Jessica Benini is a Victoria-based folk-pop singer/songwriter who keeps finding herself coming back to Cochrane to entertain the community’s music lovers – and visit her parents while she’s in town.
Influenced by such acts as Simon and Garfunkel and Joni Mitchell, Benini likes to perform songs that tell a story, something she has enjoyed doing since she started playing English and Irish folk tunes as a kid.
For musicians like Benini, however, what pours out on stage is often very different from what motivated you to get there in the first place.
“I would say that I was mainly inspired by their playing,” Benini said of her music idols, “but I just kind of did what I do and what felt comfortable for me, which kind of stems into something different, but it does have little bits of influence by them.”
In addition to playing in Cochrane, Benini also frequently visits and plays in Rosebud, Alta., as she had attended the Rosebud Theatre, Centre of the Arts. There she met another local Cochrane musician, Angus Wilson, who, in addition to running the Cochrane Valley Folk Club, does the bookings for Legacy Guitar and Coffee House, and clearly has a knack for convincing Benini to return to the local stage.
“I thought it would be an awesome venue to play at,” Benini said of Legacy. “I was just drawn there.”
So, what can Cochranites expect to see and hear when Benini steps on stage?
“I never really know what’s going to come out of my mouth,” Benini said of her biggest fear when performing. “But it’s also thrilling at the same time, because it makes the shows really interesting.
“My biggest thrill is when I start to play and it just feels so good to interact with the audience, and it feels like I’m connecting with people,” said Benini, who likes to engage the audience during her shows.
“It’s a very special moment…it’s like having a community for a night.”
Three years from now, Benini said she sees herself touring much more, and would like to be part of some larger festivals, including the Canmore Folk Festival, a venue she said playing at would be a dream of hers.
Benini is also a music teacher.
Starting out as something that would help her pay the bills, teaching has blossomed into something Benini enjoys doing very much.
“The students that I have, I really love working with them,” she said, adding that she has taught people of all ages, from her 92-year-old harmonica student to a two-year-old child. “It’s one of my favourite gigs, I would say, just being able to work with people and meeting them where they’re at and helping them – it’s just so rewarding and I love it.”
Teaching mostly teens and adults, Benini said the variety and inspiration she gets from one-on-one and group teaching lessons is something she cherishes, and hopes to continue to grow in the coming years.
Benini has two releases that are available on her website – the most recent being No Regrets in 2014, a followup to 2010’s Express Yourself.
Both boast a half-dozen songs from the B.C. musician, with the first being described on her website as ‘a gently reflective acoustic collection,’ with the more recent No Regrets a deeper offering, ‘exploring what it means to break from the past and take the road less travelled.’
Benini has been nominated for a pair of Vancouver Island Music Awards: ‘vocal performance of the year’ in 2014 and ‘best live act’ in 2012. She also placed third in the 2010 Island Folk Festival songwriting competition, was featured at Broadway Sessions in New York in 2015 and 2011 and showcased at Songwriter Sessions at the Bitter End in New York this year.
Benini plays Legacy Aug. 29; for tickets visit legacyguitarhouse.com.
