When CHASSEUR saw Benny Smiles at Dublin’s HWCH13 we came over all fan crazy. His vocal abilities, his charm, his downright capacity to put on an entertaining show whilst pumping out feel – good music. And the great blazer is the cherry on top. So we decided we would interview the chap and see what he is up to. His second EP ‘Manos Frias’ is due for release in January and if he is not snapped up by a major record label pretty damn soon we will eat our hat, an expensive one at that. You can check out Benny’s tunes over at his Soundcloud, follow him on Twitter and check out his latest video.
Hi Benny, Chasseur was well impressed with you at HWCH13. So tell us how you got started in music, it seems quite natural to you.
I read the review – to be honest I was blown away by your comments, thank you! Music has been more or less my entire life from an early age. My mother is very musical, as was her father, so it seems to run in the family. I learned several instruments and played in a heap of hardcore punk and ska bands growing up, then I sat through 4 years of music theory and history in college. I hated that approach – there’s that quote, “talking about music is like dancing about architecture” – and it completely turned me off classical music for a long time. I’m only beginning to enjoy it again now. In the mean time, I got into Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, M83 and Com Truise, who would probably represent the key influences on my new Manos Frias EP.
And the name – where did that come from?
My middle name is Benny, and I do a whole lot of smiling.
Your second EP ‘Manos Frias’ is out soon. What can we expect from it and what is the significance of the name?
The name is one half of a Spanish phrase “manos frías, corazón caliente”, meaning “cold hands, warm heart”. Most of the songs on the EP were written last November and December in my studio at home, where we couldn’t afford to buy oil to heat the house. My hands were utterly frozen and numb during the whole writing and recording process – hence the ‘cold hands’ part. Hopefully the music speaks for the ‘warm heart’ part, and it’s in Spanish because I just love the sound of those words. The first single, “Somehow Yours Do” is a good indicator of what to expect – it’s very 80s influenced, with definite Talking Heads and John Carpenter references, but with a more modern, punchy production style that owes a lot to Com Truise and M83. The release has been delayed by some external factors, so you can now expect it in January.
Manos Frias will be my second EP, following on from Sunshine / Moonlight which was released in 2012. To me, the EPs feel like collections of short stories, and while they’re not exactly unified by any theme, I hope that the collective personality of each bunch of songs shines through. Now though, I am starting to feel a pressure to produce a more coherent body of work. As an artistic challenge it’s daunting, but I’m also looking forward to being immersed in something with the potential for far greater scope than before, and that has the capacity to be far more meaningful than a single pop song. One step at a time though!
The video to ‘Somehow Yours Do’ looks like it was shot in Canada/USA? How did that come about?
Yes, it was all shot in the Yukon, Canada. With half the population of our country legging it at the moment, and my friends dispersing far and wide across the globe, one of them had to wind up somewhere beautiful! The director, Traolach Ó Mhurchú left Ireland in search of a better life in the Yukon over a year ago. I had worked with Traolach on a few projects before this one, and when I approached him with the song, he had some great ideas straight away. He was fixed on a video that would reflect the sentiments of the song through a strong narrative, but that could also be made to look great within the confines of our budget. My hat goes off to him, , he pulled it off with great aplomb and the end result is stunning.
Your look great in a blazer, we know you are a fan of them. Got any favourites?
You guys are just full of compliments today – thanks again! Obviously, the white one is my favourite, but not just because I like the way it looks. Here’s the thing… It’s a magic blazer. Since I’ve owned it, litres (literally) of liquids of every variety (and you can read into that whatever you like) have been spilled all over every inch of that jacket. Every time, I think I’m going to have to get it dry cleaned. Yet somehow, when I wake up the next morning and survey the damage, there’s not a smudge on it. Not a speck, stain, or sully. It’s almost unnerving.