In addition to a variety of sit-ins and super groups, your current projects include an acoustic piano trio (Marco Benevento Trio), a punk/funk instrumental group (Garage A Trois) and a psychedelic folk rock band (Surprise Me Mr. Davis). Do you find it hard to constantly adapt your style of playing to such different settings?
Luckily, I can be myself in all these groups, which is amazing. I get to satisfy different musical urges—whether it is coming up with a nice, simple Hammond organ part for Davis or an acoustic piano part with my trio. I have been playing rock keyboards with Davis and just trying to work around all the different sounds that they might want for an evening and those will be different sounds than I would play on my own. But I get to fully be myself which is great—the reason I am in the band is because of all the sounds I have. People almost hire you for your tastes and what you can bring to the table. I am lucky that people are hiring me for who I am and don’t tell me to play a certain way. I am really thankful for that. You can definitely learn some things from being a hired hand but it is kind of a drag. In all these bands I really get to be who I want to be or add what I want to add.
Not many musicians are that lucky that you can jump between all these situations while still sounding the same.
I would like to know the percentage of musicians who are almost hired guns, doing what they are told to do. I like to think that only a small percent of the musical population tends to deal with that but I am really lucky. Even in the Bitches Brew project, which is a new band for me, I brought in my pedals and I am kind of doing my thing on top of their thing. I remember I went to France to play with them and someone said all surprised, “Look at that little keyboard toy.” I didn’t really think about it and then said, “Oh yeah, that is what I do with all my bands.” Music stands out when you can really be yourself as a musician.
Moving on to Davis, you are in a unique situation in that you have seen that band develop since before day one—and long before you became an official member. Did you enter the group with certain pre-conceived ideas about where you could add keyboard parts or your own voice in general?
I have been playing with Davis for almost two years and it isn’t until now I am finally scratching the surface of that band. There were some parts that they had pre-conceived for me but I never had thought about what I should bring in. I didn’t know their music too well—I had heard it a bunch but I didn’t know the songs that well. Plus, they are always writing new songs. Nathan Moore has about 400 songs available to him. Even now, every gig I am like, “What song is this?” So I am surprised at every gig and intuitively see what happens and what keyboard part I should bring to the moment.
We just did a gig in Brooklyn at the Bell House and it was a really rainy, cold night. Not many people came—it was a Tuesday—but it was a great gig and the people there had a great time. I finally felt like, “Oh, the Hammond organ goes here and the toy piano goes there and the string part goes here. ” It was really starting to come together for me. There is a lot of technical stuff that I need to get involved with—in terms of my whole keyboard world—and dealing with a computer for a lot of their sounds. A lot of the clubs we are playing don’t have all the keyboards I need so I am hoping to use a computer a lot more. The clubs just have the safe shit. I have also been singing a little bit with them, which is new for me. I woke up after one of our shows and said, “Why does my throat hurt?”
We have a new record coming together. We recorded it already and are currently mixing it and adding overdubs. There are a lot of keyboards on this new Davis record and lots of undertones of piano and Casio keyboard sounds.
Do you have any plans to work on a new album with your trio?
I recorded with Reed [Mathis] and Andrew [Barr] in December. It was the most incredible studio experience I’ve ever had. It was at East West in LA, which is where the Beach Boys recorded Pet Sounds. We recorded in Studio 3, which is the small studio there, with Tom Biller, who has worked with Kanye West and did the Duo record Play Pause Stop, and Matt Chamberlain helped out as well.
The rates were affordable, and we stayed at Tom’s house. A lot of studios are going through these dry months where they have to bring their rates down if they want to stay afloat. Tom worked out a deal that is still out of my price range but made it possible for us. We had a blast—I am currently sitting with the stuff and have done some work on it but I am really taking my time on this one. I am in no rush to get it out. I put out three great records with the trio and I think I want those to be in heavy rotation for a bit longer before I figure out what the fourth record will turn into.
Your most recent albums have mixed originals and covers. Does this album have a similar range of songs?
It is all originals and so far it is my most favorite stuff I have ever recorded. The sound quality is amazing—the snare drums are the best we have ever recorded. It just sounds incredible. I think it is a going to be a different kind of album. I don’t know how to describe it except that it has a different vibe.
The trio with Andrew and Reed has definitely solidified as its own band. Though you continue to tour with other versions of the Marco Benevento Trio, was there a point where you, Andrew and Reed felt like a band ?
Totally. During that tour in December [2010] it really sealed the deal for all of us. We toured from Portland, OR to LA to record and it was the best the trio has ever sounded. We all had this feeling like, “this is the band.” We all love playing with each other—it is unfortunate that I can’t get those guys on every gig. But at the same time it gives me an opportunity to put my musical library on over great bass players and drummers. We are playing with Billy Martin at Jazz Fest so you can hear my tunes with a slightly Billy Martin-ized feel. Billy, Dave and I did some shows with Mark down here in New Orleans and then drove to Mississippi for a gig. So that relationship is really growing too. I am really psyched about that.
I have also been playing with Dave Dreiwitz and Andy Borger when Andrew and Reed aren’t available and we have reached that level as well, though they do have to play what is on the record.
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