Meet C.j. Benoit

We were lucky to catch up with C.j. Benoit recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi C.J., thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

My father, Bill. My Dad worked from the ground up, from the family farm in Maryland to construction with my maternal grandfather, then worked his way up in landscaping.

My paternal grandfather, Richard, was a landscape architect, Korean War vet in the Army Guard.

Dad, worked in landscaping and Town Management. Dad was a founding member of the Bethesda Urban Partnership when I was a little kid, then became Town Manager of Chevy Chase, then took off up the ranks in Chapel Valley, Brickman (now Brightview) and Landcare, where he’s finally retiring.

Dad is probably one of THE hardest workers I know, and when he sets it in his mind to do something, by god he’ll do it. Ironman competitor as well!

I mentioned this in my interview with y’all before, about how LSM got its name. Dad played in a garage band called the Swamp Weasels before my sister and I were born? Dad was my first guitar teacher, Also taught me how to fish, change the oil in my car, tie a tie (that one didn’t stick. Part of the reason I prefer Bolo ties) can cook a mean Lasagna, and is a good man. Between my father, a Florida Bluesman called The Sauce Boss (how I learned open tunings on guitar) I pretty much picked up what I got.

A story I like to remember on, is when I was in middle school, I was saving up for a Tippman A5 Paintball gun. I had the money from doing chores, help from grandparents, etc, and Dad walked into the room. (I remember this vividly, I was watching the Dukes of Hazzard on TV) and my dad said “Okay, Kid. How about you and I make a deal? If you’re set on that paintball gun, we’ll go over to the store tomorrow and get it. Or, we can go halfway and get you a guitar of your own?”

That was in 2003 if my memory serves. I joined my first band outside school four years later after. MY WHOLE JOURNEY as a musician stems from that night. Sure, I played harmonica and saxophone by then, but that there . . . that’s where the journey kicked off. I had about 6 months or so of actual lessons, but they were more oriented in Jazz, Classical, etc. They wanted me to be Joe Pass, I wanted to be Sleepy LaBeef. But Pop didn’t judge that much . . . except the times I played hooky from work to go record or play a gig.

Hell, despite being 21 years later, 17 in the music business, 7 of which down here in Tennessee, I’m still that starry-eyed kid pickin’ cowboy chords and Chuck Berry stuff. Although now I’m lucky enough to show him some stuff. We’ll share music back and forth a lot and I was fortunate to show my dad acts like Doug Sahm and Little Joe y La Familia (he’s got an incredible autobiography, No Llore, Chingon . . . worth the read.)

But my dad’s work ethic, while we might not be in the same fields, rubbed off. And that’s how we’ve wound up hitting the road pretty hard and releasing 16-17 releases in a short stretch of time.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m the frontman and multi-instrumentalist of Los Swamp Monsters. Formed in 2012, and currently on the Big Easy Productions roster for Bookings.

As for Los Swamp Monsters, we’re a Rock N’ Roll band that picks up elements of Tejano, Swamp Pop, Honky-Tonk, Cajun, Blues, Zydeco and Soul that incorporates Saxophones, Rubboard, Harmonica, and Accordions.

We’re actively booking for 2025 and I’m preparing the next run of bootlegs, as well as the next studio record.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I don’t think just three will work. Here’s some of the tidbits I learned, and might help a greenhorn move ahead.

1. Keep an open mind, you can pick influence off every music style there is, even if that influence is what NOT to do. A good hunk of that is how I learned at least 42 musical instruments. (I did a proper count not too long ago.) There’s a VAST world of music out there. Don’t limit yourself to what’s popular on the radio. There’s thousands of bands that are doing that already. By broadening your horizons, you just might find yourself.

2. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. You can absolutely make your dreams come true, but it’s gonna take a bit of legwork on your end to make ’em happen. Hank Aaron didn’t become a legendary baseball player from just sitting on the bench waiting to go to bat. He busted his ass, and he took risks. I’d rather get a rejection letter than give up halfway through applying for something because I MIGHT get rejected.

3. READ THE FINE PRINT. Learn to understand what the fine print means, and become your own advocate. Yeah, it’s hard work, lot of mumbo-jumbo, But you’ll be better off for it and able to ask better questions if you learn.

4. In a disaster, look for the people actively helping. If you’re in a position to help, they’ll point you in the right direction.

5. Keep your word. If you say you’re going to do something, you do it. If you say you can and find you you can’t, there’s no shame in asking for help.

6. Some learn by reading, some learn by doing, and some people have to stick their hand on the hot stove twice to make sure they really did burn their hand.

7. Take care of your physical AND mental health. Don’t kill your soul because some other schmuck.

8. Drink upstream from the cattle.

9. If you get an idea while drunk, write it down and wait til you’re sober. If it looks stupid sober, it was probably stupid drunk, too.

10. Cherish the time you have with your loved ones.

11. Family ain’t always your relatives. It’s who’s there when you’re at your lowest as well as at your highest.

12. Take the time to smell the roses. Life ain’t the destination, it’s the journey, enjoy it.

13. Try new foods and learn to cook.

14. Take life with a sense of humor, we never get out of it alive.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I’m always looking for collaborators for music oriented things (would not mind revisiting a horn section!) and as well for Philanthropy.

I’m one of the founding partners for Rhythm and Raz, a Fundraising service to help benefit charities. Our inaugural show is December 14th at American Legion Post 82 in Nashville. We got a lot of great acts and we’ll be donating to Operation Stand Down, a nonprofit organization to help military personnel and veterans readjust to civilian life. They help with career guidance, therapy, help arrange doctor’s appointments, help rehouse those living on the street, it’s a beautiful thing. And as someone who has a lot of family who served or are still currently serving in the military, that’s a major deal close to my heart.

If you want to collaborate, hit me up either through the website at www.losswampmonsters.com, or on my facebook page (C.J. Benoit)

And for partnership/donating to Rhythm & Raz, visit https://rhythmandraz.com/ for more details.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Cajun accordion – Pete Za

Train and Father/Son pics – Bill Benoit

Band Shot and Van picture – Jessica Daughrity

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