When Forte Magazine caught up with The Bennies’ guitarist Jules Rozenberg the band was hard at work in the studio laying down tracks for their new album. “We like to start the party when we record with a few beers and a few spliffs,” he replies when asked about their progress. “It helps to get out all the energy we’ve soaked in recently. We’ve been on the road and met so many different people. I love travelling with the boys – and we’re closer than ever. I think that’s really going to come through in the music, and so far so good. I just listened to the drums and they’ve come up really nice.
“I’ll start recording the guitar on Wednesday,” Jules continues. “This is the most prep we’ve done for any album before – I don’t know if that makes us sound better or worse!” he laughs. “But at the moment we’re really trying to create something special for us and for our fans.”
A handful of lucky punters would have already heard some of their new material at an intimate gig they played earlier this year. “We put on a small show at The Old Bar and played half a set of new songs. It was a good exercise in stress, actually,” Jules smiles. “Because we’re so used to playing our old set – but it went over really well and gave us a good idea of what people will respond to. Even though the crowd didn’t know the songs, overall it seems like everyone was pretty psyched – which made us more psyched. After the show we were smoking a bit of weed and we were like, ‘Fuck yeah!’ everyone has our backs so we really can’t complain – it was great.”
The fun-loving four-piece recently supported US punk veterans Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake on a national tour. “Us ska dudes have to stick together!”
Currently they’re on a whirlwind tour of the US that wraps up on Halloween, but Jules says the highlight of their year will be the 18-date Australian tour that kicks off next month. Determined to reach all points of the compass, The Bennies will tear the roof off venues in Hobart, Bunbury, Cairns, Darwin, and everywhere in between, including Geelong, Bacchus Marsh and Ballarat.
“This time we’ll push ourselves to get even further north and further west. It’s a sad reality that not every band can visit every town all the time, but it’s totally understandable because Australia is so fucking big! A lot of people miss out that aren’t in the main states or cities,” he says.
“I’m a music fan before I’m a musician, and it always means heaps to me when bands go out of their way on tour and so it’s us paying it forward – and it means the world for us to do that.”
There’s no denying that The Bennies are influenced by a lot of different bands. The fact that they promote themselves as a psychedelic, reggae, ska, doom metal, punk rock band from hell, gives you the idea they don’t like to be pigeon-holed – so I wondered who Jules was influenced by before he became a Bennie.
“One of my big influences when I was a bit younger was The Bouncing Souls. The Souls are one of my favourite bands of all time and when I was a very young guy I got to meet Bryan Kienlen, their bass player,” he explains. “It was around the time I was starting my first band and I didn’t really have a clue! And I was finding it difficult to get going or find any traction.
“Anyway, I thought he was a god. I could barely talk to him I was so nervous, but he talked to me as if I was just like him. He told me to just have fun, make time for my friends and one day I could be touring America. He didn’t talk to me like he was a rad fucking bass player who had played with everyone and made amazing music. He didn’t tease or talk down to me, or put me down – and I’ve always held on to that.
“Also I’ve had the negative experience of when you meet your heroes and it’s not always that great,” he adds. “I won’t say who’s a fucking arsehole and who’s not, because that’s not good for anyone, but at the end of the day that does happen and it can crush young people’s dreams. I think sometimes musicians forget how much music can mean to people – music gets us through the darkness and it helps us celebrate the light, if you know what I mean?”
Two bands that will help The Bennies shine this November are The Hard Aches, a duo from Adelaide, and Melbourne’s Wet Pensioner. “The Hard Aches are an independent band and they’ve worked really fucking hard. They’ve made a name for themselves, not just in Adelaide, but around Australia. BD is the front man of the band and he’s a great songwriter. If you like the narratives that the Smith Street Band use, then you’ll dig them,” Jules says.
“They’ve done so much for the scene (like putting on shows with multiple Australian bands), so it was only natural that we wanted to get them on board and hang out with them. They’re great people and you wanna be able to hang out if you’re going to tour everywhere – plus we’ve got Wet Pensioner who are fucking mental as well. The band are really good friends of ours. They’re a thrash band and they’re heaps of fun,” Jules adds. “They’re an up-and-coming band that we’re really excited about. They put on a great stage show and they bring the party – so we’ll have a lot of fun!”
Written by Natalie Rogers
Image Courtesy of Ian Laidlaw
When & Where: The Loft, Warrnambool – November 18, ‘Youth Fest’, Bacchus Marsh – November 21, Karova Lounge, Ballarat – November 21 & Barwon Club, Geelong – November 22
