The members of Queensland country-rock duo Benson Manor, Chris Knight and Phil Behrens, have been performing together for over two decades but have only recently started to release original music, first with ‘Dirty Weekend’ and now with ‘Let’s Talk’, a song about the power of talking out problems rather than leaving them festering inside.

I had no idea what to expect when interviewing the pair, as they only have the two songs out so I hadn’t interviewed them before, but this chat was a hoot and a half. It was clear to see why they’ve managed to stay on good terms for so long – they make each other laugh, which would invariably help with the long hours needed to rehearse for live shows, especially when they now live in different parts of Queensland. 

Our chat takes in the way they met, why they’re playing country rock, and why they started writing and recording music. They each have plenty of other things to do in their lives, but playing music together has clearly taken priority for a long time, and that suggests that there is an important ingredient to what they’re doing: fun. 

Having said that, ‘Let’s Talk’ is a serious song with an intention to prompt people to talk about what’s troubling them, and it was inspired by what Knight and Behrens were seeing around them.

A note on the audio: firstly, I had a cold at the time so my voice is scratchy, and there were some wifi issues for Phil, and about halfway through a volume issue for Chris – but we persevered!

Listen to Benson Manor on Apple Music

Listen to Benson Manor on Spotify

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