If you hang around a music scene long enough you get to see new artists pop up, evolve and branch out. It’s a fascinating and captivating thing. For me, Shelbi Bennett has been one of the most rewarding local artists to watch.
I first met her through a coworker and I vividly remember the first time I heard her sing: it was late and we’d all been drinking, and Bennett was perched up on the kitchen counter of my coworker’s Golden Hill apartment. Her voice was stunning, a velvety croon that transported me back to a smoky 1920s-era lounge. I literally got goosebumps.
From that moment on, I knew it was only a matter of time before Bennett made her mark on San Diego music. In the dozen years since then, she has, with bands like the folky The Midnight Pine (with whom she won a San Diego Music Award), the phenomenal Kate Bush cover act Baby Bushka and with the garagey, pop-punk group The Havnauts. All these years later, her voice still gives me goosebumps.
The Havnauts, “Down Not Out”: Lots of bands describe their music as infectious, mostly because they think their songs are just that catchy. I don’t always agree, because what part of what makes a song truly infectious to me is whether it feels like the band’s actually having fun. The Havnauts have never had that problem. The band’s stripped down “pink punk,” as they refer to it has always struck me as incredibly genuine, and a genuinely good time. “Down Not Out,” is a wonderful example of how The Havnauts can divine joyful bits of tuneage out of even a deep feeling of malaise.
Like what you hear? Check out The Havnauts at the Whistlestop on Thursday, April 18.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.