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AUTO - BIO

Raised in Mount Vernon and Spokane, WA, I didn't have the money for an instrument, so I took a paper route to buy my first guitar—a Kramer Striker—at 15. By 18, I was delivering pizzas by day and singing in Spokane clubs by night. That’s where I was recruited by a hot local band called The Widows Party, featuring a young Myles Kennedy on guitar. When Myles left to front his own group, I took over lead vocals and we pressed on. (To this day, that story makes me chuckle.)

In 1991, we moved to Seattle to chase the big dream. We opened for Sweetwater and My Sister’s Machine, and even got bumped off an Offramp bill to make room for a then-unknown Chicago band called the Smashing Pumpkins.

Over the next decade, I fronted a lineup of Pacific Northwest bands:

  • Mean Tangerine: We played packed houses with Green Apple Quick Step and Lazy Susan. Layne Staley took a shine to our demo and forced KISW to play it on his birthday—the first time I ever heard myself on the radio. During this era, I also got to work as Chris Cornell’s stagehand during a Soundgarden benefit show.

  • Thistle: Released our first 7” vinyl, built a strong regional following, and temporarily relocated to Portland before homesickness brought me back to Seattle.

  • Nevada Bachelors: Signed to Pop Llama Records (our first record deal) after pouring my inheritance into our debut album (thank you grandma). We opened for You Am I, Fountains of Wayne, Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro the Lion, and Harvey Danger. After a tour with The Posies fell through when they broke up mid-flight, Jason Finn (Presidents of the USA) joined us on drums and funded our second album. We had a good run and a lot of fun! Reunion shows in 2022 was great!

  • Dear John Letters: Signed to Roam Records and LA’s Foodchain Records, spending 22 weeks on the NW Top 20 charts and landing at #12 on KEXP’s overall Album of the Year list in 2002. We hit #34 nationally on the CMJ charts with heavy airplay on 200+ stations nationwide.

  • Dept. Of Energy: A unique synth/rock trio with keyboardist Ty Bailie (who went on to play for Katy Perry). We released three CDs and capped off our run with a sold-out Sky Church show at Bumbershoot.

  • The Glass Notes: A collaborative project turning the poetry of Jake Uitti into songs—yielding over 120 tracks across two albums with guitarist Tim DiJulio.

Along the way, I released several solo albums, including The Tree Mind and Shelk (which earned a KEXP Song of the Day nod), while picking up three consecutive Seattle Weekly "Best Songwriter" nominations.

In the mid-2010s, Tim DiJulio and I formed Stereo Embers. Over an eight-year run, we released three sold-out EPs and a 7" vinyl on Mike McCready’s label (who famously repped our band shirt during a Pearl Jam appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert). We shared stages with The Presidents of the USA and opened NYE for Ayron Jones.

Today, I front Planets in the Ocean (PITO), an indie-rock trio featuring long-time collaborators Cassady Laton and Ben Gwon. I also work as a custom songwriter, turning client lyrics and poetry into fully produced tracks across a variety of genres.

Decades in, I’m a lifer. Onward and upward!

Thanks for reading!

-ROBB BENSON