Meet Brad Bensko | Musician, Songwriter, Recording Engineer, and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brad Bensko and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brad, why did you pursue a creative career?
Ever since I can remember, I have had a passion for music and have always wanted to make it a career. I don’t even recall there being another serious consideration, it has always just made the most sense to me to be doing a career in music and music production. Making it a reality, on the other hand, involved a lot of consideration. I remember early in my life listening to classical music and wanting to become a composer. It led me to pursue learning how to play the piano, and I would fantasize about writing large scores for orchestras. Then, when I was in third grade, my father gave me the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album, and it completely changed my world and my trajectory in music. Suddenly, it was a guitar in my hand and I was trying to play and write pop and rock songs, something that has continued to this day. I owe so much of what I do now to that moment, and their musicianship.
As I got more into the music of the Beatles, I began to dig around and find other bands, notably Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys, the Band, and began to dig back further to artists that inspired them, and how all of these records they made were recorded. That led me into, along with playing and writing music, my other main job, which is recording and producing music for other musicians. Ultimately, I went to school at Berklee in Boston for Music Production & Engineering, and continue to write and perform, as well as record and produce music to this day.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m heavily influenced by a lot of older music, and that comes through in all avenues of my art, be it recording, production, songwriting, or performing. As the years go on, all of these aspects of my art grow more and more intertwined. Most of what I’ve been doing recently is operating my recording/production studio, Bearded Cat Production. One thing that sets it apart from many other studios is that we specialize in what is called analog recording and production. Without getting too technical, analog recording is basically the process of recording music without using a computer. Usually the music is recorded on reel to reel tape machines, which is how most music was recorded until the mid 1980s. Nowadays, most recording is done using computers and computer software. At Bearded Cat we have both styles, but we love working in the analog realm.
One huge plus with analog recording is the sound. It has a tendency to make the recordings sound really big and rich. Think of all of the classic recordings from the 70s and back…..the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Miles Davis and so on and so forth. All of that was done using analog equipment.
That being said, it is harder to record using analog technology. It needs constant maintenance, and routine aligning. It also is less forgiving, but at Bearded Cat, we see that as a plus. It has a tendency to encourage really great and organic performances because it is much harder to edit mistakes made while performing. In that way, it pushes performers to raise the bar when performing, and in my experience, it creates a more genuine and compelling performance. In past working digitally, there are some clients that will edit and process to the point that the human quality of the recording is lost. Through working in the analog realm, it’s much easier to keep these things in check.
There are certain challenges to working this way, as mentioned before. For one, I had to acquire all of this analog gear, which is generally harder to find and more expensive, and it needs maintenance. It was a lot of years of saving up to get the next piece of equipment, and then learning how to work on it so that I can keep it running. This has provided me with some unique skill sets in learning how to fix and troubleshoot all of this type of equipment. Thankfully I’m at a place now where I have a comfortable setup that can facilitate some really fun recording experiences, and have been getting more and more work because of it.
If I were to try and sum up my “brand” I would say that in whatever I do, I want it to sound classic and beyond category. Whether it’s recording a song for an artist, writing a song, or performing, each recording, song, or performance has its own life and opportunity to connect with someone or any number of people. My job, in whatever I’m doing is to do that song, performance, or recording the best justice that I can, and make it organic and human so that it reflects the person who is creating it, and that it connects with people. That’s what art in any form is so much about to me, to make a feeling or emotion tangible to the person making it, and the people witnessing it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, as I live in Mystic, CT which isn’t really a city, there are slightly less resources, but I’ll give it a go! First on the list is the Dutch Tavern in New London, just a town over. This is such a classic little bar and a great gathering place for a lot of different musicians. It’s like taking a trip back in time, and it has hosted many a cowriting session and certainly been a place for me to go and write. Plus, you can’t beat the beer and wine there! Frets guitar workshop in Westerly, RI, just ten minutes away is the coolest guitar shop I know of. Zach, the owner, has curated such a cool collection of guitars and gear and is a master at working on all of them. He’s also just a really nice guy who is a really good hang. I frequent there, and my bank account has suffered for it, but it is completely worth it.
Macondo coffee is where I go to fuel up, and they have the absolute best coffee in the area. I have a ritual of going there to get a coffee at the start of my day, and then I go down to the waterfront in Stonington and watch the sunrise and write for an hour. It’s largely how I wrote my debut record, “Brad Bensko”.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh boy, it is hard to narrow it down to one person, so I’m going to have to choose a few people. First and foremost, I have to acknowledge the role both of my parents played in where I am today. They were so incredibly supportive of my passion for music, and constantly drove me to lessons, shows, etc. I was very lucky to have their support in this career choice. I also have to mention my mentors Paul Rishell & Annie Raines. I met Paul, as he was my guitar teacher at Berklee School of Music, and through him I met his partner Annie. They are both incredible musicians, masters of the acoustic blues genre, and two of the nicest and most caring people I’ve ever met. Apart from teaching me so much musically, they provided me with an example of how to make music as a career a reality. They also are responsible for introducing me to two other people that have been very impactful to me.
One of these people is Chris Rival, a musician and recording engineer in the Boston, MA area. He runs and operates his own studio, Middleville Studio, which he built himself. He helped me get my first professional recording gear when I was starting out with production, and whether he knows it or not, has taught me so much about recording by example. Just sitting in the room while he works is such a lesson in how to run a recording session.
Lastly, but certainly not least, Paul & Annie introduced me to my now fiancee, Kathleen Parks, who is a musician/songwriter and member of the band Twisted Pine. Kathleen inspires me every day with her incredible talent as a singer, songwriter, and fiddler, as well as her kindness and humility. Together we perform as the duo “Kat & Brad” and run our production/recording studio Bearded Cat Production.

Website: bradbenskomusic.com

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Image Credits
Catie Moore, Kathleen Parks