The Benefits Of Doubt

Benefits of Doubt bio



Lao Tzu was onto something with that whole yin/yang thing; he realized there

are benefits to duality. And like the great dualisms across the

ages-god/devil, sun/moon, Abbott Costello, Beatles/Rolling Stones,

Beta/VHS-Mike Todd and Ben Rollo are two halves of a powerful whole. Their

band, The Benefits of Doubt, takes two distinct personalities and immensely

individual songwriters and, as electricians like to say, completes the

circuit.



Minted in the university town of Waterloo, Ontario some 5 years previous,

the unbelievably hard working Benefits of Doubt issued their

roots/rock/R&B debut self produced, self-titled album in 2004 to rave

reviews and steady commercial airplay. With an album full of creative nods

to major influences like Martin Sexton, Ryan Adams, Ben Folds and Joe Cocker, A heavy gigging schedule was bound to follow. 2005/06 has seen the band pack the premier local venue the legendary Starlight, headline shows at Toronto's El Mocambo, The Rivoli and Holy Joes, appear alongside national jewels like jacksoul, David Usher, Finger Eleven, Stabilo and Junkhouse and tour throughout Ontario and Western Canada.



"We're into honesty in songwriting. By honesty I mean that we don't put on

airs. We're not trying to start a revolution or change the world. We're just

trying to be ourselves."



- Ben Rollo, stoic.



The Benefits' success is, in part, due to their accessible songs, impeccable

musicianship and professional stage demeanor. But really, you don't have to

travel far from your local watering hole to find such credentials. No, the

real reason the Benefits make the girls scream and the critics cream is that

they have accessible songs, impeccable musicianship, a professional stage

demeanor and they know that it took a fat Elvis and a skinny Elvis to make a

total Elvis.



"I let Ben believe that he does all the work in the band - skinny people

need asense of responsibility. Otherwise they just blow around in the

wind.



- Mike Todd, class clown.



On stage and on record The Benefits of Doubt alternate between straight

man/funny man, serious/playful, transcendent/down to earth,

passionate/indifferent, romantic/horny. It's the balancing that makes this

high wire act work.



Hello Brother: "I wrote this for my older brother Matt as a Christmas gift.

We used to fight a lot but we never really made amends, so this was my offer

to make peace, move on and be friends." - Ben.



Man for the Night: "You know what happens when someone desperately wants to pick up at the bar? This happens." - Mike.



So if you're looking for a religious experience, check out Lao Tzu. If you're

looking for fashion tips, check out fat Elvis. If you're looking for spine

tingling music, a few sentimental tears and a good time, check out the

Benefits of Doubt. Remember, duality. It's all there.



Written by Brent Haggerman



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The resulting self-titled debut album is not only a nice example of collaboration at its best, but also simply a rich collection of folk-pop songs. - Jason Schnieder, THE RECORD