After a brief sound check, the musicians on stage immediately put down their instruments and begin other activities. While some play with stage lights, another discusses matters with his manager and the rest are off retrieving cold beers. It is business as usual for the Benjy Davis Project, who performed this past Thursday at the Varsity Theatre.
The concert was a promotion for the band’s upcoming CD release party on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at F.Y.E. on Constitution Avenue.
The band performed for a sold out crowd. The venue was filled with dancing fans and idle observers, some clutching a CD waiting to be autographed. The stage was garnished with a patterned backdrop and the drums were illuminated with a yellow light. Benjy Davis closed his eyes as he sang, violinist Anthony Rushing almost lost himself laughing at a fan’s attempt to crowd surf and pianist Michael Galasso dutifully played two different keyboards.
When the stage went dark and the band was seemingly done for the night, the crowd didn’t need to chant long for an encore. The last song played, “Do it With the Lights On,” emitted a scream from the crowd within the first few chords. The band left the stage, sweaty and smiling, to requests for hugs and a signature on the new CD, “Dust.”
All but one member of the band attended college. Davis himself enrolled in the University for three weeks but resigned after finding an agent.
“There is nothing else I wanted to do,” Davis said. “I wanted music to be my job.”
Bassist Matt Rusnak, graduated from Our Lady of the Lake Nursing College and still has his registered nurse license.
“It wasn’t a hard decision to leave nursing,” he said. “It wasn’t about the money, and I would much rather do this because I’ve been playing music for about 10 years.”
Rusnak said he still works at hospitals when he has time.
Galasso left the University in his third year as an architecture major.
“I was doing really well in school, and I still want to go back and graduate eventually. But the band is definitely my life now,” he said.
Rushing is the only member of the band who has a job on the side.
“I do real estate in my spare time,” Rushing said. “I went to LSU for two and a half years, and leaving was a really big, really tough decision. But when I finally left, I was happy because I didn’t feel like I was losing anything. I can always go back.”
The band regards the album – its fourth – as its best ever.
“‘Dust’ is a very airy album, compared to our last one, ‘Angie House,’ which I think was pretty dark,” Jonathan Lawhun, lead guitarist, said. “I would say ‘Dust’ puts a little pep to your step.”
Rushing said “Dust” is “definitely their most mature” album yet.
“It really represents who we are as a band,” Rushing said. “The songs, melodies, lyrics, everything is on a much higher level. Not to say anything else we have done is unsatisfactory, but we have all grown up and learned more about being a band and playing our instruments.”
Davis, lead vocals and guitar, said “Dust” was the first time the band has used high-tech recording materials.
“Before, we had to do everything manually,” Davis said. “We recorded everything separately so we could edit it and perfect it as we pleased.”
The band took on a producer, David Z, to offer guidance and opinion. Drummer Mic Capdevielle said David Z has produced works for Prince, Fine Young Cannibals, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Big Head Todd & the Monsters.
Capdevielle said it was refreshing to have a new opinion, but the band was not used to David Z’s producing style.
Davis said it was a fast-paced process.
“I have been writing the songs for over a year, but we recorded everything in four days,” he said.
Galasso said the recording process was different from the way the band has worked before.
“I liked it because I felt as if our energy was being captured, and it’s such an intangible thing,” he said.
Lawhun said while he wouldn’t change anything about “Dust,” he wishes they had more time. The band recorded the album in its entirety at Dockside Studio, located south of Lafayette.
—-Contact Ashley Norsworthy at [email protected]