday's va show...seeing how it's flooding and such I didn't know if it would have to be cancled or not...
Thanks!!
Rain =D
Online Now!
