Easy access to streaming services waters down our appreciation for local and live musicians. With Spotify Discover Weekly and the potential to be listening to the most underground musicians with the ease of a search bar, our admiration for local discovery is drowned out. This doesn’t mean our tech-savvy world that has revitalized the music industry isn’t helpful or admirable. It just means that if you weren’t at the Wilbury in Tallahassee, Florida on Jan. 10, no Spotify playlist would give you the same experience as local Tallahassee artist, Bench Warmer.
Getting to step outside with Cameron Gilson, the voice and mind behind Bench Warmer and avid wearer of black turtlenecks, was a breath of fresh air for the local music industry and scene. Recently signed with Cat Family Records, Bench Warmer has two songs currently on Spotify. These include two very easy on the ears singles entitled “Liability” and the B-Side “Please Don’t Fall in Love Again.” Cameron listed Peach Pit, Hippocampus and the overall genre of Jazz as his biggest musical inspirations. You can not only hear but more importantly, feel these traces in his songwriting.
Listening to Bench Warmer is like listening to a melancholic narrative. It’s nostalgically sad with basslines and lyrics that make you miss a feeling you may have never felt. Along with this nostalgic energy is the fact that the album art of both songs on Spotify picture Cameron when he was little- no turtleneck this time- but the picture adds to the nostalgic, sentimental sound of his music.
When asking Cameron what he wishes the music industry as a whole would adopt, he answered, “the Tallahassee music scene” and “nice people.” It’s important to support local artists like Bench Warmer with genuine intentions to reach audiences for the sole purpose of spreading their art and personal stories. Cameron started his journey with music in 2017 and began with local coffee shop performances. He then worked his way to releasing his first two singles in March of 2019. He now plays shows at the Wilbury, The Bark and House Shows, often accompanied by other local bands. These performances are lighthearted experiences, as Cameron likes to switch things up with a kazoo solo or the use of bubbles on stage. His lyrics and instrumentation might make your heart break over again, but at least the stage will be covered in bubbles.
Lastly, when posing the question of what his least favorite part of the music industry was, he simply answered “free jazz.” So, if you’re in the same boat, Bench Warmer’s new music being released on Jan. 31 should be completely free jazzless and right up your ally. This is the first thing Cameron will be releasing under local Tallahassee record label, Cat Family Records. The release is a double single, with songs entitled “Someone Else” and “Don’t Cut My Hair.”
The support for local musicians cannot be lost in the digital age. Attending live shows to support local artists preserves an intimacy in music that is lost in the state of our current industry. Bench Warmer is a Tallahassee gem that should be supported at all costs.
All photos courtesy of Addison T. Mathis.
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