Over the course of seven studio albums and countless shows around the world, keyboardist Marco Benevento has amassed a devoted fanbase, while drawing praise from tastemakers far and wide. Los Angeles Times has written, "it's safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento's genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation," while NPR Music raves that Benevento combines "the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam," and Rolling Stone praises "the textures and colors available in his keyboards and arsenal of manipulated pedals and effects along with his deceptively rich, catchy melodies and straight-ahead grooves."
Indeed, Marco Benevento's music covers a wide swath of ground, seemingly connecting the dots in the vast space between LCD Soundsystem and Leon Russell, His songwriting is smart and earthy, yet simultaneously pulsating with dance rock energy. Benevento's high energy live shows--fronting a three-piece band currently comprised by bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico--have led to numerous high profile appearances, ranging from Carnegie Hall to Pickathon. In the studio, he's collaborated with the likes of Richard Swift (The Shins, Nathaniel Rateliff), Leon Michels (Lee Fields, Freddie Gibbs) and Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Lumineers) among others.
On his latest album, simply titled, 'Benevento,' the Woodstock, NY-based artist dives deep down a psych funk rabbit hole, reimagining the current Zeitgeist of these troubled times through surrealistic optimism and the pure joy of an irresistible groove on tracks like "At The End Or The Beginning," "Winter Rose" and "Do You Want Some Magic?"
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Over the course of seven studio albums and countless shows around the world, keyboardist Marco Benevento has amassed a devoted fanbase, while drawing praise from tastemakers far and wide. Los Angeles Times has written, "it's safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento's genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation," while NPR Music raves that Benevento combines "the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam," and Rolling Stone praises "the textures and colors available in his keyboards and arsenal of manipulated pedals and effects along with his deceptively rich, catchy melodies and straight-ahead grooves."
Indeed, Marco Benevento's music covers a wide swath of ground, seemingly connecting the dots in the vast space between LCD Soundsystem and Leon Russell, His songwriting is smart and earthy, yet simultaneously pulsating with dance rock energy. Benevento's high energy live shows--fronting a three-piece band currently comprised by bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Dave Butler--have led to numerous high profile appearances, ranging from Carnegie Hall to Pickathon. In the studio, he's collaborated with the likes of Richard Swift (The Shins, Nathaniel Rateliff), Leon Michels (Lee Fields, Freddie Gibbs) and Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Lumineers) among others.
On his latest single, "At The End Or The Beginning," Marco Benevento dives deep down a psych funk rabbit hole, capturing the current Zeitgeist with lyrics like "We can walk and keep our distance, The whole world changed in an instant," as it creates a euphoric trance state where listeners can reimagine these troubled times through surrealistic optimism and the pure joy of an irresistible groove.
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It's impossible not to hear freedom and excitement coursing through the veins of Marco Benevento's new studio album, 'Let It Slide.' Produced by Leon Michels (The Arcs, Lee Fields), the record introduces a gritty, soulful edge to Benevento's brand of high-octane keyboard wizardry--an uptempo, uplifting sound he playfully describes as "hot dance piano rock." For all Benevento's virtuosity on the keys though, the songs here are driven primarily by intoxicating grooves, with spare drums and minimalist bass lines underpinning infectious, intentionally lo-fi vocal hooks. The resulting vibe is a timeless one, filtering elements of vintage R&B and soul through modern indie rock and pop sensibilities and peppering it with the kind of adventurous improvisation that Benevento's come to be celebrated for worldwide.
Acceptance is a recurring theme on the record, and Benevento's songs often find themselves recognizing that contentment can come only once you've freed yourself from the chains of desire and regret. Upon close listen, one can find Benevento's own personal philosophies subconsciously bubbling up throughout the songs. "You'll feel better, I'll just say / When you finally let it go," he sings on the funky "Say It's All The Same," which features vocal contributions from bandmate Karina Rykman. The hazy "Solid Gold" celebrates the simple joy of being in the moment with someone you love, while the Lennon-esque "Lorraine" (co-written with Simone Felice) grapples with loss and change, and the anthemic "Send It On A Rocket" contemplates loneliness and connection.
Dubbed "one of the most talented keys players of our time" by CBS Radio, Benevento's released six critically acclaimed solo albums over the last decade, performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and Newport Jazz to Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, and worked in the studio and on the road with the likes of Richard Swift (The Shins, The Arcs), Jon Brion (Spoon, Aimee Mann), A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers), and Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Lumineers) among others. "It's safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento's genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation," the LA Times raved, while NPR said he combines "the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam," and Rolling Stone praised "the textures and colors available in his keyboards and arsenal of manipulated pedals and effects," along with his "deceptively rich, catchy melodies and straight-ahead grooves."
Over the course of seven studio albums and countless shows around the world, keyboardist Marco Benevento has amassed a devoted fanbase, while drawing praise from tastemakers far and wide. Los Angeles Times has written, "it's safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento's genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation," while NPR Music raves that Benevento combines "the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam," and Rolling Stone praises "the textures and colors available in his keyboards and arsenal of manipulated pedals and effects along with his deceptively rich, catchy melodies and straight-ahead grooves."
Indeed, Marco Benevento's music covers a wide swath of ground, seemingly connecting the dots in the vast space between LCD Soundsystem and Leon Russell, His songwriting is smart and earthy, yet simultaneously pulsating with dance rock energy. Benevento's high energy live shows--fronting a three-piece band currently comprised by bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico--have led to numerous high profile appearances, ranging from Carnegie Hall to Pickathon. In the studio, he's collaborated with the likes of Richard Swift (The Shins, Nathaniel Rateliff), Leon Michels (Lee Fields, Freddie Gibbs) and Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Lumineers) among others.
On his latest album, simply titled, 'Benevento,' the Woodstock, NY-based artist dives deep down a psych funk rabbit hole, reimagining the current Zeitgeist of these troubled times through surrealistic optimism and the pure joy of an irresistible groove on tracks like "At The End Or The Beginning," "Winter Rose" and "Do You Want Some Magic?"
~~~~~~~
Over the course of seven studio albums and countless shows around the world, keyboardist Marco Benevento has amassed a devoted fanbase, while drawing praise from tastemakers far and wide. Los Angeles Times has written, "it's safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento's genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation," while NPR Music raves that Benevento combines "the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam," and Rolling Stone praises "the textures and colors available in his keyboards and arsenal of manipulated pedals and effects along with his deceptively rich, catchy melodies and straight-ahead grooves."
Indeed, Marco Benevento's music covers a wide swath of ground, seemingly connecting the dots in the vast space between LCD Soundsystem and Leon Russell, His songwriting is smart and earthy, yet simultaneously pulsating with dance rock energy. Benevento's high energy live shows--fronting a three-piece band currently comprised by bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Dave Butler--have led to numerous high profile appearances, ranging from Carnegie Hall to Pickathon. In the studio, he's collaborated with the likes of Richard Swift (The Shins, Nathaniel Rateliff), Leon Michels (Lee Fields, Freddie Gibbs) and Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Lumineers) among others.
On his latest single, "At The End Or The Beginning," Marco Benevento dives deep down a psych funk rabbit hole, capturing the current Zeitgeist with lyrics like "We can walk and keep our distance, The whole world changed in an instant," as it creates a euphoric trance state where listeners can reimagine these troubled times through surrealistic optimism and the pure joy of an irresistible groove.
~~~~~~~~
It's impossible not to hear freedom and excitement coursing through the veins of Marco Benevento's new studio album, 'Let It Slide.' Produced by Leon Michels (The Arcs, Lee Fields), the record introduces a gritty, soulful edge to Benevento's brand of high-octane keyboard wizardry--an uptempo, uplifting sound he playfully describes as "hot dance piano rock." For all Benevento's virtuosity on the keys though, the songs here are driven primarily by intoxicating grooves, with spare drums and minimalist bass lines underpinning infectious, intentionally lo-fi vocal hooks. The resulting vibe is a timeless one, filtering elements of vintage R&B and soul through modern indie rock and pop sensibilities and peppering it with the kind of adventurous improvisation that Benevento's come to be celebrated for worldwide.
Acceptance is a recurring theme on the record, and Benevento's songs often find themselves recognizing that contentment can come only once you've freed yourself from the chains of desire and regret. Upon close listen, one can find Benevento's own personal philosophies subconsciously bubbling up throughout the songs. "You'll feel better, I'll just say / When you finally let it go," he sings on the funky "Say It's All The Same," which features vocal contributions from bandmate Karina Rykman. The hazy "Solid Gold" celebrates the simple joy of being in the moment with someone you love, while the Lennon-esque "Lorraine" (co-written with Simone Felice) grapples with loss and change, and the anthemic "Send It On A Rocket" contemplates loneliness and connection.
Dubbed "one of the most talented keys players of our time" by CBS Radio, Benevento's released six critically acclaimed solo albums over the last decade, performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and Newport Jazz to Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo, and worked in the studio and on the road with the likes of Richard Swift (The Shins, The Arcs), Jon Brion (Spoon, Aimee Mann), A.C. Newman (The New Pornographers), and Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Lumineers) among others. "It's safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento's genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation," the LA Times raved, while NPR said he combines "the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam," and Rolling Stone praised "the textures and colors available in his keyboards and arsenal of manipulated pedals and effects," along with his "deceptively rich, catchy melodies and straight-ahead grooves."
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