Dust off your hat and shine up your boots, we’re taking Country music back to its roots! Jason Benoit is channeling some old ghosts that grounded Country music and made it a staple in the music we enjoy today. The road may have been paved but the grass has grown tall and old time Country music hasn’t chimed in for some time. Times change and music changes with it. If you grew up listening to old time Country, you might be feeling a little left out and even forgotten every time you turn on the radio. Those songs are considered classics now because many new music artists have evolved into new Country. Is there room for everybody or is it winner take all?
I for one Love old Country music and the stories in them. My dad was a long-haul truck driver and his best friend on the road was ‘Country music’. Music has evolved but history also repeats itself and old time Country music has returned! Country music artists of today recognize the roots of the music but often lose that creative control to promote it because the record label has another plan. If you’re independent, you can write your songs the way you want and bring as many fiddles, banjos and pianos as the room will hold. Being an independent music artist releases you from being pigeon holed and conformed to a particular style of music. “Time to make the kind of music I love to play to”, said Jason Benoit.
Devil in a Bottle brings you back to those stories of hard lessons learned, blowing off steam and sometimes making the wrong choices… and letting the devil win. Life is full of lessons and thanks to old Country for saving some of us from certain disaster. Devil in a Bottle resurrects that old Country sound with new lessons in life that we can all appreciate and sometimes, just reflect on… knowing I’m not alone. Gold selling Canadian Country music artist and CCMA Winner Jason Benoit is a Country music artist with a penchant for old school Country music. Devil in a Bottle is his latest single and it launched on most digital platforms Feb. 18 and it hits the radio on March 4th! With new management (Johnson Talent Management), he’s charting a new course and this is the new single to come out of the new merger.
With 4 x Top 30 radio hits, including his self-written Top 10 single ‘Gone, Long Gone’, Jason Benoit is set to chart a new course in an already successful music career. Benoit continues to make a significant impact on the Canadian country music scene with over 10 million global streams. In 2020, he won an East Coast Music Award, and in 2021 he earned the Music NL Indigenous Artist of the Year Award, all while writing, recording and producing new music from his studio on the East Coast. Famed Nashville Engineer Chuck Ainlay, who has worked with artists like George Strait and Miranda Lambert, along with Canadian producer Clint Curtis, lent a hand in the creative process of his new music.
Benoit’s tour history includes supporting major US acts like Old Dominion, touring with Tim Hicks, Washboard Union and hitting the mainstage at festivals like Boots and Hearts and Cavendish Beach Festival.
I reached Jason from his home in Fox Island River, which is close to Stephenville, west of Corner Brook. It sounds amazing and I can already smell the ocean and hear the waves. It was an outstanding conversation about music, touring and old school inspirations. Roll the tape!
HNMAG “You’re living in Fox Island River, Newfoundland. Is that where you started your career.”
JASON “I live across the bay from where I was born and raised. I learned to play the guitar at 14 and started writing songs at 16. At 17 – 18, I started playing local fundraisers at the Arts and Culture Centre, which is a theatre with a 500 soft-seater. It’s where I got my first taste – performing live in front of a crowd that size.”
HNMAG “Has it always been Country music?”
JASON “Yes. Right from the beginning it was old Country music. The first couple of songs I wrote were in that style but after I started working with my manager, we had a conversation about switching my style for better radio play. Too often in this industry, it happens. However, I can’t complain because I’ve been lucky enough to have success in the music industry by doing that. My heart always lies in old Country, the sounds and the soul of that song writing.”
HNMAG “Devil in a Bottle sounds like you were channeling some of that old Country. Great job, it’s an incredible song.”
JASON “Thank you. It’s funny, when we sat down to write Devil in a Bottle and the other songs at that time, being released this year – we didn’t expect to release any of them. We were just having fun, sitting around having a few beers and playing songs we wanted to hear and play. They’re songs we grew up listening to, the ones that make you want to pick up a guitar and learn to play it. That’s what we had in mind when we wrote these tunes and I’m really excited to release them all this year.”
HNMAG “Will this track be part of an EP?”
JASON “We’re releasing 2 EP’s, with one coming in the first quarter of the year. The second EP will be released in the 3rd quarter, with a double vinyl and double CD to follow.”
HNMAG “You’ve been very busy. Would you say that the pandemic has allowed you more time to create new music?”
JASON “Definitely, throughout this pandemic there’s been a lot of support in the form of grants, organizations and government. It allowed artists to tap into money that they previously didn’t have access to. They recognized that the artists were having a hard time and weren’t able to perform live. Luckily, through that I was able to produce the album. It was a bit of a blessing in disguise, despite all the crap that came along with it. There was also 2 years for artists to figure out where they want to go in the next 5 years. I came to the realization early in the pandemic, that I wanted to focus on music that was more-true to me. This time around I was writing songs for me that I wanted to hear. I’ve listened to these songs a thousand times over and I enjoy them so much. There’s a soul and a heart that weren’t necessarily in the songs that I’ve released in the past because it comes from a different place.”
HNMAG “Have you produced any of your albums in the past?”
JASON “My past music was always produced by the label. I had the opportunity to work with a producer, but I wanted to produce tunes that I was 100 percent happy with. The only way to do that is to do it myself and maintain creative control in a sense. Whenever you work with someone else, there’s always compromises. I’m not saying that I know what country music should sound like, I’m saying that this is how it sounds from my point of view. It’s the reason I went down the road I did and I’m happy with it. I could actually die happy knowing that I did this. Not everybody gets that opportunity.”
HNMAG “What is the message behind the story in this song?”
JASON “It’s like having an angel and a demon over your shoulder. He has to choose between the drink and the woman. He’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Either way he’s going to be in a world of hurt (laughing). It’s meant to be a fun song, with old flat-top guitar; kind of a banger.”
HNMAG “I really love your voice Justin, I listened to some of your earlier music and I can definitely hear the old Country influences, which I found very refreshing.”
JASON “You learn it from assimilation, from listening to so much of it. I grew up with George Jones and he was one of the biggest influences for me – in terms of putting your emotion into your singing. His voice and the way he could put his soul into the songs… I don’t know how he did it but he was good at it. There’s a lot of other influences on this album, such as Steve Earle, as well as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alabama; those old tunes from down home. It’s how I grew up – I’d go over to my grandmothers and there’d be a house full of friends and family, doing a little drinking, playing guitar and singing songs. At least once a month and sometimes twice a month, we’d be playing and singing… it was very cool.”
HNMAG “Is it safe to say, your family influenced your music interests?”
JASON “Absolutely, 100 percent. Nobody in my family did it professionally but my older brother Miles (8 years older) started playing at 16. From the time I was 8, I would hear my brother playing Country or alternative. John Fogerty, Classic rock, there were a lot of influences. He taught me how to play and when we were all together, we sounded so good. There was a lot of harmonies and I put a lot of harmonies on this album, I love them – I did all my own. I miss it, they don’t often use them on albums anymore but there’s a lot on this album, so I’m excited for that.”
HNMAG “Do you use the same band in all your performances?”
JASON “I have an east coast band that I’ve been playing with for 6 years. Depending on the size of the show, it’s not always economical to take them everywhere because, technically I’m not a band, I’m a solo artist. Sometimes, when I’m out West, I’ll use a band from out there, go in a few days early and rehearse. It’s really hard to justify spending 3-4 thousand on flights and then hotels for a full band from the East coast to the West coast. As much as I’d love to do it, it’s just not economical.”
HNMAG “How much of your music career is the business and how much is entertainment?”
JASON “I’d say it’s pretty even. I’ve got a manager that handles the in-depth work on the business side. At the end of the day, I’m still the one that makes the decisions. I have to know all aspects of my business in order to run it properly. Decisions are made on budgets and at the end of the day, I’m the one signing on the dotted line (laughing).”
HNMAG “This song launches digitally tomorrow, on Feb. 18 and hits Canadian Country radio on March 4th. What does that anticipation feel like?”
JASON “I’ve thought about that a few times and every time I do, I get the same reaction. Pop Country has been the main source of Country music on mainstream radio for the past 10 plus years. Right now, there’s a huge market for music that’s more traditional learning, especially if you look at the Indie world of Country music. There’s a ton of folk Country singers – Sturgill Simpson, Zach Bryan and a lot more guys coming up through the ranks that have more followers than some of the mainstream Country artists. Sturgill Simpson won a Grammy 2 years ago. I didn’t even know who that was, which really made me turn the page in my career and switch up the sound. Sturgill Simpson was doing what he wanted – stylistically. He wasn’t being played on the radio but he still won Album of the Year for Country in the US. It really made me realize that I didn’t have to follow any trends. Just do what you do and your music will find your audience. It’s how I’m looking at this album and this music. There are a few songs that would be perfect for radio and for me, it feels like the best of both worlds. If it comes from the right place, you can do whatever you want.”
HNMAG “How many songs will be on the EP?”
JASON “Both EP’s will have 6 songs. The next EP won’t be released for a few months after the first.”
HNMAG “When do you anticipate going back on tour?”
JASON “It looks like restrictions are loosening more and more places might be open by summertime. Currently, we’re in the stages of planning a fall tour, which should be coast to coast. I’m looking forward to that.”
HNMAG “Devil in a Bottle is scheduled for radio play on March 4th. How does that happen so quickly after a launch?”
JASON “It has to be submitted through DMDS, which is a computer system used for radio. If somebody calls the radio to request a song, they’ll go into their system and if it’s not there, they won’t play it. You then need to get a radio tracker, which is someone that emails and contacts the radio program directors to get your song played. Every artist uses a radio tracker and there’s many independent ones across Canada, so we’ll be using one as well. That’s basically how you get your song on the radio. You always have 20-30 artists releasing music at the same time, so they’re all fighting for that spot. Many people aren’t aware of the process and they think just because it goes to radio March 4th, they expect it to be played 5-10 times/day but it doesn’t work like that (laughing). Right now, radio stations are being bought up by parent companies. There’s probably only 7 or 8 program directors across Canada that program all the stations. It’s then syndicated across all the stations in Canada, which takes the choices away from the radio stations, in what they can play or what they like. The major labels will always have the first kick of the can. After that the program directors will pick the artist’s they like and get it on there. It’s a tough business for radio, 100 percent.”
Jason continues, “I was fortunate that my earlier music was distributed through Sony Canada. It was still an independent label – JB Records but Sony Music was able to serve it straight to radio. Once they realize there’s a reputable company behind an artist, they’re more willing to add it because of the name and the prestige. Streaming and interviews like this, really helps to get the word out that there’s new music – it’s greatly appreciated. Thank you very much!”
HNMAG “I know that you’ve won a CCMA Award in the past. Was that for a song or an album?”
JASON “That was a Discovery Award back in 2015. The CCMA would have a contest every year, where the artist could submit a song and whoever won would have the opportunity for their song to be released with a major label. It was the Discovery Atlantic Award and it was also the year they had the CCMA’s in Halifax.”
HNMAG “Where did you record this album?”
JASON “(Laughing) In more than one place, because of Covid. All of the artists on this album have their own studio and I had an incredible producer and mixer from Nashville, Chuck Ainlay. He produced a couple of Steve Earle’s first albums, as well as Dire Straits first album. He does some incredible work and he mixed the album. Clint Curtis also assisted with the production of the album, he’s from here in Newfoundland. There were people from all over Canada and the US that recorded for the album. I was very specific with who I chose to be on this album but I knew that they got it and they really blew it out of the water, it sounds great!”
If you listen to Country music, you should call up your radio station on March 4th and request Devil in a Bottle by Jason Benoit. It puts old time Country back on stage with the ghosts of old Country and the voice of new stories. Benoit brings his best when it comes from his heart and soul. We’re all listening!