Meet Patrick Benson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Benson.

Hi Patrick, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started playing guitar at the age of 10 and began playing in band by 13. I went to college and received a degree in Music Recording Technology after which I began touring and playing guitar for indie and punk bands such as Tigers Jaw and Polar Bear Club. Upon moving to Los Angeles, I began working as a guitar & keyboard technician for acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Beck, Morrissey, and others. I write songs and play guitar and synthesizer in my band, Charade. We have released a demo cassette tape and a five songs EP. Our debut full-length album is currently in the works with plans of a 2022 release.

I self-released my first solo album in April of 2021 under the project OLYN, featuring all instrumental and ambient music with field recordings that I sampled while traveling through National Parks, living out of my car in the summer of 2020. The album was recorded in one week at a remote studio in Michigan with engineer Marc Jacob Hudson and co-produced by multi-instrumentalist Teddy Roberts. I am currently working on a new album with plans of self-recording it at home in my bedroom studio in Highland Park.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like everyone else, 2020 was a difficult and challenging year. For me, my main source of income was touring, which came to a dead stop very early on in the pandemic. The excessive downtime did allow me to focus more on my creative endeavors which is something that had been sidelined for many years due to working from the road 8-10 months a year. I was grateful for the time to allow me to discover my own music but transitioning into a home routine was something I never could adjust to well before. My mental health was challenged in ways it had not been before but all in all, I am very lucky to be where I am today and I wouldn’t be doing this without the help and guidance of my partner, family and friends.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I wear many hats but my main job is as a guitar and keyboard technician for bands and artists. I am responsible for setting up the equipment, making sure it works as intended and generally helping the artist feel comfortable and confident with what they’re using, either on stage or in the recording studio. My main focus is on guitar repair and maintenance as I have a small repair shop where I take in clientele work when I am home for long enough to do so. I get a sense of pride when I can make someone’s instrument play better than it did before it makes its way onto my workbench. Occasionally I build guitars from used and vintage parts, as well as pedalboards when I have the spare time.

I guess what sets me apart from other techs is my passion for expressing my creative side either by playing guitar, to recording, and writing songs to experimenting with sound design. I enjoy being in the process most of all, either recording in the studio, writing, or out in a field, recording and sampling nature sounds. I am always experimenting in my studio with new techniques and setting up equipment in exciting and refreshing ways to spark inspiration.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I can’t say that I ever expected touring to stop overnight. I can’t really predict where it will go from here now that it is back in almost a full swing or what it will look like in the years to come because anything can happen we’ve witnessed. What I hope is that the touring industry will do more to aid in the current global crisis and help to combat climate change. It feels like some artists are talking about these issues and taking it seriously by changing their behaviors on the road and promoting organizations fighting for the cause. I believe that in 5-10 years, it will be impossible to not talk about these issues, and those who are doing nothing to give back may go down with the ship.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://olynmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olynsound
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/pat_benson/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/olynsound
• Other: https://crossedwires.blog

Image Credits
Dana Cama (www.danacamaphoto.com)