There’s a new kid in town! Y’all are gonna love this stuff from Jens Bender! He’s got the metal and jazzy and two-hand percussion-fingerstyle guitar thing down! I gotta say this one is Jedi approved 🙂
Let’s get to know you, the artist and your music a little better. What attracted you to the ambidextrous and percussive style you practice?
What I love about Modern or Percussive Fingerstyle Guitar is to create sounds on an acoustic guitar, which are not typically associated with that instrument. Through tapping and hitting the guitar body you can imitate a keyboard or drumset to a certain degree. And it’s a lot of fun to play that way. You’re practically a one-man-band. Another point is the visual aspect. When I first saw Andy McKee’s ‘Drifting’ on YouTube I thought: “Wow, that doesn’t only sound like there are two guitarists and a percussionist at work, it also looks damn cool to play guitar that way. He’s got to be the king of the camp fire everywhere he goes….”
How long have you been making music? Have you been performing or sharing it with the public all that time?
I’m making music since I was about 13 years old (around 1998). I played in several local punk and metal bands, together with friends, having fun at the weekend in the practice room beeing loud. But I started to share my music with other people (playing gigs, or online) since 2008.
Who or what influences your writing and performance?
Certainly other Fingerstyle guitarists, like Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour, Erik Mongrain, Jon Gomm, Petteri Sariola, Mike Dawes and so on. But I also like to listen not exclusively to acoustic guitar music, so Metal and Rock are another strong influence. Bands like Tool or Meshuggah really get me, because I love complex sound structures and dark or melancholic atmospheres. But also artists and bands like Bon Iver, Jose Gonzales, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, a strange mix of stlyes and genres. It depends on the mood I’m in. But certainly the guitar, electric or acoustic, is the center point, I guess…
It seems all creative people go through rough patches or writer’s block of some sort. What motivates you to keep going?
I think I have no choice, it’s like a very strong urge to release something through making music. Sure, there are times when the guitar is left in the corner for a few days or even weeks, and I’m not motivated to practice or write new stuff, because there’s no time (work, family, or else). But that doesn’t last long. And that’s good! Making music is my way of getting an emotional balance. If I’m not able to make music for a time, I get very grumpy… ask my wife!
Were you trying to accomplish something different or specific with this project – creatively or otherwise?
I’m just happy, that I recorded that album and got it out. I wanted to do that for a few years now, but never had the time.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Clone” by Gojira
Do you prefer a certain medium for listening – vinyl, CDs, mp3, reel-to-reel, Pono,(lol sort of)?
I love to listen with headphones, while I’m on my way. So, mp3, despite the lesser sound quality…
Do you ever feel as if your tunes are lost in a sea of music? What are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract new listeners?
Yeah, it’s kind of intimidating, because there are soooo many good musicians out there. For me the most difficult thing is to promote my music (writing to blogs, magazines, radio stations, etc.), because it somehow feels wrong, like I’m a sell-out or traitor of the sacred guild of musicians. I’m not a manager and a business guy, I just want to make music and play live, but it’s kind of necessary these times to have many many facebook and twitter followers and clicks on YouTube. Otherwise event organizers and bookers don’t take you seriously. At least that’s how it seems to me (and some other local musicians I’m in contact with) and that really sucks.
Are you playing on live stages, clubs, bars, the local town picnic, festivals?
Yes, I play at local stages around Mainz and Frankfurt in Germany. I would love to play outside Germany some time, it would be a great experience to make a tour through Europe, or – why not – THE WORLD 🙂
Do you ever stream your performances over the net? Where can music lovers see you perform?
Not yet. I guess people have to come to the Rhine-Main-Area in Germany to see me play.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and/or discover more of your music?
That would be my homepage http://www.jensbender.com
Can you share an anecdote or tale of woe or inspiration like a story about an out-of-touch club manager, your favorite fan interaction, broken busses, or you know… just some experience in your musical journey you’ll never forget?
I was booked as an after show act for a local Metal and Hardcore Festival a few years ago, because the guys who organized it liked my songs. It was like 1 o’clock in the morning, playing with my acoustic guitar before very very VERY drunk metal fans screaming stuff like “play something from Metallica!”, or “SSSLLLLLAAAAAAAYYYYYEEEEERRR!!!” I just wanted it to be over… Don’t get me wrong, I love Metal and I love Metal fans, but I would never play my songs in a setting like that again. It was not the right place and not the right time
for that.
Lightning Round
What’s your favorite ice cream?
Strawberry
Dream vehicle?
Bike
Sailing yacht, catamaran, bass boat, or kayak?
Kayak, I guess
Place on Earth you must visit some day
Machu Picchu
Batman or Spiderman?
Batman
James Bond or Jason Borne?
James Bond
Bugs Bunny or Anime?
Bugs Bunny
Favorite beer or beverage of pleasure?
At the Moment it’s Mönchshof Braeu Original from Kulmbach, Germany. Prost!
Left with a choice of one instrument, which would you keep?
I guess that would be my Stanford acoustic guitar.
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Oha… ehm… Be kind, people! And eat bananas! Yep. Bananas. Also apples. Practically all that fruit stuff. Yeah.
