Hi, everyone! I recently did an interview with up-and-coming LA musician Benjamin Hon. Hon, making music under the moniker bennytheghost, has had a rocketship start with his music. The University of Virginia grad has only two singles out right now - "What Are You Waiting For?" and "Low" - and they've done exceptionally well. I discovered him just about four weeks ago on Spotify's Indie Fresh Finds playlist, and he's already been added to five or six different ones in that timeframe (most notably Anti Pop). I really came to love his sound, so I knew I had to reach out to schedule something with him. We talked about his dog, Finley, his college band, as well as a very special shoutout to his mom on one of his singles. Happy reading!
bazzreviews: Congratulations on the reach your recent singles have had, how have you reacted to all of this newfound success?
Benjamin Hon: I guess everyone draws a different line for success. It’s funny, because I, personally, feel as though we've only just begun; it’s just been about putting the name out there and entering the playing field. I am super proud and happy to have gotten to this point in the first place. It really is incredible that people have really enjoyed the first two tracks, though. It feels so gratifying to know that after over a decade of working on this stuff, I can finally express myself musically well enough to be able to connect with people.
br: Is it true that Catifsh and the Bottlemen were one of your earliest indie rock influences?
B.H.: Definitely, they were definitely among the earliest. Other bands like The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Walk the Moon, and Young the Giant. I've always been a huge indie rock fan, and I feel like they showed me what contemporary, guitar-driven music could sound like in a music world dominated by trap beats. When I started playing music, circa 2012, it was probably like Two Door Cinema Club, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Linkin Park, Taking Back Sunday, and a whole bunch of those hard rock bands.
br: What’s the significance behind your stage name of bennytheghost?
B.H.: I guess it's a little complicated how the name actually came about. The name really describes my music-making habits. I don't sleep very much. I have really thick bags under my eyes in almost every picture you see of me. I really like writing between like 1-5 am when everything is still and I'm kind of the only one around. I'll do things like go on walks to think of lyrics and melodies. I sort of want to capture a vibe of a crowded city looking like a ghost town when you're walking around at 4 am.
br: Tell me about your Corgi named Finley?
B.H.: He's 2 and a half now, and I got him when he was 8 weeks old. He was the cutest puppy you would have ever seen in your whole life. He had one ear half flopped down for the first 5 months of his life. I have a ton of pictures that I'll eventually post somewhere. As weird as it is, he grew up coming to parties with me, so now he loves being surrounded by people, energy and excitement. He's just the best companion for any event. He likes to cuddle, and we sleep together most nights. He's also featured in a ton of other artists' stuff so be on the lookout! He's actually in a spill tab video and a bunch of other people's promo stuff. One goal of mine is to blow up big enough for someone else to make an Instagram fanpage account for Finley. I don't really have the time to run another page, but I have all the pictures to supply. It would be a great way to promote everyone's music that he is in promo for, too. Finley turns 3 years old on April 29th, and you're all invited to his Zoom birthday party.
Br: What can you say about your college band, “The Stepdads?”
B.H.: Great find! Being with the Stepdads were probably some of the best times of my life. That band is truly what playing music should be like. The ethos was just to rage as hard as possible at every show, drinking heavily while belting Killers covers in an incredibly densely packed, sweaty house party filled with 20-year olds. I remember going on tour after graduation and playing a UVA house party where I jumped out of the top floor window onto the roof and sang to a bunch of recent grads. I did not really care that all their parents were also there in the yard, chugging beer and singing up on the roof while the band played on the porch. The cops shut it down and we moved it to the basement when more kids came. We just played "All These Things That I've Done" on repeat because it was so hilariously lit. We hit the bars in Charlottesville later that night and played a soccer game in the middle of the night on the gravel parking lot. Nights don't really get more fun than that s--t. That show was our keyboard player's first gig, and our guitar player ended up spending the night hugging the toilet, if you know what I mean. I think that experience rivals a show two nights later, when we were playing a packed house at Rockwood City Music Hall in NYC. That indie rock vibe just creates such an intensely lively, joyous, and don't-give-a-f--k energy in an audience. It was truly the best feeling in the world, and I absolutely cannot wait 'til the next time I can hop on tour and do that again.
br: Would you say that you prefer playing live rather than working in the studio?
B.H. I think you could tell by the last question that the live show is way more of my thing! My dream is really to travel the world to see as much of what life is like on this planet, connect with people and build relationships. Playing music seems to be the best way to get out there. The studio is really a means to an end for me to be able to get out to play shows and bring that energy to a room of people. I feel like if you can connect all those people under one cathartic experience where everyone can let loose, that's when music is the most fun to me both on stage and as a listener. When live music starts up again, I swear these bennytheghost shows are going to rock the f--k out. We're gonna turn these pop tunes into some real indie-rock guitar bangers.
br: Can you describe your process for making a song?
B.H.: The cookie-cutter formula for a bennytheghost track consists of going into the studio, starting with a little chord progression and melody. Sometimes, we might just start with nothing. Either the drums or the progression will come first, but that lays down the basic beat and feel for the song. Then I'll take a guitar outside to the backyard or the street or wherever and pace around trying to come up with a melody or some lyrics. That can go on anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours. I'll come in and record a scratch vox of what I've come up with. We'll probably flesh out the instruments a little more at that point, adding bass, keys and electric guitar, and then we'll create the chorus section. I'll usually go home with the demo and stew on it for weeks, trying to come up with lyrics and melodies in the shower or while I'm driving. I’m not only trying to figure out what sounds good, but what I want to say as an artist. It’s moreso of how I want to portray my stance or perspective on life. When all that gets done, we'll go in and record it. What we do that I think is helpful is sending it to all our friends. That kind of gives us a litmus test of whether what we’re doing is good or needs work. I've been blessed to have so many infinitely talented artist friends to commiserate with. They all genuinely want to bring the best out of each other. We'll go in and then make edits and then probably send it off to mastering too soon because of deadlines.
br: What’s more important to you- lyricism, or production value and instrumentation?
B.H.: Rhythm, melody, then instrumentation in no particular order. They are the most important things to a track by far for me. In my opinion, I believe so strongly that this is also partially factual. That's why I do progression and rhythm first, and then melodies and then lyrics. That is probably why my lyrics take so long to write. I already have the vibe and the melodies down to the syllable count, but then the words have to fit into that tiny box while still sounding good and effectively portraying what I am trying to say. Rhythm and melody are so humanely innate, I guess. Drumming and humming are natural to every human when they’re listening to music, no matter how young or old. It is the aspect of music that you truly feel on an internally deep level. The part of music that grooves you and hooks you. Lyrics use more of your frontal cortex, requiring conscious processing and very active listening. I don’t know if I’m alone when saying this, but I can't even understand what a singer is saying without looking it up 95% of the time. It really doesn't keep me from liking or disliking a son, but if it ends up being poetic, then that is even more reason to love the song. That being said, if it lacks melody, that's the deal-breaker. That’s not to say there aren’t songs that lyrically are my favorite, and can be good enough for me to supplement a song. I still give my 100% in writing lyrics because I really have to try my best with everything, or it isn't worth even releasing.
br: In your song “Low,” I heard it was actually your mom that was saying hello what prompted you to include that in there?
B.H.: Again, another great find here! I guess I’ve always tried to do something like that in the past with other songs I've made. It's a cool way to add ear candy and make a track a lot more personal. Most importantly, it’s a great way to shout out my mom. She was really the decisive factor in almost every single step along this journey, so I call her daily in an effort to keep her in the loop of everything. Not only that, but she's been my biggest supporter and advocate through it all. Absolutely none of my accomplishments would've been possible without her unconditional support, so thanks, Mom.
br: Do you have any upcoming projects in the works that you’d like to talk about?
B.H.: Yeah! I've actually got a ton of songs that are all close to being finished, and it's really just a matter of which order to release them in. For the time being, I plan on just releasing one single at a time before we put together a cohesive EP. I’m hoping that will be very soon, too.
br: What do you want people out there reading this to know about you and your music?
B.H.: Just know that the one thing that I always keep in mind when writing music is what it is going to sound like at my live show. I’ve talked about that continuously in this interview, but I really do think it’s important. I feel like when people are writing music in their bedrooms, they are capturing that current vibe in their life. The vibe of chilling in your room and being relaxed, and then the music turns out equivalent to that vibe. When I write, I try to imagine myself at the show and I ask myself, "what would be the sickest moment musically I could add right now that would make this show or this song sound way better?" I do that so the song can already capture that excitement of the live show and not have to worry about if it will “hit” with an audience. I really want people to use my songs to let loose, get their emotions out and enjoy that moment in the process.
br: What music goals do you have for the future?
B.H.: I have quite a few. I also touched on this earlier, but touring the world with my friends and getting myself out there would be amazing. I would love to play at cool outdoor venues like Red Rocks, play in countries like Japan, even packing a tiny, tiny venue when it’s safe again and pop off. And during those shows, rip a blindfolded guitar solo or see how far I can crowdsurf. I can't wait to tell myself that I'm too cool for the Grammys to make myself feel better for never getting nominated. I just want to express myself in a way that I think sounds great, and if other people like it, that’s even better. Above all, I just want to make music and be able to live off of it. If I can do that, I'd love to buy my mom a house and pay everything she’s done for me forward.
I want to thank Benjamin for giving me his time and doing this interview. I wish him the best of luck going forward with the rest of his musical endeavors! To anyone who hasn't heard his music yet, I could not recommend giving it a listen! I hope all of you guys enjoyed this interview and keep checking out more bazzreviews content down the road!
To hear bennytheghost, head over to https://open.spotify.com/artist/2RhVihxqFGSR3bDu32i9B2
