Today we’d like to introduce you to Benny La Mar.
Hi Benny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in the San Francisco, Bay Area. When I was 10 years old, my mom enrolled me in piano lessons. I was hooked immediately. I started singing and playing piano every single day for hours, at around 13 I taught myself to play the guitar. I turned into the kid that brought his guitar everywhere. I would walk to school every morning and play the guitar and sing the entire walk, I walked around my high school singing and playing guitar between classes (and sometimes during class). Around this time I also started gigging. I started playing in local coffee shops and wineries as well as playing DIY punk shows in various punk rock bands across the Bay Area. That sort of fueled my desire to make it my full time job. I just loved the entire process of being a musician, booking gigs, gigging, writing original songs, and recording. I signed a small record deal when I was 18 and that gave me the opportunity to record my first EP, and from then on it was all I did. When I graduated high school in 2017, I started gigging heavily around the Bay Area and Los Angeles up until the pandemic. During the pandemic everything stopped for me, being cooped up in my bedroom unable to to pursue my dream was really tough and definitely took a toll on my confidence. in March 2021 my brother and I took a trip out to Nashville just to see what it was like. I remember walking onto Lower Broadway for the first time and just instantly knowing I had to move Nashville, so exactly a year later, I made the move to Nashville. Within 3 months, I started gigging full time on Lower Broadway, met tons of awesome musicians, and have been doing music fulltime ever since.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been easy. Packing up my entire life and moving 2,000 miles away from home was tough. Playing 8-10 gigs a week on Lower Broadway is exhausting. I still struggle with doubt and the loneliness. Music can be a very rewarding, social, and fun career path; but it can also feel very isolating and futile. Music is one of the only things that truly energizes me, so any struggle is worth it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At the root of everything, I consider myself a singer-songwriter. I’ve got my hand in a lot of different pots, you kind of have to when your chasing a career in the arts. I do a little bit of photography and videography, some music production, I run a content creation studio, and I also host live shows around Nashville featuring myself and friends.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
My view on risk taking is to just do it. You only live once and you never know if you don’t try. I moved to Nashville with 0 connections, no plan, and pretty much no money. It’s been the best decision I’ve ever made. If it’s your dream and you’ve got grit, you’ll make it work. Do it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bennylamarmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bennylamarmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bennylamarmusic
- Twitter: https://x.com/bennylamarmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bennylamarmusic
