Artist: Benjamin Dakota Rogers
Hometown: Brantford, Ontario
Latest Album: Paint Horse
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
Right now, Iām listening to the new Tyler Childers record a lot and itās starting to warm up so Iāve been out at the smoker a few times a week. So Iād probably say Tyler Childers and a brisket this week.
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
I live out on a little farm and spend most of my days outside, if Iām not in the studio. Lots of long walks through the fields and the little woods bordering them. I do a lot of foraging for mushrooms and herbs out there, bonfires most nights with friends and my brother. Itās where I do most of my writing. Being surrounded by the outdoors finds its way into most of my songs, mostly through imagery.
What has been the best advice youāve received in your career so far?
I think the best advice I’ve been given so far is that itās more important to be constantly creating and writing new material and growing as an artist than it is to chase perfection in one song or one album. I try to create, release, move on, to keep things feeling fresh.
What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?
I do a lot of reading, mostly old books, lots of 1800s fairy tales and old Westerns. I think the more I read, the more I write, so I try to keep things circulating.
How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use āyouā when it’s actually āmeā?
I think about 50% of the songs are personal and 50% are stories. Iāve always liked creating characters based off of the people around me and writing them stories, I think thatās why there are so many names in my songs. But I think itās no more hiding than a book author hides behind their characters. Itās all just storytelling.
Photo Credit: Colin Medley
