Tom Beninate, the hidden treasure behind Jam Seven, released his first album, Organic Jam, in 2011. It has been followed by his most current album, Shore Jam. Tom wrote, arranged, and performed all 20 songs which include three instrumentals on each album. There is sure to be something between these tasty spreads to satisfy everyone’s musical taste buds. He has combined his passion for rock, pop, jazz, and classical music into two fabulous debut albums. I asked Tom, “What’s the secret to a good song?” His response was a quote from George Martin, the producer for the Beatles: “You need to write a bloody good song!” Well, Tom has done just that. In fact, he wrote 20 of them.
Those are some great ideas. How does creativity help an artist become successful?
An artist can use creativity to differentiate him or herself from the rest of the crowd. As an artist’s songwriting skills progress and as he learns what material gets a favorable reaction, he can then tailor that unique sound. Then, by releasing additional fresh and creative material, the audience will grow and buy more records.
What can an artist do to stand out from the crowd?
Again, an artist should always strive to write better songs. Unfortunately, today there is a huge emphasis on entertainment at the expense of good music. A good exercise is to break a great song down into components. Analyze the song structure: hook, verse, chorus, and bridge. Make sure your song has strong components. Make sure that your song is unique. Be sure to showcase that uniqueness and your other strengths. The Beatles’ strengths were their songwriting and of course their arranging – courtesy of George Martin. Their uniqueness was in their approach to songwriting. They generally did not sound like or copy any other band. But many bands do sound like them.
What projects can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?
I’m working on my next record entitled City Jam. I have a dozen songs already written and would like to write two dozen more. From that batch I’ll select seven songs and three instrumentals. Artist Michelle Emmons recently completed a water color sketch of the New York City skyline for the front cover. I’ll be ramping up this project by the end of the year. As with my other albums, I will continue to post updates at jamseven.com.
Tom, thanks for sharing your experiences with me. I wish you lots of success.
Thank you, it’s been a pleasure.
You can buy Tom Beninate's Jam Seven CDs at:
http://store.jamseven.com