The Bennett Hall Band
- David Lannan
- Jun 7
- 6 min read
NEW SONG: Country Ain't
I wouldn’t say that I’ve ‘missed’ anything… though there are other things I could be doing if I wasn’t in a band. I don’t think they could beat everything I’ve learned and experienced and the fun I’ve had over the years. - Presley Hall
WITH POWERFUL VOICES AND ORIGINAL MUSIC THE BENNETT HALL BAND SHOOTS FOR THE STARS
By David C. Lannan
Three sisters under age 17 formed The Bennett Hall Band to honor their brother who passed away in 2010. Kat and Presley, who were born in Atlanta, Georgia, and Josie Hope, who was born in Nashville, spend as much time as they can writing music and performing in between school work, family time and chores. The family now lives about an hour from Nashville but travels wherever the music takes them.
I exchanged emails with The Bennett Hall Band to get an update on what they have been doing lately. Here’s our Q&A session.
Q&A WITH THE BENNETT HALL BAND - KAT
DL: How and when did you first start singing? Where?
KAT: I honestly can’t remember when I wasn’t singing. My mom actually has many videos of Presley and I, singing and strumming on toy guitars when we were really young. I chose a singing lesson over a jazz dance lesson when I was about 6, and I haven’t stopped since.
DL: Do you or have you ever played any musical instruments? If you do, how do you feel it helps your musical journey?
KAT: Yes, I play acoustic guitar. I started on piano, but it didn’t really click for me so I started taking lessons with Mr. Tom Leadon when I was 9. The reason I picked it up was actually because TK Kimbrell (who is currently Clay Walker, Jackson Dean, Jamey Johnson’s and used to be Toby Keith’s manager) gifted Presley and I each a three quarter size Takamine Guitar. He knew that we sang and said that if we were gonna go anywhere with it, we needed to be able to accompany ourselves. I think that being able to play guitar helps to get more industry credit and is necessary when communicating with other musicians.
DL: What is your favorite or couple of favorite originals you have sung/written and what do they mean to you?
KAT: Hmm I really like our song “Lovin’ Makes The Leavin’ Hard”. It’s about loving someone even as you’re leaving them. We wrote this one after visiting some close family friends that live over 2,000 miles away. We don’t get to see them very often so we were super sad when it was time to fly back home. As we were leaving, Mom said to me, “Kat, it’s the lovin’ that makes the leavin’ hard”. We were like, “that's a good song idea!” . So we got back home and used those feelings and that hook to write a sad song.
DL: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
KAT: I hope to be successful in the industry and be making a living off of playing music. One of my biggest dreams is playing the Grand Old Opry and it has always been a goal to get to play it before I was 20 years old. So that would be incredible. Also, we are pretty young and we want music to be a lifelong career. We have gotten a few very nice and personal emails from producers of really well known talent TV shows asking us to be a part of them, but we really just want our musical journey to be as organic as possible. We just want it to go how God wants it to go.
DL: Have you always wanted to be a singer/musician? If not, and you couldn’t be in the music business what career would you choose?
KAT: I have wanted to be a singer/musician for as long as I can remember. I have always said that if for some reason the band didn’t work out, I would still do something in the industry. I honestly have no idea what I would do otherwise.
Q&A WITH THE BENNETT HALL BAND - PRESLEY
DL: How and when did you first start singing? Where?
PRESLEY: Kat picked up voice lessons when she was about 5 or 6, and she started coming home from lessons singing, so i started singing harmony with her, and gradually that ended up getting me into music!
DL: Do you or have you ever played any musical instruments? If you do, how do you feel it helps your musical journey?
PRESLEY: I play lots of instruments for fun, but what I really like are piano and bass guitar, which are the instruments I play in show. Learning these instruments has really expanded my knowledge of music, which helps
DL: What is your favorite or couple of favorite originals you have sung/written and what do they mean to you?
PRESLEY: I really like a lot of our original songs that haven't quite been released yet, haha! But as far as our released songs go, i would say my favorite is "Mean Girl." I love the way the track turned out, and I think it’s a song that has connected with me and other people!
DL: If you could perform with anyone in the music business who would it be and why?
PRESLEY: I’d have to say Lainey Wilson! I love her music and her energy and think she would be a very special person to perform with.
DL: Where is your favorite place to perform and why?
PRESLEY: Hmm, good question! I don't know if I have a specific venue, but me and my sisters have had the privilege of playing with Mr. Jamey Johnson over the years, which has been amazing!
DL: Do you feel like you have missed anything or had to make sacrifices for your musical career?
PRESLEY: I wouldn't say that I’ve “missed” anything… though there are other things I could be doing if I wasn't in a band, I don't think they could beat everything I've learned and experienced and the fun I’ve had over the years!
Q&A WITH THE BENNETT HALL BAND - JOSIE
DL: How and when did you first start singing? Where?
JOSIE: My sisters started to sing when I was really little and I was able to hear harmony and harmonize with them.
DL: Do you remember the first song you sang in public?
JOSIE: One of the first ones I sang live was “All Of Me” by Ella Fitzgerald. I sang it at an open mic.
DL: Do you or have you ever played any musical instruments? If you do, how do you feel it helps your musical journey?
JOSIE: I play the drums, and I think it makes us unique that we all are able to play our own instruments.
DL: What is your favorite or couple of favorite originals you have sung/written and what do they mean to you?
JOSIE: One I wrote with Presley is called “Ready Or Not” and I like it because it is upbeat and sassy and it is about me, which makes it fun to sing.
DL: Have you ever sang or thought about singing a different music genre? Why did you pick country as your main focus?
JOSIE: We have always listened to and grown up with country music in our house so I think it was just natural to choose country.
DL: If you could perform with anyone in the music business who would it be and why?
JOSIE: If I could perform with anyone, it would be Lainey Wilson. I think she’s cool and I like her music. I also think she’s a good role model to musicians who want to make it because she has put a lot of hard work into her career and it has really paid off.
DL: Is there anything you would like to add about your music journey or life in general?
JOSIE: Jesus loves you!
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The trio has been playing all over middle Tennessee and beyond on stages such as The Station Inn, CMA Fest, El Dorado Festival, Tom Petty Weekend, Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Room, Fox & Locke, NashHouse, Scoreboard Bar & Grill, The Johnny Cash Hideaway Farm, Kimbro's Pickin' Parlor, Puckett's, Hop Springs, Everett's Music Barn, The Franklin Main Street Festival, The Broken Wheel Festival, just to name a few.
The trio has been in studio, but do not have any set release dates as of now.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND THE BENNETT HALL BAND?
Website: www.TheBennettHallBand.com
YouTube: The Bennett Hall Band
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram
The Bennett Hall Band can also be found on major streaming platforms
UPCOMING SHOWS
☆ June 8th - singing the National Anthem as a part of Sunday Mornin’ Country at the Grand Ole Opry
☆ July 18th opening for DASHA at the Ruby Amphitheater in Morgantown, WV
☆ July 25th - supporting Jamey Johnson at JD Legends in Franklin, Ohio
☆ Kansas State Fair Sept 7th and 8th
BOOKING ARTIST
If you would like to book The Bennett Hall Band for your fair, festival or other special event, contact
EMAIL: info@thebennetthallband.com
PHONE: 615-512-5888
In addition to writing this blog for KICR, David C. Lannan is a freelance writer with feature stories published across the country. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors for The Branson Opry. If you would like to be considered for a future blog, send your contact info and links to your music to dlannan@LFE.design.
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