Not too long ago Benny Bassett was a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois. Nearly a decade into his legal career, and after several years playing music in the Chicago scene, he found himself as the co- leader of a Chicago band called Vintage Blue.
The band found some success in commercial radio, and on the summer festival scene, playing nearly every Chicago venue, and two slots at Milwaukee’s Summerfest; but he wanted more. Between 2015 and 2016, the band split, Benny turned his back on the legal profession, and he launched his solo career with his first EP “These Dreams”.
Since beginning his journey as a full time musician, Benny has performed on festival stages, and at dive bars, breweries, and living rooms in 46 U.S. states, and seven different countries. He has shared stages with Fitz & The Tantrums, Lifehouse, Third Eye Blind, Sister Hazel, and The Verve Pipe. This year will see Benny reach his 500,000th mile driven since going solo in 2016.
During the Summer of 2020, like many of us, Benny was quarantined at home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was contemplating whether he could continue his path as a songwriter, a performer, and a creative. Given that over the beginning of his solo career Benny had spent the majority of his time on the road, covering over 450,000 miles driving from city to city across North America, Benny had to learn to get used to spending his time at home. He decided to focus on learning how to engineer and produce his own music. He watched every video, took every class, and picked the brains of his friends across the music industry.
On April 8, 2022 Benny (formerly of Vintage Blue) is releasing a brand new EP titled, What You Believe. The new album is the third EP release for Benny, and first since Words For Yesterday, which debuted in 2019. For the What You Believe sessions, Benny used the skills he learned during quarantine, and while recording with producers Jamie Candiloro (The Eagles, Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams) and the Alpine Red team of Kit Karlson and Chip Johnson (Tony Lucca, The Alternate Routes).
What You Believe is entirely the product of Benny’s playing and production. “I think that trends come and go, but if you always stay true to yourself, you will find your audience, and they will stick with you through anything that comes your way,” says Bassett. “I have always prided myself on creating albums that have cohesive messaging and vision, but distinct sonic variety, and for the first time, I can honestly say that every note and lyric are 100% mine.” These four songs span the human experience, from love and revenge, and from hope to the frustration and exasperation over the current state of how we treat one another.
“I started using the phrase Real Life Music, as a direct dichotomy to much of current industry trends,” says Benny. “When I write, I aim to dissect real events and emotions in a broad enough sense for people to apply to their struggles and real lives. After a year of focusing intensely on these songs, and being responsible for every note and every sound, I believe I achieved that goal.”
Watch our latest “Fastracks” video podcast to discover more new indie tracks.
