Kelsey Bennett, Photographer and Musician
Article by David Wildman
"Kelsey, one of our former interns, has found success
as both a photographer of controversial Dig covers,
and a musician. She combines these talents in Sleep
with Dinosaurs, her upcoming show at ZuZu, which
will feature her photography and a performance by
her band, Pucker."
Read the rest of the article here
Follow the Swan Review
Recorded by Alexander Hatziyannis at 179 Harvard St.
Mixed by Alexander Hatziyannis and Kelsey Bennett at Old Folks Home recording
Track 3 recorded live at The Sidewalk Cafe by Joie
Mixed by Elizabeth Acle
"Few performers possess the humility and candor of Kelsey Bennett. Her initial release under the name Pucker was a quick, "I left my attention span in San Francisco" affair, full of spit-rock and a lot of candy flying through the air. Follow the Swan is a more revealing trip into her world. First of all, the entire record has a more personal feel - a self-described "headphones wired through cracks, under bedroom doors" tone that does away with any sense of posture in favor of Bennett's candid expression.
Bennett is not all flash and no substance, however. Her lyrical skills are on display over the run of this short record. Bennett is able to create little turns of phrase through her lyrics, with equal helpings of poetic prose and everyday verse. She suggests that we "turn on the TV so that we can watch the war," in the first track, "People Know." The track is a short head-bopper that introduces the listener to Bennett's singular vocal style - full of jitters, accents and playful word choices. Bennett is able to throw herself into her lyrics with reckless abandon, at times wrapping her voice around a phrase or perhaps spitting it out with that inimitable sense of vigor that sets her vocal style apart from pretty much anyone else.
The style continues in "Maybe Someday," a stop-start song that carries a more thoughtful message than might be readily understandable. Bennett resigns herself to the fate of having love be "just another chore." Her style is oddly conversational in ways that others are not. It's unchecked, unfiltered and, for the most part, unedited. This is especially true of her introduction to the final song, recorded live on a new instrument for Bennett - the piano. We know it is a new one because she confesses that it sometimes feels like "the keys are falling off the planet" when playing piano. The fingerings are somewhat shaky, but endearingly so. Bennett's performance, above all else, is touchingly vulnerable - a personality that exposes itself to the world with no fear and maybe a touch of self-consciousness." (Self-released)
