#benno va

[nadbov]

Part 2 of my tour drawings! updated with higher quality scans!

[totalbummerzine]

Hey! I haven’t been doing much lately but I’m booking this show with my friend Taylor from Vril. We’ll have zines and pins and probably vegan baked goods! Really stoked abt this lineup.  https://www.facebook.com/events/169501666786667/

[diy4lyfe]

Continuing with our series of interviews with artists on our compilation, Start Thinking About Someone Else, we have a short conversation with Ian Hall aka Benno, VA!

When did you start writing your own songs? Why did you choose the name Benno, VA?

I started writing songs during my sophomore year of high school, but almost all of them were just ripping off the pixies. The name benno, va (ben-oh, veeay) is a reference to a character from the book 2666 (benno von archimboldi).

You've worked with a number of collaborators. Who are some of them and what do they bring to your music?

I've worked with a lot of different people who have all really brought their own thing to the table. Most notably would probably be Liam Campbell (alaris o'heart) and Austin Jenkins (Panoramic & Packer). Even though i do most of the song writing & arrangements myself, they've both had really important (and probably difficult) roles in helping me put together all of the live stuff. Also austin will usually tell me when a song is shit which I appreciate. Also, s/o to Jon Model, who has put together pretty much all of the percussion parts for the live sets and is also probably really annoyed of me by now.

You tend to prefer lo-fi recording methods. What did you use to record yer tracks for the compilation? Do you feel a greater sense of intimacy with lo-fi home recording?

Both songs on the comp were recorded super basic-ly with just the stuff I could find in my room. One mic for pretty much everything. I know the more lofi-ish recordings aren't really for everyone, but I like them which is, I guess, what matters most. Even though the recordings are all pretty basic, I do put a lot of work into every song. I'll focus on tiny details that I know nobody else will notice for like hours. It's all way more deliberate than it probably comes across. Lots of people have told me that I gotta get like a producer if I'm gonna get anywhere (s/o Roger Jenkins), but I'm pretty ok with where I am now!

What are some local and more we'll know artists that inspire you?

Talk, Tired Thanatoid ( @talktiredthanatoid ) is a huge inspiration for me. I really love the stuff that they're doing and I hope they keep doing it for a while!! Also like Struckout of course. And Settling. Talking about being inspired is kind of weird for me though. I listen to a lot of music I like and all of it kind of influences me in different ways. I don't even notice it usually, but I'll hear something that I like and then totally be able to see it come up in something I'm writing. Like recently I've been listening to a lot of like Mazzy Star and Karen Dalton and, uh, like Jason Molina [ed: RIP], so the new stuff will probably end up sounding a lot like that. I think overall though I'm more inspired by movies. Like Boogie Nights, I really like Boogie Nights. I want to write a whole album about Boogie Nights.

[april-23rd]

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Ian Hall // BED

NEw Best LA Horla cobweb track? I dont know?? Best Ian Hall Track?? Who's to say?