It's a long way from the scorched, red earth of the Kimberley to Melbourne where John Bennett will perform at AWME (Australasian Worldwide Music Expo) in November.
John hails from the Bidyadanga community in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, a region that has been deeply influential with the music John writes and performs.
After finishing Year 12 in Darwin, John returned home to the Kimberley, inspiring his favourite track from his self-titled first album. “My favourite song would be 'Long Way Home’; it's basically about travelling back from Darwin, crossing over the border into Kununurra and just travelling and passing the gorges.
"When you leave Kununurra, there's a small town in-between, and then you've got Fitzroy Crossing, Broome and then back home; so it's a story, but I put it down as a song,” he says.
Storytelling and music both come naturally to John. Self-taught from a young age, he learned how to play guitar from listening to music and getting ideas from other musicians. “I’m the only singer in the family, I never went to any school where they teach you how to sing or teach you how to play guitar,” he says.
When asked how he hopes people feel when they listen to his music, John reflects on the reactions of various people who have seen him perform live. “I recently came from Nanga, it's a place in Western Australia.
"Me and David Hyams, we just finished the festival here and there are a lot of people there in the front row being touched by my music, saying 'thank you so much'. Some songs touch other people.”
One such song is the track titled ‘My Father’ from his first album. It's a song John dedicated to his father who passed away a couple of years ago. “People in the front row, they say 'my dad passed away a long time ago, you've just touched me and I think you've just brought my father back by singing this song', which is really great.
"It's a good opportunity to have people come to you after the gig, telling you that your music sounds great, 'you touched my heart'. It's a really good feeling.”
As for what he plans to record with his next album, John has something a little different in the works. “Because the first album is more of a laidback kind of album, I’m trying to do something sort of similar to a Troy Cassar-Daley, kind of country music, sort of John Bennett sort of thing,” he laughs.
And for those who are planning to go and see him at AWME, John has a message for you. “I would like you guys to come to the festival and check me out, and maybe we can meet and talk and you can tell me about your country, and I’ll tell you about mine; so get ready for John Bennett.”
John Bennett play AWME 12-14 November.
