Bencoolen is a Washington, DC band with a distinctive sound, instrumental and vocal talent to burn, and a will to lock into a groove and stretch out.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Teddy Scott - Lead Guitar

Paul Gregg - Rhythm Guitar/Vox/Keys

Will Lockery – Drums/Backup Vox

Jack Bentsen - Sax/Ewi

Ben Suarez - Bass 

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Bencoolen? How long has the band been around?  

Ben: Excluding myself, everybody played in various school programs like their highschool jazz band, and everybody formed groups for fun in high school and college.  Each member of the group has been around music most of their lives. The band’s been around since 2014, but took its current shape in early 2016 with the lineup additions of Jack, Ben and Will.  

Will: Like Ben said, most of us have been a part of many different groups. One of my first instruments was actually the viola, so I played in various orchestras up until I graduated from high school. My honors orchestra in high school often did renditions of rock and roll tunes, so I often switched between viola and drums. My first rock band was a band called “Power”. This was probably around my freshman year of high school, and let me tell you - the band’s name spoke for itself. We exclusively covered 70’s and 80’s heaters, such as The Trooper, Tom Sawyer, and Mississippi Queen. Another high school band of mine was Shades of Green, a more alternative band that focused more on originals than covers.

 What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before? 

Will: Paul lived in Singapore for a few years during his high school career. During his time there, Paul often spent time hanging out in a music store on Bencoolen Street, named after an old Indonesian province. Naturally, the name stuck with him. We also have a Ben in the band but this is merely coincidental correlation.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time? 

Ben: Nearly everyone in the band has written at least a song, and everyone contributes to each finished song in their own way.  Sometimes you have a cool groove but the idea isn’t complete, and fresh ears hear a place to take your idea. We talk about our lives on the road a lot, because we’ve been living the hectic life of touring for years now and it brings about many changes back home.  We’ve also gotten to see and work with some amazing artists, giving us constant inspiration.  

 What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making? 

Ben: Everyone would have a different answer for that, but some standouts include Gary Clark Jr., Tom Misch, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Wilco, The Revivalists, and Tash Sultana.  The list would be looooong! 

Will: The band has quite the eclectic music taste, which is reflected in the sound of our own music and individual parts within each song. To build on what Ben said, I would add The Black Crowes and Kaleo to the list.   

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band? 

Ben: I’d seen the Allman Brothers once before in 2010, but their performances at Wanee 2011 really changed the course of my life because I knew I just wanted to play music after that.  Only got to see them 8 more times, and each was incredible, but that one Saturday night in 2011 was something else.   

Will: This might be a bit of a spin on this question, but what really inspired me to play in a band was a combination of Lettuce and my friends’ band in high school.  Funk/fusion music really resonated with me after discovering Lettuce, as well as most of my friends who played in the jazz band. I wanted to start a band with my buddies to play this kind of music, but unfortunately one of my friends was also a drummer and had already made a band by the time I got around to asking people. They played exactly the music I wanted to play and won the Battle of the Bands every year – it’s safe to say that this made me a little jealous. This was a huge inspiration for me to find my own band and compete against them, and is a significant reason why I still play the drums to this day.  Also, Adam Deitch is a legend.

 What do you do to prepare for a show? 

Ben: Will warms up on his shoe.  I stretch. Ted always changes his strings.  Always. 

Will: I lost my last practice pad at a show, so I’ve found that it’s a lot harder to leave a show without a shoe. Depending on the shoe, the soles are actually quite similar to a drum pad so it could definitely be worse. 

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far? 

Ben: Playing playing Firefly in 2017 was one of the biggest highlights thus far. It was an unbelievable experience to be around so many well-known artists, and to be treated with such incredible hospitality all weekend.  We also had the privilege of working with Marcus King back in 2016. It was a real treat to work with such a talented artist.

Will: I would certainly agree. There are so many great moments that it makes it hard to mention only one. Personally, opening for Nate Smith and Kinfolk earlier this year is certainly a top band highlight.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why? 

Ben: I’d love to work with Derek Trucks one day.  The musicality contained within that man is extraordinary.  It’d be quite an education.   

Will: I have to go with Snarky Puppy on this one. They continue to be massive inspiration for me to become a better musician.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched the “What About Me?” drum solo (and entire song for that matter). Larnell Lewis is one of my favorite drummers, perhaps the most influential one to me.  The whole group brings a mind-boggling level of musical knowledge to the table, so experiencing that up close and personal would be a real treat.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Ben: I just want to thank anyone who’s reading this for checking us out and giving us a listen.  We’ve put everything we have into this dream and we can’t wait to see you at the next show

Will: We are an independent band, so your support means the world to us. Like Ben said, this our dream and we hope you join us on this journey. Come see us at our next show and have a beer with us – you won’t regret it. We are headed back to the studio this October to work on a new project, so keep your eye out for that!