JACK WHITE SONGWRITING TIME FOR RACONTEURS AND BRENDAN BENSON

Guitarist Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs sits down to discuss his successful songwriting partnership with long time friend Jack White.

The Raconteurs have enjoyed tremendous mainstream success with their two albums, 2005’s “Broken Boy Soldiers” and the latest release “Consolers of the Lonely.” With hit singles “Steady As She Goes” along with “Salute Your Solution” to name just a few, it’s clear the songwriting partnership of guitarists Brendan Benson and Jack White is something special. Although Benson and White came together to record material as The Raconteurs in 2005, their friendship actually dates long before then, it just took them awhile to finally find the time with their busy schedules.

Artisan News caught up with Brendan Benson to get his thoughts on finally finding the time to work together with his old friend Jack White.

“For a long time we always talked about making a record together but it was timing, we just never had time. I was on the road or he was on the road. When I was home he was making a record and vice versa so it just never worked out logistically until “Broken Boy Soldiers.” It just all came together. So we did that record that we always talked about doing.”

We also talked with Brendan about getting back to his songwriting roots when he writes with Jack White.

“That’s the reason I became friends with him in the first place was to kind of pick his brain and maybe I was hoping that I might be able to get back to that. Get back to my roots really because I’d been in California for a long time hanging out with people that I just got on a different path. Which was a good path to go on but I missed that sort of, just the kind of real simple songs that I used to write. Which I think he does too. I mean they’re simple but yet really complex so I don’t mean simple in a bad way.”

Although people might think they are very different and come from a different musical perspective, Benson also thinks he is more similar to Jack White than you might think.

“People think we are almost opposite ends of the spectrum or we’re very different but in fact I think we’re not very different. We come from the same place, literally and sort of figuratively. I mean he reminds me a lot of my younger self. If that doesn’t sound too condescending. I admire that so much about him the way he’s maintained it. Whereas I have gone astray.”

The Raconteurs will look to take some much needed time away from the road as they’ve been touring all year in support of “Consolers of the Lonely.” Brendan Benson is readying his upcoming solo album which he hopes to release very soon. Benson will look to tour in support of the album in March of 2009. Jack White is also currently working on new material for an upcoming White Stripes album. With Meg apparently over her anxiety and The White Stripes known for recording their albums very quickly, the duo will look to put out a new album in 2009 as well. Jack White is also in the process of forming another band, according to a recent interview with MTV and continues to stay busy with numerous musical projects.