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Screw the mainstream
if you really want to get your rocks off you have to go to the underground.
That's just what we plan to do with this series, take some of the best
emerging bands that are out blowing away hardcore fans on the underground
music scene.
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DOWN
WITH CHAD BENEKOS
By Kim George
 With
so much adversity these days, anything positive one can offer is a welcomed
change. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Chad Benekos understands this. "It
feels like a mass awakening right now...like the world is reflecting on
itself and trying to figure out what to do next."
Chad's own musical
story began as a child of the 70's hippie generation. "My parents were
young and I got to be exposed to good music real early. I remember hearing
Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young on a daily basis. My mom would do housework
to Pink Floyd. When John Lennon was shot, I was only 6 years old but I
knew exactly what was happening because my Mom sat me down and explained
it. Even then, I felt the difference between socially relevant music and
the rest."
It's no wonder Chad's
own music would explore themes of universal reflection and hope alongside
personal realization and longing. "I've always gravitated toward music
that makes me feel a certain way...like the singer is going through the
same thing as me or something." Chad took up guitar at age 13 and soon
fell under its spell. "Early on I just played with anyone who would let
me. Even if I didn't like the music so much, I just wanted to get the experience.
I even played in a church band!"
It wasn't long before
Chad started to develop his own songs. "I was writing songs before I could
even really play that well...music just became everything for me." This
enthusiasm led Chad to play in rock bands into his early 20's when the
opportunity came to do it professionally. He signed a major label contract
[with Jive Records] and began recording and touring with the band (hed)
P.E., a hip-hop, hardcore punk rock hybrid act, who hail from Huntington
Beach, California. Says Chad: "That was so fun. We just lived out the whole
punk rock experience. To travel around the world and play music was like
a dream come true."
Years would pass
before Chad felt it was time to share his own music. "I never thought I
was ready...I just played in bands and worked on my writing until it became
clear to me that this is what I have to offer and there's no reason to
hold it back." A turning point in this decision was the unforgettable attacks
of Sept 11th. "I just felt so many emotions at once. Anger, sadness, sympathy,
confusion... all of it. It really reinforced my sense of responsibility
as an artist." These days, Chad's focus is that responsibility to the human
experience and his expression through music - not only in his solo efforts
but in a band called Humanlab. "I knew that the Humanlab project was something
I wanted to be a part of from the beginning. It has the true spirit and
consciousness at its heart and that's what's important to me."
Chad's upcoming debut
release reflects his views of the world and taste in music not only in
his lyrics, but in the recording as well. "I'm drawn to artists who aren't
overproduced. Like when I listen to Neil Young or John Frusciante's solo
albums, you hear it all...the mistakes and everything. You know you're
listening to something real. To me, that's what makes it special and that's
how I like art." It's no wonder he approaches his own music this way. "I
just record these songs in my bedroom as I write them. Like a musical journal
of sorts...and for now I just want to share them the way they are..."
For those familiar
with Chad's musical history, the mp3s featured on his website [and in this
article] are clearly a departure. The musical style can't be pinpointed;
it's a culmination of several genres. It's definitely melodic but yet has
a trippy, hippie-ish, folk flair to it. It can be emphatically said that
Chad's music is in a very pure state, almost innocent-like. 
Instead of trying
to explain the songs meanings, Chad instead opts to let the listener interpret
for his or her own self a meaning. "I know what the songs mean to me. Songwriting
for me has become how I figure things out about myself and the world and
I hope it continues that way but I'm not looking to give any answers. I'm
not a teacher or a preacher; I'm just another person and I want to share
my songs with people. We're all in this together and that's overall what
I want my songs to reflect. The other night I was watching Joseph Campbell
and the Power of Myth and he said 'He who thinks he knows, doesn't know....and
he who knows he doesn't....knows.' and I thought to myself, ........exactly."
Being interested
in Chad's current projects and a supporter of his former band, (hed) P.E.
, I recently conducted a little one-on-one action with Chad. We briefly
talked about (hed) P.E., Humanlab, his solo project, influences, among
other things. And so it goes...
Kim George for
antiMUSIC:
Sup Chad? It's been a while, man! Last time I saw you was nearly a couple
years ago when you were touring with (hed) P.E. Conflicting dates are circulating
out there; when did you officially leave (hed) P.E.?
Chad Benekos:
I'm just keeping busy! I officially left (hed) in the Summer of ‘02.
KG: I was
real bummed to see you leave (hed) but I know sometimes musicians have
to do what's best for them on an artistic level. Now, I know you parted
on good terms with the guys in (hed). Do you still keep in contact with
them?
CB: It's all
good. I've actually remained friends with all of them and wish them nothing
but the best, totally.
KG: That's
cool. Aside from your solo project (which we'll get into in a little bit),
I know you are also working with the band Humanlab. When and how did that
union with Humanlab come about? Are you a permanent member of Humanlab
now or is this just a side gig for you?
CB: OK, well
the Humanlab thing has been in the making for some time now. It really
was just a matter of time before we all came together to make it happen.
I’ve known these guys for a long time. For instance, my drummer [Marco
Forcone] and I have known each other and played shows together in different
bands before (hed) even formed! The other guitarist [Scott Pfaff] and I
met around the summer of ‘95 when (hed) was recording the EP “Church of
Realities.” His band rehearsed and lived in this house just down the street
from me in Huntington Beach. They were called Society's Engine. Anyway,
we became really good friends and found a musical connection right away.
I think we knew even back then that we should play music together. So,
after a few years passed and Scott had made a couple different bands, he
sort of reunited with his Society's Engine singer [Mike Medlin] and bassist
[Jason Honeycutt] and wrote a few songs with Marco on drums. They showed
it to me and I was just so impressed. They never played any shows or anything;
they were just recording these songs and I was like “ This band is going
to be INSANE.” Scott broke it down for me like “You know there’s no other
guitar player for this band but you.” And you know what? I knew it too.
But again, this was still way back right before (hed) was to go on to record
the “Broke” album - so it kind of started back then. We jammed a little
in that time but no shows or anything like that. They were still strictly
a studio project. After the touring for Broke was over, that’s when we
started really planning the band’s live attack and started jamming every
day. So I officially joined Humanlab in August of ‘02 and we played our
first Humanlab show like one month later.
KG: That's
a pretty insane history; I didn't realize it went back that far. Onto your
solo project. I heard the mp3s on your site. How was your solo project
born and what influenced you to go solo? Is your goal to primarily be a
solo artist or is it a side thing?
CB: The solo
thing has always been there for me and I’ve always wrote songs and stuff
for myself ever since I started playing guitar. I just never felt I was
ready to share it. One big moment that influenced me to actually start
performing alone was when I went to see John Frusciante in London at this
club called Borderline. Before that, I had seen lots of guys do the “acoustic
folk” type thing and stuff like that but it wasn’t as real. He just did
it really well and really pure in my opinion. So, after the show, I got
to talk with him (he was exactly like I thought he would be: totally cool)
and I left that show with a realization. I started thinking that if I just
sing these songs for my friends and that’s it, I wasn’t living up to my
potential and responsibility as an artist. I, all of sudden, felt like
I was hiding myself. So yeah, I guess the goal is to establish myself as
a solo artist. It feels good to be challenged artistically and musically.
That’s what it’s really all about. And it's definitely challenging. You
can’t hide behind anyone when it’s just you up there! No loud drums or
loud guitars. It’s the most intimate thing.
KG: I'm definitely
feeling your solo project but I have to admit, it's a bit of a departure
from your days with (hed), not to mention Humanlab. The music is very melodic
and has a trippy hippie-ish vibe to it, all that with a folk edge. Did
this style just evolve with you or have you always been into this type
of music? The songs I heard sound pretty deep, yet very pure. What influences
your song writing and music?
CB: I don’t
know what style of music I’m doing, really. It just turns out the way it
does. One of the most important things (to me) is for an artist to find
their own style. So many bands and stuff, they don’t have originality anymore.
They just like a certain band or they like a certain tuning or the singer
likes a certain singer and they just do that thing. It's...weird. For me,
it’s been about uncovering who I am as a person and finding out what chords
I’m most drawn to and what comes most naturally to me - and nurturing that
thing. I get influenced by different things too. It can be anything really...a
conversation, a chord progression that speaks to me, a picture, the weather,
whatever. I hear melodies over music all the time. The hardest part to
me is the lyrics because I take the words really seriously. They have to
mean something to me.
 KG:
Oh yeah, the thing with you and your style, it speaks volumes to me. I
can see it in your live shows, even way back when. You know, I can still
hear it in your music today. What I'm getting at is it's clear you have
been touched by many musical styles and they have influenced you in a big
way. With that said, who are your musical influences?
CB: You are
right about that. My musical influences range pretty drastically since
I was lucky enough to be exposed to lots of different things. I think most
obvious would be the rock influence which early on would have been the
classic diet of Beatles, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Sabbath. I loved the whole
Crosby Stills Nash & Young thing to death. I really felt the early
Stevie Wonder funk thing as well. Later on as a teenager, I discovered
Punk and hardcore Rap and stuff like that. I really feel connected to the
late 60’s and early 70’s I don’t know why? Maybe because that’s when I
was born and I grew up with that vibe....something about the social relevance
just feels right.
KG: Word.
Same here. I've got a couple years on you but the funk thing really hit
me hard. You know, players like Parliament, Brother's Johnson, Cameo, Barkays,
Gap Band, Con Funk Shun, Wild Cherry, s*** like that. I can go on for hours
about funk. So I'll shut up now about that. Moving right along, I read
on your website that you anticipate releasing an independent CD later this
year, available exclusively (at first) via your website and at your shows.
Do you have a demo together that is currently being shopped? Any labels
in particular you are interested in and vice versa? What month do you anticipate
having your CD released?
CB: I’ve been
working on my debut album although I’m not sure if it’s going to be done
in time to be released this year now...for sure early 2004. However, I’ll
keep posting songs on my website as they get mixed. Yeah, I have a pretty
extensive demo; this year I copyrighted 20 songs! I plan on releasing an
album that’s really pure and trippy and full of songs. I don’t know which
label I’ll end up signing with but I’m sure that the right one is out there.
It's really just a matter of connecting with the right people who give
me the right vibe. I’ll be able to tell right away if it’s the right thing
or not.
KG: I know
(hed) P.E. is a part of your musical past and you have killer memories...but
I can't resist asking. Any possibility of you doing a live show with them
for old time's sake, you know, like a reunion of some sort?
CB: You know,
you can never tell what may happen. They only have one guitarist [Sonny
Mayo] right now. He replaced me when I left, so he’s mostly playing my
parts. So, if I ever did play with them again, we might have to work something
out. Now if Wes and I both did a show - now that would be most epic! Don't
you think?
KG: (sighs)
Looks like I'm going to have to get my private investigator groove on and
track down and freaknap Wes! *laughs* Straight up Chad, it was great talking
to you again and I'll be sure to review your debut CD once it's been released.
I wish you nothing but the best, bro.
CB: Thanks
a lot! It was good talking to you too! I really appreciate the support,
it's very much appreciated!
KG: Peace
out.
MP3's
Video
Want More?
CREDITS:
Official bio
courtesy of ChadBenekos.com
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