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In 2004, John Bennett recorded his 4th solo CD using at Creative Aire Studios produced by Mark Buchanan. After the successful completion of that project, Mark & John decided to begin performing together. John was mostly playing electric guitar with Mark on keyboards. They used a drum track and Mark played bass parts on the keyboards. The music was a combination of John's original Christian music and old rock standards. In 2005, Tom was recruited to the band and they performed several times. Jim was added in late 2005 and the four piece band played one gig, doing John's Christian music at the Lord's Table and recorded a demo CD of that music before Mark left the band. John, Tom & Jim performed at Tony Wentersdorf's May 2005 Open Stage at Walker and later at Riverview before Tom decided to leave the group. Tom was still shaken by Mark's decision to leave and was not entirely comfortable with the change in the band's direction from an electric rock base to more of an acoustic sound in a variety of musical styles. Tom, John & Jim kept the door open for a possible return. John & Jim practiced through the summer and built up a sizable repertoire of covers and John's non-Christian original tunes. Tom reconsidered and came back to the band in time for a lousy gig at the Minnesota State Fair at the Crossroads Chapel, playing for a few tired people looking for a cool place to sit for a few minutes. Judge Bennett played two very successful gigs at the Northwestern Bookstore in Burnsville and also at a Katrina relief benefit concert and the band was energized. In January, 2006, Judge Bennett played its first full gig in a coffee house that was not a Christian setting at the Village Blend in St. Anthony Village. That gig, attended by lots of friends, was well received and cemented the new musical direction that had been developing since the fall. The band has played regularly since then including regular stops at the Fire Roast Mountain Cafe, Riverview Cafe, and the Village Blend Wine Bistro & Cafe. |