Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerry Bennett.
Jerry, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am an experimental electronic artist from Atlanta. My music is heavily rhythm-based, taking lots of inspiration from genres like jungle and drum n bass. I started pursuing electronic music when I was in 7th grade. I had a teacher who introduced me to music production at that time and introduced me to what was possible with electronic music. Making music was always something that I wanted to do, but I always assumed that one day I would be in a band, not a solo artist. It took me a while to take making electronic music on my own seriously. At the time, the only electronic music that I had been exposed to was whatever was most popular at the time since I didn’t have the motivation to fully explore the genre. Because of this, I wasn’t aware of just how much I connected with electronic music or how much I felt that I could offer the genre. Eventually once I started messing around in FL studio making beats that were absolutely terrible, I figured out quite a lot about what electronic music requires. I’m not quite sure when making electronic music fully transitioned from a hobby to a profession. All I know is that eventually, after doing it for years, I started developing my style. I always took inspiration from other artists, but I tried to make sure I never directly stole anything. I’m currently about to graduate with a BA in Audio Engineering which has given me the ability to record, mix, and master my music at a very professional level all on my own. I plan to continue to pursue my musical ambitions alongside working as an audio engineer in the Atlanta area. I’m very excited about the future, and I never plan on slowing down or stopping my creative output.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The largest challenges that I faced along the way were creative ones. I had a lot of difficulties figuring out exactly how I wanted to engage an audience both online and in real life. Once I figured out that I wanted to perform electronic music, I figured that I would need to become a DJ. At the time, I wasn’t aware of any electronic artists that performed their music in any way other than a traditional DJ setup. I bought a turntable and taught myself how to cue tracks and sync them to the same tempo. I got pretty good at creating mixes with the turntables, but I never felt satisfied with playing my music this way. Since I always wanted to be in a band, I didn’t want to be limited to a laptop. I tried to use at least some real instruments. It was around this time that I was exposed to artists such as NAH and Black Pus. Both of these artists told me that just because it’s just you on stage doesn’t mean you can’t treat the act as a band. Both of these artists use drum sets along with their electronic music live. These artists gave me an immense amount of inspiration and allowed me to express myself the way that I felt most comfortable. I decided that I would play drums along with my music live partly due to the inspiration that I gained from these artists, and partly due to how rhythm-based my music had become. Now I play shows very frequently and I’ve had a lot of people tell me that the drum aspect of my live performance is their favorite part. I’m very grateful that I figured out what I wanted to do with my music.
Please tell us about your music.
I specialize in very fast paced electronic music that relies heavily on drums and rhythm. I’m most proud of becoming a completely self-sufficient musical artist because I don’t have to give my music to anyone else to work on. I mix, master, and promote all of my music completely on my own. I think that if I had to rely on other people for those processes, it would become much less personal. I strive to be as original as I can while still taking inspiration from other types of music that I enjoy. I find music to be the most exciting way to express my creativity and I’m very grateful for every person that has had some sort of connection with my music. I plan on keeping everything about my production to myself for a long as I can. I believe that my live performances set me apart from other electronic artists that I have seen. For one, I don’t like encouraging the crowd to do things. I don’t believe that you need a DJ to tell you to put your hands up for you to enjoy the music. I never talk to the crowd until I’m done, at which point I always thank them for listening. I understand that my music isn’t exactly the easiest to listen to at times, so I’m very happy that anyone is listening at all.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
My proudest moment would be the first time that I looked up from my drums and gear at the audience to see them moshing and smiling. The feeling of creating a very chaotic environment completely by yourself that you normally only get from a punk band is truly thrilling. Seeing people buy your album online or comment on how much they love it doesn’t do much for me. Seeing people fully engaging with my music live while I’m the only one on stage is fantastically exciting. Thinking about how much people have engaged with my music gives me a lot of ambition.
Contact Info:
- Website: garbageforlust.bandcamp.com
- Email: garbageforlust@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garbageforlust/
Image Credit:
Emily Hollis
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