Troy Bennett

Email Troy @

acousticrain@hotmail.com

In my early years I remember standing on my grandmother's lap and pretending to direct my sister's school concert with a pencil. So you could say I've always been exposed to music. Maybe that's why I've chosen the route that I did. Not too long after those years I can recall layers of tape being strung across the opening of a lampshade, only to be bashed in and replaced. Chopsticks were my favored utensils back then. When my mom worked at the high school she was friends with a custodian who let her take home a few stray REAL drums! I put them up on open boxes to let the sound get out and joyfully took to my new kit.

When time came around to sign up for what instrument I wanted to play in school I was talked into taking up the sax because my cousin had one to hand down to me. My folks promised I could continue on drums at home as long as I tried sax as well. I loved it, I wasn't thrown in the class of goofs that made up the drum line and I still got to play kit in jazz band once in a while. On sax I went right to 1st chair and remained there until high school. Once in high school I beat out a senior for 1st place once again and remained there for the rest of my high school career. For a little while I switched over to trombone because they needed it in marching band, I did it for a year and had a lot of fun. One of the more memorable times was the pops concert in 8th grade in which I got to play sax, trombone, and drums! My middle school music teacher spotlighted me and it pushed me even further with my talent. I received the directors award at that show as well.

Another teacher that helped me a lot was my high school jazz band teacher. He took my talent on sax, placed my toes on the edge of the stage and had me do accapella improv as well as numerous other solos throughout the show. I also studied sax briefly with a polish great that did nothing but drill Charlie Parker into me, if I had continued feverishly with the sax it would've proved immensely helpful.

In 9th grade I got my 1st electric guitar, a les paul copy. It helped me graduate from strumming on high actioned acoustics that were strewn about the house. I knew a few chords and wrote a few tunes. Today almost all of my material is written on guitar and filled in with other instruments after. At a party at my percussionists' house he took me into the attic and unveiled an early 1900's Gibson mandolin to me. I took it into a dark bedroom and without even tuning it I wrote Rattle Lake. He snuck it out to the studio for recording and shortly after I purchased my own, a nice ovation.

My 1st rock band experience was in a group called Wicked Ways. I remember lugging my drums and playing in an old barn with dirt floors. Soon after we made a studio in my basement, where I still write and record almost all my material today.
My long time friend and fellow musician Kevin Holbrook and I came together very early. His mom and mine were best friends, but it wasn't until 1994 that I tried out for Xenocide and started playing music with him. With Kev on bass and me on drums we ventured through a number of different bands to include: Hughes Cruz and Terrio, Kickin the Rain, and Bamboo Spoon.

I broke off from the kit for a couple years to try my hand as lead man playing guitar, sax and mandolin, as well as singing. It was fun, but I'm glad I have been reborn into the kit. The newest outfit is Bamboo Spoon, with Mike Travers on guitar and Brad Piche on keys I have never played with people that produce such a unique sound. Their talents push me every time we get together, and new jams become songs and new limits to the horizon are formed each and every time.