motel void

MOTEL VOID: You are from Tallahassee, Florida. Honestly I don’t know many artists from this area! How would you describe the current music scene there? Do you feel that you’re part of it?

BENCH WARMER: Tallahassee is a college town with FSU right in the center of it so the music scene is constantly evolving with new bands starting up every year. While I feel I am a part of the music scene I am not as involved as a used to be. Back in 2019 I was attending every show I possibly could but having a full-time job has hampered that a bit. Despite its relatively small size, a few great bands/artists have come from here.

MOTEL VOID: You’ve just released a new single ‘Keep Me In Mind”. Will it be part of your new record?

BENCH WARMER: Keep Me In Mind will be a part of my next album! I feel like it was a great first song to release from it because it highlights some changes in my writing and production from the last album.

MOTEL VOID: Your 2019 single ‘Please Don’t Fall in Love Again’ had a big Spotify success. Did this streaming success have a big impact on your career?

BENCH WARMER: Please Don’t Fall in Love Again was the first thing I ever released and having that be so successful is what I credit for me still doing music to this day. I naturally struggle with self confidence but knowing that thousands of people I don’t even know have heard and continue to listen to that one still gives me motivation to keep doing this whole music thing to this day.

MOTEL VOID: Could you tell us more about the recording and writing process of your songs?

BENCH WARMER: All my songs start as little minute long snippets I create on my laptop at home. I try to create at least one musical idea idea a day just to force something out. Obviously most of those don’t turn into anything but the ones I do like I end up trying to expand upon, taking it from just a rough verse and chorus instrumentation idea to flushed out and fuller song and eventually I add the lyrics. I record a rough demo of all my songs on my computer at home and for this album Ive started working with my good friend Tyler Denslow so we recorded everything you hear at his studio called KOTP. We recorded everything for this album back in May-July of last year, its really cool to hear how much the songs have evolved from the rough home demos to the fully produced song.

MOTEL VOID: Your biggest inspirations right now?

BENCH WARMER: A bit strange but my current inspirations for the next album are reggae and 90s hip-hop. When I listen to music I usually only pay attention to the instrumentation and I am finding tons of musical things to be inspired by in these genres, Closer to my genre Faye Webster has been one of my biggest inspirations this year.

MOTEL VOID: Your plans for 2024?

BENCH WARMER: I was very quiet last year and didn’t release anything but I have a lot planned for this year. The 10 song album Keep Me In Mind is apart of should release sometime closer to summer with another two singles before it. Then in fall I’m releasing a 12 song all acoustic album which includes a rerecorded version of Please Don’t Fall In Love Again. About 50% of the songs I write are acoustic songs, some get converted to full band songs but some stay acoustic and I have always dreamed of releasing an album of just those acoustic songs. Outside of releases I have plenty of shows and I’m about to start recording a shoegaze EP which has been insanely fun to write.