In this week’s 10 Questions we get to know Rob Bennett, a musician, producer and music educator originally from Ottawa, Canada.
Their song ‘Echoes in the Night‘ is currently featured on the NAS Spotify playlists
You can follow Rob Bennett on Linktree and The Vibe Vault Network.
1. Tell us a little about where you are from.
I’m originally from Ottawa, Canada. I’m a musician, producer, and music educator with a background in performance and formal music studies. These days, I divide my time between creating my own music and running The Vibe Vault, where I promote independent artists through playlists, radio, reviews, and a weekly YouTube show.
2. What inspired Rob Bennett to start playing and making music?
I wasn’t inspired by one particular person or moment. Music was simply part of who I was. One of my earliest memories is sitting at the piano and playing melodies I had heard by ear. My parents recognized my connection to music early and made sure I had the instruments and support I needed to develop.
I refused music lessons. I was completely self-taught until I began university training in classical guitar performance when I was 22. That was where my formal music education began.
One of my earliest memories is sitting at the piano and playing melodies I had heard by ear.
3. Who are Rob Bennett’s biggest musical influences?
My own style is changing so quickly that I find it difficult to define. It still sits broadly within rock and pop, but the music continues to grow in harmonic complexity, arrangement, and detail. Each new project seems to push it somewhere different.
4. What are your goals in the music industry or as an artist?
My goals are less about chasing traditional industry success. I want to continue growing as a songwriter and producer while learning how to market my own work effectively.
At the same time, I want The Vibe Vault to grow into a strong platform for independent artists, with a real community behind it. I’m looking for a practical path through the social media landscape and the confusion surrounding AI-generated music, one that I can share with other artists. I believe in “being rooted in community while reaching the world.”
5. Tell us about your creative process.
My creative process usually begins with a few guitar ideas recorded into my DAW. From there, I start figuring out what fits. I may add drums or bass, then continue building and editing as the song takes shape.
I often cut and move sections around, developing verses, choruses, and other parts before arranging them into their final positions. Then I fill in whatever is still missing.
I think of the DAW as a canvas. I don’t always build a song from beginning to end. More often, I build it from the middle out.
6. What is your all-time favorite song by another artist and why?
I’ve never really had a favorite song. I’ve always connected more deeply with complete records and LPs. When I was young, a friend and I would hang out, put on an album, and listen to it from beginning to end. For the past four years, my favorite album has been Jacob Collier’s In My Room. I’m fascinated by his understanding of harmony, especially the way he uses Lydian and Super Lydian ideas in both harmonization and melodic structure.
For the past four years, my favorite album has been Jacob Collier’s In My Room.
7. What is the best advice you have either given or received in terms of music?
I’m sure I’ve been given plenty of great advice that I didn’t follow—and I’ve probably given some good advice that wasn’t followed either. Sometimes people need to learn things in their own time and through their own mistakes.
8. What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment is that I’ve supported myself as a professional musician throughout my entire working career.
I was touring in my teens and twenties, then studied classical guitar performance at university while continuing to perform heavily. I went on to work as an elementary and high school vocal and instrumental music teacher while continuing to perform live.
Now, I’m enjoying writing, producing, and releasing my own music, as well as helping other musicians get their work heard through The Vibe Vault. It’s been a wonderful life.
I was touring in my teens and twenties, then studied classical guitar performance at university while continuing to perform heavily.
9. What’s been your most embarrassing moment so far?
My most embarrassing musical moment was probably throwing up in the middle of a set at a bar in Watertown, New York. I had eaten some hot dogs from a gas station beforehand. They didn’t look very good, but I was hungry. That turned out to be a terrible decision.
I still finished the night, sitting on a chair behind my amplifier.
10. Tell us about your lowest and highest points in music so far.
My lowest point came in my mid-forties, when I became dependent on alcohol and started using party drugs. I think a lot of musicians go through some version of that stage, although everyone’s experience is different.
My highest point was being able to retire early and continue doing what I love: writing, producing, releasing music, and supporting other musicians through The Vibe Vault.
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