Artist: Benny Bleu
Hometown: Hemlock, New York
Latest Album: When I Am a Fossil (released June 5, 2026)
Personal Nicknames (or rejected band names): My real name is Benjamin Haravitch. I like it just fine, and maybe someday I’ll release music as that guy. For now, Benny Bleu helps out.
Which artist has influenced you the most – and how?
Early on in my old-time journey, I became obsessed with the fiddling of Rayna Gellert. I said to myself, “I want to play the banjo like she plays the fiddle.” And that goal still stands. I love the way she records and releases music, especially her latest duo albums with Kieran Kane and also alongside Joachim Cooder. The music is accessible and rooted in traditional old-time music and also totally fresh with a clear point of view. Most importantly, it feels good and flows with perpetual motion. All things I try to do with the music I make.
What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?
When I was about four years old, a new neighbor moved in next door. Gary. He had a band called Wilderness Family (banjo, fife, snare drum, upright bass, accordion) and I remember them playing for us in my driveway. When I was eight or so, the band threw a party in my backyard and invited all their freaky musician friends who camped out and jammed and juggled all weekend. I eventually grew up, but I don’t think I ever left that party. For a while I tried to work a 9-to-5 as a geologist. But the songs never stopped ringing in my head! I knew there was no avoiding the fact that I make music and that’s just what I do.
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do they impact your work?
All of the music I make is an echo of my relationship with the earth. Even the way I tour reflects this, primarily getting around on Amtrak. My new record When I Am a Fossil is entirely focused on our place in nature. In the title track, I reflect on my past life as an environmental geologist. Scientists in the deep future might find vast evidence of our human experiment, but will they ever find the steps we didn’t take?
I live in upstate New York, in a region known as the Finger Lakes. Two of these lakes – Canadice and Hemlock – have been lasting muses for me. Ancient worlds that have witnessed glaciation, generations of native cultures, colonial progress come and gone, and now provide water for the city of Rochester. This is a story I tell in the song “Abbey Lovely.” And “All I Want to Be” is a meditation on awe and the simple pleasure of being “here” in our place in nature.
Does pineapple really belong on pizza?
All toppings belong. Especially the under-represented ones, like pineapple. If a pizza is provided with a supportive crust, a zesty sauce, and savory cheese, then all toppings will manifest greatness. I don’t do the social medias, but in my newsletters I like to let my fans know where my favorite pies are as I travel around. I usually go for a simple slice of cheese.
What is a genre, album, artist, musician, or song that you adore that would surprise people?
The element of music that speaks to me most is rhythm. So I tend to love drummers and rhythmically adventurous musicians. I love Latin music. I love Fela Kuti and James Brown. Music that holds the groove above all else. Bernard Purdie, the legendary session drummer, is one of my favorite musicians and I hear a lot of similarity in how he keeps a song moving with how an old-time fiddler creates that perpetual forward motion. My desert-island-all-time favorite track would have to be “Sugar” by Stevie Wonder.
Photo Credit: Kyle Sackett
