Quick Fire Five with Jason Benoit
Hailing from Canada's eastern coast state of Nova Scotia, Jason Benoit has had 4 Top 30 hits in Canada, including his Gold certified track Gone Long Gone, and is now set to release his first single of 2022 - Devil in a Bottle. Ahead of the release this Friday we caught up with Jason to find out more about the track and his plans for 2022.
1. What is the story behind Devil in a Bottle?
This song was written with a good friend of mine the old fashioned way; two fellas drinking some beer and writing just for the love of country music. I've been in the country music scene here in Canada since 2013 and been chasing radio hits, but something clicked inside of me during the pandemic, making me want to get back to my roots and to make music purely for the love of it. Songs that will make someone want to pick up a guitar and play. This is my new passion.
2. What made you choose this track as your first release of 2022?
"Devil in a Bottle" is a great representation of the whole body of work that I produced and recorded in late 2021. There will be two EPs and a physical album of those songs coming in 2022. This is the first time I produced my own music and It was a truly gratifying experience. Devil really speaks to the tone of this whole body of work, "songs for the drinking man".
This song was written with a good friend of mine the old fashioned way; two fellas drinking some beer and writing just for the love of country music. I've been in the country music scene here in Canada since 2013 and been chasing radio hits, but something clicked inside of me during the pandemic, making me want to get back to my roots and to make music purely for the love of it. Songs that will make someone want to pick up a guitar and play. This is my new passion.
2. What made you choose this track as your first release of 2022?
"Devil in a Bottle" is a great representation of the whole body of work that I produced and recorded in late 2021. There will be two EPs and a physical album of those songs coming in 2022. This is the first time I produced my own music and It was a truly gratifying experience. Devil really speaks to the tone of this whole body of work, "songs for the drinking man".
3. How is Devil in a Bottle different from your previous releases?
It's different for two reasons. The first is, this is the first time we wrote songs purely for the fun and gratification of singing real Country Music. Songs you sing when you have a few drinks and are sitting around plucking on a 6 string. Usually when I writing for myself, the "Music Business" was always top of mind but this time was different. We didn't even think we'd release these songs, but we loved them so much we figured others might love them too. Secondly, the sound of this song comes directly from me. Producing this myself removed the filter of outside influences from other producers and allowed my true interpretation of country music to shine through. An opportunity rarely had today by artists.
4. Having won the 2021 Newfoundland Indigenous Artist of the Year, how much of a boost does this give you heading into 2022?
My Indigenous heritage is a huge part of who I am, and has both directly and indirectly contributed to my music career. It's an honour to have won such an award and whether it will benefit my career or not is of little importance to me. Just to be recognized and accepted by the Indigenous community is an honour in itself. It means they support me and acknowledge my contribution to the music scene and that is an honour I will hold in my heart always.
It's different for two reasons. The first is, this is the first time we wrote songs purely for the fun and gratification of singing real Country Music. Songs you sing when you have a few drinks and are sitting around plucking on a 6 string. Usually when I writing for myself, the "Music Business" was always top of mind but this time was different. We didn't even think we'd release these songs, but we loved them so much we figured others might love them too. Secondly, the sound of this song comes directly from me. Producing this myself removed the filter of outside influences from other producers and allowed my true interpretation of country music to shine through. An opportunity rarely had today by artists.
4. Having won the 2021 Newfoundland Indigenous Artist of the Year, how much of a boost does this give you heading into 2022?
My Indigenous heritage is a huge part of who I am, and has both directly and indirectly contributed to my music career. It's an honour to have won such an award and whether it will benefit my career or not is of little importance to me. Just to be recognized and accepted by the Indigenous community is an honour in itself. It means they support me and acknowledge my contribution to the music scene and that is an honour I will hold in my heart always.
5. What can expect from you later in 2022?
I have 2 Eps coming digitally and a full album of all these songs combined coming physically on CD and Vinyl by the end of 2022. There will be some "Live off the floor" type videos being recorded this month and released online with full band, which I'm excited about, And we we are planning a Canada wide tour in the 4th quarter of the year. After the past 2 years with all the covid restrictions, I definitely can't wait to get back out there on the road. A UK tour is being talked about now but still early on in development.
Be sure to follow Jason on his socials and keep your eyes peeled for more features with Jason on Country in the UK
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
I have 2 Eps coming digitally and a full album of all these songs combined coming physically on CD and Vinyl by the end of 2022. There will be some "Live off the floor" type videos being recorded this month and released online with full band, which I'm excited about, And we we are planning a Canada wide tour in the 4th quarter of the year. After the past 2 years with all the covid restrictions, I definitely can't wait to get back out there on the road. A UK tour is being talked about now but still early on in development.
Be sure to follow Jason on his socials and keep your eyes peeled for more features with Jason on Country in the UK
YouTube
