With an incredible mix of punk, Motown-era soul and down-and-dirty delta blues, Benjamin Booker has been blazing a trail of rock ‘n’ roll ever since the release of his self-titled debut last year. Leaving quite the impression at last year’s Newport Folk Festival and touring with Jack White, Booker’s reputation grows each time he starts ripping riffs with his guitar. He’s going to be blowing the roof off of The Met in Pawtucket on Jun 19 with Last Good Tooth, so we had a chat about all sorts of stuff before what should be a badass show.
Rob Duguay: Before you started playing, you attended the University of Florida with the aim of being a music journalist. What made you realize that you’d rather play rock ‘n’ roll than write about it?
Benjamin Booker: Because music has always been a big part of my life it didn’t really matter to me how I was involved. I booked shows, wrote articles, spent too much money on vinyl and played guitar. At one point I was spending more time playing guitar and writing songs than anything else and it just ended up being my main focus.
RD: Do you plan on getting back into music journalism later in life?
BB: No. It’s not for me. I got bored of it fairly quickly. I was mostly in it for the free CDs.
RD: Ever since the release of your self-titled debut last year, you’ve created quite a buzz that’s recieved the acclaim of Jack White, to say the least. Did you ever envision yourself obtaining this amount musical success when you were starting out?
BB: No, I just got a lucky break. My only real goal at the beginning was to make songs my friends enjoyed and that I enjoyed.
RD: With a sound that touches on multiple genres, do you consider yourself a bluesman, a punk rocker, an old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roller or none of the above?
BB: Probably none of the above. I started playing in New Orleans and the genre lines there aren’t as clear as everywhere else. Country bands hang out with punk bands and brass musicians hang out with singer-songwriters so everyone takes a little from everyone else. It’s not about fitting into a genre, it’s about pulling from wherever you can to create something that represents you.
RD: When can we expect the release of the next Benjamin Booker album?
BB: I’m giving this shit up to go into politics or dentistry (laughs). It probably won’t be for a while, but I’m happy with all the positivity this one has been receiving.
Grab tickets to see Benjamin Booker at The Met on Jun 19 here: event.etix.com/ticket/online/performanceSale.do?performance_id=2060214&method=restoreToken&cobrand=themetri
Benjamin Booker’s website: benjaminbookermusic.com