A Conversation with Bencoolen Band

We recently interviewed Bencoolen Band from Washington. Paul answered our queries about the band. Here is our conversation.

Twist Online : Please introduce yourself to the readers and how and when did you first get into music?

Paul:  Hey!  We are Bencoolen from Washington, DC.  I’m Paul, and I got into music through my parents making me play the piano when I was 7.  10 years of that led me to playing the guitar and singing, which ultimately led to playing in many bands with many different people.

Twist Online : Are you inspired by someone in the music industry?

Paul:  Jesse Lacey, and Brand New in general, has been a huge inspiration for me.  I’ve been influenced by them in so many ways, from their origins on Long Island (where I’m from) to his beautiful lyrics, and from the cult following they have developed to his ability to change up the sound on every record and still have it be fresh.

Twist Online : You recently released your Album “In Color”?

Paul:  “In Color” was released back in May.  We spent the entire summer of 2015 recording and mixing it, and then we kept tweaking it and preparing for the release through the fall and winter.  It came out right as we were in the midst of some lineup changes, with our bassist Ben and drummer Will just starting to get on board, and then we played a few shows promoting it this summer, places like the 9:30 Club in DC and The 8×10 in Baltimore.

Twist Online : All songs of your Album are superb. But any particular song you would call “A Must Listen to Track”?

Paul:  It really depends on what kind of stuff you did!  We tried to get a good variety of songwriting on this record to give you a broad experience of who we are, so everyone I’ve talked to has a different favorite song.  Personally, I love “Spice,” but I wrote it so I could be a bit biased!

Twist Online : What kind of response your Album received? It must be good.

We’ve had a few good reviews from blogs and websites here and there, but even more importantly I’ve had people reach out and tell me they love this or that song and listen to it every day.  Those messages make me really happy, and that’s when I know we are making some good stuff!

Twist Online : Performing live or working in studios, What’s more entertaining?

Paul:  Without a doubt I love the energy we have and get from the crowd at a live show.  I personally like recording because you get the opportunity to really pore over and perfect the song, but nothing compares to a live show.  Being able to change up songs and jam on the fly makes every song fresh and new in a way.

Twist Online : What are your future goals as a music artist?

Paul:  Outside of Bencoolen and helping the progression as a band, I am focusing on my guitar and songwriting skills and trying to do a little bit every day to better myself as a musician and a songwriter.

Twist Online : Are you working on any new projects? when it will be released

Paul:  We just finished recording and mixing/mastering a new song called Spotlight.  We are now preparing for the release of that this winter by producing a music video and getting some artwork commissioned.  Look out for it in December!

Twist Online : Are you on Social Media? Your fans would love to follow you.

We are all over social media!  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are our 3 big ones, send us a message and say hi!  And you can check out our songs anywhere from Spotify to Bandcamp!

Thanks for the interview!