We had the good fortune of connecting with Troy Bennett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Troy, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks is a big part of being a musician. It’s a tough industry and is almost always a labor of love. I’ve learned over the years to make better choices business wise while not compromising the art I’m creating, but risk is almost always there and inevitable.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think my art is very personal as is all artists work. Whether it be visual or audio or performance it’s almost always sharing a piece of your heart with the public in an endearing and honest way. Getting here has been hard work, but nothing that’s worth anything comes without some sweat and a little blood. I just want people to approach my music with an open mind and hope that you gain some insight from it or at least it’s something that brings you a little bit of peace or clarity.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting New Orleans and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
New Orleans is filled with so much culture it’s impossible to really name everything. I would probably start the trip off with a trip through City Park along with a stop at the Sculpture Garden and a walkthrough of NOMA. Definitely make sure they hit the big tourist streets and have them take a stroll down Bourbon St. and a visit to Frenchmen and all the wonderful jazz and horn bands that come a long with. Trip to the riverwalk and the historic cemeteries. Food wise one of my favorite restaurants is a Slavic Soul food place on St. Bernard called the Green Room. I’d take them to the amazing shows on St. Claude where you can catch burlesque shows at the Allways Lounge or a killer metal show at Siberia.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d say my friends and some of my closest collaborators. Nat Heck, Ryan Church, and Wade Hymel whom helped me craft my debut solo record. James Whitten who has been my engineer through every piece of my solo work. Dusty Cooper and Kara Heck who’ve helped me with the visual aspects of my music and art over the past couple of years. Jonathan Wagner for printing all my merch. These people have all been extremely important in helping create within the ecosphere of my art.

Website: troybennettsgraveyardlips.bandcamp.com

Instagram: troybennettsgraveyardlips

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donotmournme

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGkg0mZ5VC1BEvI6VwagCJg

Image Credits
Live Performance Photo: Max Stratmann Leap Year and Masked Photo: Dusty Cooper Logo by Kara Heck

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