Rock. Blues. Funk. Shred. Sax. A few words that may come to mind when Bencoolen fills the airwaves.

The maximalist rock band achieves their bold, signature sound by weaving blues, funk and soul through songs, teetering on the edge of mainstream pop and rock. Featuring soaring vocals, swift saxophone lines, and massive guitar tones, the band was started in 2014 by college friends Paul Gregg and Teddy Scott. As time has progressed, the focus of the band shifted from a hobby to a lifestyle, catalyzed by lineup changes, rediscovery, and unrelenting inspiration. The lineup rounded out by mid-2016 with Ben Suarez joining on bass, Jack Bentsen on saxophone, and Will “Willy Pipes” Lockery on drums and backup vocals.  

The early days of a band are often painted poetically. Artists face lengthy struggles to be heard, turbulent lives on the road, and uncertainty. They also experience grand adventures, beautiful stages, and meet wonderful people few others find. This journey is embraced by the five-piece of Bencoolen and they play on, writing their first chapters, riding in a caravan up and down the coast from sunny Savannah and to New York’s metropolis. They rapidly dance between highs and lows. A van stuck in the mud, an encore in a college town, a festival stage among a lineup of legends, and a lonely night at the dive. Song ideas sprout up from it all, sax solos fill the night, and ripping guitars stun a passerby with an adrenaline rush. 

Bencoolen’s sound has dazzled crowds, and their determination continues to bring them to new venues. In fact, Bencoolen grabbed a hometown sell out show in Washington DC in September 2018. They have supported tours for Mihali of Twiddle, Marcus King, Spafford, Mungion, Atlas Road Crew, Mondo Cozmo, and Big Something, to name a few. They also have landed major festival slots at Firefly Music Festival in 2017 and at Musikfest in 2018.

The group welcomes their formal debut album, Daydream, this March. The record cycles through genres seamlessly, from pop to funk to rock, capturing the genre-bending spectacle now expected out of their live performance. The record is headlined by "Tonight," "Roll On," and "Daydream” where listeners are enveloped in steady pulses, swaggering leads, and confident vocal performances. The release was made possible by the generosity of Dragon’s Lair Studios and producer Addison Smith's touch behind the controls. It was captured in a cabin tucked away in the lush hills of West Virginia. 

Self-managed and self-booked, Bencoolen is proud of their first full-length project and plans to tackle their biggest tour to date this Spring.

Links:
www.bencoolenmusic.com www.facebook.com/bencoolendc https://open.spotify.com/artist/1MUFLr6TyUzrlKW61yATQN https://www.instagram.com/bencoolenmusic https://twitter.com/bencoolenmusic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WvLEZEidXU 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKJfOCVSICE

My goal in the creation of these songs is to achieve a trip into low-Earth orbit by 2025. My formal training is in control systems, materials science and orbital dynamics, my original intent being to develop micro-payload (<500kg) launch vehicles for government and communication industries. In late 2006, I met a strange guy wearing a full-body camouflage bodysuit and contact lenses that made his eyes look like snakes. He gave me a small black capsule, which I ingested, expecting to become altered for a night of partying. To my surprise, I was catapulted violently into some sort of higher dimension, where I met various beings who instructed me that the only way forward was to abandon my current path and embark on the creation of very specific musics which would embody the growing truths of digital consciousness and the dimension of scale. I will know I have succeeded, then, when I am able to see with my own eyes the entirety of the planet presented as a sphere from some distance above the surface. Although this is but a tiny step out into the fractal timescape, I imagine unexpected consequences and exciting rewards along the way. The songs you hear on this page are constructed with my very closest friends and lovers, who share my interest and understanding in the important nature of expanding our experience to include as much as possible of our knowledge of the fractal frontier.

Huntington WV rock 'n roll. We would LOVE to play your birthday party. 

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