PODCAST EP. 371: The Story Behind Jared Benson's New Song "Old Bird Dog"

Speaker 1 (00:49.972)

Welcome to On the Wing Podcast presented by Purina Pro Plan. Listeners by now know that I'm a sucker when it comes to upland birds, bird dogs, bird hunting, and music. Especially when that music intersects with upland birds, bird dogs, and bird hunting. Today I've got an episode dialed up about that very intersection featuring Jared Benson, a musician out of Iowa who has made the trip up to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever headquarters in St. Paul today. And a special thank you to Sport Dog for sponsoring Jared's appearance today. Sport Dog is sponsoring this episode of On the Wing Podcast and has been a part of our upland traditions for over 20 years. From pre-season training to opening days, Sport Dog is committed to the hunters, the dogs, and the habitat that make it all possible. And the music today, every purchase helps support conservation efforts nationwide when you buy at sportdog.com. You can learn more at sportdog.com.

And joining me for this conversation is the semi frequent co host of mine. A I know you're an actor, Casey. You ever been a musician?

Speaker 2 (02:24)

Not even a little bit, but yeah. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (02:25)

How did I pick you for this one?

Speaker 2 (02:30)

Unless unless a high school band counts. No, it's that's not a world I've ever I've ever dipped my toes into.

Speaker 1 (02:37)

Jared, have you ever acted?

Speaker 1 (02:44.654)

no. I took like maybe a beginning acting class in high school. That's about it. But okay. Nothing serious. And I don't put really plan on it.

Speaker 1 (02:59)

So i guess Casey, give Jared your your acting background. Just catch him up to speed. I imagine you haven't listened to no Casey's background.

Speaker 2 (03:07)

I have not. I have not. No, so I I sort of farted around with acting for four or five years after college and did some it ended up being in some like low budget B movie, like B action flick movies. like Sharknado or something like that. That's about the level of movie that I was in. Yeah. That's it was pretty similar actually. Yeah. We now we did a lot of like it was mostly like military movies, like sort of cheesy Okay. Yeah, action army movies. Can I find them anywhere?

Unfortunately, yeah, you can't. Yeah. He's been in two movies with Tom Berenger from Major League. my nice. And two movies with Dolph Lundgren from the Rocky series. Yeah. So it was fun. It was yeah, I got to tr travel over the country for four or five years and and met a lot of cool people. So yeah. It was good. It was good it's a good time. It's a good experience at least. It wa it was. You know, I it's there's stuff that I learned there that you know

I never really was like, I'm gonna go to LA and make it. You know, it well, that wasn't it wasn't something I grew up with a great passion for. I just kind of fell into it. But it does teach you a lot about like I learned a lot of stuff about how to sort of translate that into different work experience too. Just about like Really? Let's hear this. How have you translated movie work to Pheasants for Everquire? You're looking at me like you got you you've got the dimes. Yeah, I'm waiting for this question, actually. Being

nervous and uncomfortable and going to do something anyway, that's that's honestly been a huge help for me. Music's the same exact yeah. Yeah. Just overcoming that that 'cause I had not stage fright, but a lot of nerves when it started. And now just how comfortable I'm more comfortable on stage singing than I than I am like doing a speech yeah in front of a bunch of people. Which is yeah, facing that fear is is huge. It translates to mu so much in life.

Speaker 1 (05:07.902)

It is, man. You can use that in all different kind of components of your life and just coming up or to having the understanding that like it's okay to be nervous and go do something anyway. Yeah, no. It was like when I was a kid, if I was nervous about something, I was like, I ain't doing that. You know? And it really teaches you to like kind of use the nerves and push through. Are you more nervous, Jared, playing your own music or covering somebody else's that's a good question. that's a great question. I'd probably say my own music. Yes, because

I did the cover stuff in every bar or hole in the wall you could possibly imagine every I would take requests like crazy. I still do. and I'm more comfortable doing that just because I know people will love it. You just don't know how people are gonna respond to your own songs, especially when you start start pushing that. but I've definitely gotten a lot more comfortable with it because I want to be an artist and I want t people to relate to my craft and resonate with our music. But yeah, it's it's a big leap of faith when you start putting yourself out there with music. And that's what I was thinking. It it could go two different ways. If it's your own music, there's a lot of vulnerability there. If it's somebody else's, you're like, my gosh, they're judging me compared to Dirk Spentley. Right. Or or pick your favorite artist. today we are going to be talking very specifically about your own music. Yeah. the old is it is it my old bird dog or Old Bird Dog. Old Bird. Old Bird Dog. Old Bird Dog. I think about it, my old bird dog, but it's old bird dog. brand new song from Jared. We're gonna talk about Jared's origin story as a hunter, as a musician, and we're gonna dive deep into old bird dog, where the song comes from. before we get rolling, I want to thank Purina Pro Plan once again as the national dog food sponsor of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever and the presenting sponsor of On the Wing Podcast. My pups have always eaten Purina Pro Plan from Trammel and Izzy and ESC to my current pack of little Gitchigumi and Winter. They have Purina Pro Plan in their bowls. partly because I am so thankful that Purina supports the wildlife habitat conservation mission of our organization.

Speaker 1 (07:32.866)

But most importantly, Purina has a team of the world's best scientists and nutritionists behind their dog food. Karina ProPlansport was built. It was created. It was put together with a recipe for the working bird dog like yours and like mine. You can learn more at Proplansport.com.

From Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever National Headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, this is Casey Sill with the Upland Newsroom, delivering top stories from the Habitat Organization and across the American Uplands. We start this week with Farm Bill news. Senator John Boozman of Arkansas, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, recently released draft text for his proposed Farm Bill. This follows house passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 earlier this spring.

advancing the process to complete a bipartisan five-year farm bill for the first time since 2018. The Farm Bill is the single most important piece of legislation for conservation on America's private lands, and the release of Chairman Busman's discussion draft is a major step toward restoring certainty and stability for agricultural producers and rural communities. Andrew Schmidt, Director of Government Affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, said Chairman Boosman's proposed farm bill comes at a pivotal time for farmers and ranchers.

And he commended him and his staff for their work on this critical legislation. Moving on to state government, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Director of State Government Affairs Swanee Evans recently released the organization's 2026 state legislative recap. The report details the work PF and QF have done at state houses across the country this year. The work included engaging members in conservation days at state capitals, one-on-one meetings with elected officials, public comment periods on regulations, and action alerts.

Which were generated through our new Upland Action Center. This was our first year piloting the system, and it's still very much a work in progress, but it had a large influence. Our members and supporters sent more than 7,500 emails to elected officials through PF and QF's state advocacy campaigns this year. Some of the highlights of the report included supporting bills in South Carolina, Kansas, and Tennessee that created new PF and or QF license plates.

Speaker 1 (09:49.666)

Securing conservation funding in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota, and helping stop legislation that threatened public access across the Upland Range, head over to pheasantsforever.org to read the full report.

I'll end today with a parting thought on Pollinator Week, which took place from June 22nd to the 28th. Even though it's in our rearview, I thought I'd share a quote from PF Journal Editor and National Treasurer Tom Carpenter, who penned a blog on the importance of pollinators and pollinator week. Carp writes Were I a preacher, and in a way I guess I am, you would hear me shout it from a mountaintop, or perhaps in this case, a hogback on the prairie primeval. A hilly meadow in the back forty, or a patch of tall grass prairie flanking a creek or blanketing a ridgetop. What's good for pollinators is good for PF and QF's namesake birds. Our grasslands are imperiled. Habitat for pollinators and the insect life that feeds young game birds is disappearing. We cannot let this habitat vanish. Commit yourself to a future filled with the joy of wildflowers alive with all kinds of life. Waving grass is signifying care and love for the land, and yes,

The pheasants, quail, and other game birds we love. Well said, Carp. Thanks to everyone who took part in Pollinator Week this year, and thanks as always to Tom Carpenter for helping put things in perspective. That'll do it this week, reporting from PF and QF headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. I'm Casey Sill. All right. Let's start with the Jared Benson origin story. Where'd you where'd you grow up? I grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota. So not not too far from here.

Yeah, but a little ways away from where I'm at now. grew up I didn't really upland bird hunt growing up. We we did more duck and goose on on every slough and pond between Moorhead and about Pelican Rapids. That's where my okay my dad grew up. So that area is where he took me out and fell in love with hunting. like I said, didn't didn't see a pheasant or even attempt a pheasant hunt until I moved to Iowa and met my my wife's

Speaker 1 (11:58.402)

family. they're how'd you end up in Iowa? We went to college in Sioux City together. So I I played baseball done at Briarcliff University. What position did you play? I played outfield. Okay. So corner outfielder. so you're a power hitter. you could say that. I could I could but I I wasn't consistent with it. But yeah. yeah met met her at at Briarcliff in Sioux City. She's from the Fort Nodge area. We settled in in Fort Nodge and

Yeah, she her her dad took me out pheasant hunting with a group when I was probably had just turned twenty one and from that first flush of a pheasant with the with a dog on it, just absolutely fell in love. And I like that aspect a lot. Did you grow up with dogs?

not specifically in the house, but I had friends that had dogs and family members. So it was mostly mostly lab work is what I is what I grew up on. pond dogs or waterfall. Yeah, waterfall dogs. Uh-huh. but yeah, not really pointers or anything like that. Okay. And then I had a had enough of asking people to bring their dogs out. And finally I I got my own German short hair about four and a half years ago. So he's he's finally finally hitting his stride.

I didn't get any professional training on him at all. I it was a it was a DIY dog, I call him. But he does he does very well. He you don't have to teach a pointer how to point, that's for sure. Yeah. Treve retrieving is one thing. But so will will he retrieve now that he's he's a so this is what I taught him. I taught him to find the bird, stand over it, don't touch it. Right. Get up. yeah, his first feud shook.

Speaker 3 (13:46.638)

I will pick

Speaker 1 (13:51.714)

Shook a little too hard and there wasn't much left of those birds. Or he'd take it and he'd run away from me. And yeah. How's that work with waterfall? we we I don't hunt him waterfall. you don't? Okay. He doesn't sit next to me well. Okay. So yeah, we're we're just strictly Upland. Upland. Okay. That dog's. What's his name? Benny. Benny. Yeah. Benny the Jet. Benny the Jet. Elton John, right? Or or the sand lot, Benny the Jet, Rodriguez.

Speaker 3 (14:20.823)

heck.

Speaker 1 (14:21.122)

Yeah man. I wouldn't even have gotten to the baseball rep. Yeah, I I grew up on that movie. I I wore out that VH VHS tape at my house probably three or four different times of watching that every single day. boy. so how did music start? At what point in your life did you start? I always had this kind of a natural draw to it.

My mom got me a guitar at like a estate sale or something like that when I was in probably third or fourth grade and taught myself through like beginnings of YouTube at the time and never took a lesson or anything like that. Really I always naturally had an ear for it. So I I typically figure out songs by ear. especially like I if you put a sh a piece of sheet music in front of me, I can't sit there and read it on guitar.

But I know I know the chords well enough and everything, just playing over time. But yeah. then got into like orchestra in middle school and choir and stuff like that. So that's where I really started to learn the theory side of music. And then especially choir, finding my my voice to eventually become an artist and then just growing on top of that. If I wouldn't have that foundation that I had in in high school and everything of of doing those music, I don't think I would would have been as confident as I am today.

But then, as far as like actually doing the music thing, I had a best my best friend from high school's name is Dan Brecki. He's a he's another Minnesota guy. You should look him up as far as music goes. But I played with his band a few times throughout like what's the name of his band? Dan Brecki Band. Okay. They're out they're out of Moorhead. Okay. but he he let me hop on a few gigs with him throughout high school and college just to kind of get my feet wet as far as music goes. And then I launched my solo career right after college and

twenty nineteen is probably my first gig and then twenty twenty hit and I didn't play for about six, seven months and then really, really hit it hard after that. I was in some cover bands for a while just to get some experience and then really did just the Jared Benson band stuff the last three years. and now we've gotten we've gotten to open for some incredible acts. Like last year we got to open for Trace Atkins.

Speaker 1 (16:42.614)

Easton Corbin this year we're opening up for Aaron Lewis. Confederate Railroad is another pen we're open up for. Yeah, they they got some good stuff from the eighties, but yeah. And then some more down the pipeline. So it's it's definitely grown a lot in the last year, but I think it's because I've been making a big push for that original music. It makes a big difference. During that COVID time frame when you you couldn't play live, what were you doing to make ends meet? I so

I've always been in education. So this isn't my only job. Okay. It's getting to the point now where I'm not only musician. So I've I've had a almost a nine year career in education now. I started as a teacher. I taught fifth grade for for six years. And then I made the jump to Iowa Central. It's a community college in Fort Dodge. So now I I work in the the high school recruiting aspect. So I go around to different high schools in Iowa and I recruit kids to

take classes while they're in college to kind of knock down any credits and debt that they don't want to have once they once they move on. So it's it's a really good program that we have in Iowa. But I signed a ten month contract with them so I can get that done during the year and then I can book out my summers like crazy and and still still go wild with it. But I but now it's it's that whole ten months I'm playing the whole time. So it's just yeah, I'm very busy. I need I need to figure out what I want to do specifically. But

Yeah. Could you could you survive on music alone at this point? I could. You could. I could. I have I have a two and a half year old and a eight month old right now, which is that's a high priority to have health insurance and yeah. Yeah. Enough money and everything like that. And yeah, so that that's a big part of why I I push to do both as long as I can. obviously the goal for me is is to just just do music and that's so I'm kinda on the I'd say the grinding end of

of the music and slow and it's slowly it's picked up more and more. I'm getting more and more monthly listeners on Spotify and Apple Music. And so it's it's starting to to build, I would say. But yeah, I'm I'm laying the foundation work. So hopefully we can get there. forgive me if I'm asking too personal a question, but in terms of how you make your money on music versus you know, the you're not selling CDs this these days, right? you know

Speaker 1 (19:05.592)

Do you do you skin a royalty check for downloads or is it purely, you know, getting booked for shows? Well, I mean, musicians don't make much off royalty. So like Spotify is like 0.003 cents a stream. So even like your biggest artists aren't making a bunch of money up. I mean, if you get millions and millions, yes. Elton John, maybe. Yes. Yes. Lots of money on that. But but the numbers you get beyond your

your streams kind of lead to your bookings. Yeah. Like you think of you look up an artist, you go look at their profiles and you have that digital footprint of being able to book. So then I so I've been I've been told it's kind of like having an advertisement to be able to book the shows. The shows is where you make your money typically as music. That's why a lot of musicians still tour and some of the older older generations they still tour too because you make some money when

So are you getting are you making money based on being booked or how many tickets are sold? Or is it does it depend on the It depends on the show. I do I do flat rate shows and I do ticketed events. So it it depends on the room, it depends on the venue. So some if it's a specific venue that is used to selling tickets, we'll sell tickets. If it's somewhere that wants to a flat rate, we'll do a flat rate as well. So that's it's kind of a mixture. But I'll I'll still I'll still go in solo and and play

play local bar just for family or whatever. So I'd I do a mixture of everything. I I just try to play as much as I can still. genre. Have you always like growing up, did you listen very specifically to country music or were you all over the okay so explain how you 'cause you're you're very much in country music lane yeah today. Yeah. I've always I've always really liked country, but I really grew up on like classic rock, like seventies

Seventies, eighties classic rock. Like Leonard Skinner is a huge, huge influence of mine. the Eagles is another one that I listened to Steve Miller band. yeah, so that genre of music is was my dad's favorite. So whatever we listen to in the truck, that's what that's what I liked. So yeah. But then my mom was more of like eighties hairband. I didn't mind that stuff. Or John John Cougar Mellon Camp. Things that

Speaker 1 (21:23.682)

Yeah, I so it's a mixture of both. And then I I found country myself. And it was more of like, I'm trying to think of who I really loved. Eric Church was a huge influence, especially like when I hit like middle school into high school. Brad Paisley was another one that I absolutely love. Zach Brown band. And then as soon as Chris Stapleton launched his solo career, it's just like, man, if I could be like one guy, I think that would be that would be my guy right there.

Okay. Yeah, but if you listen to his stuff, it's very very much a mixture of of southern rock and and country. So that's kind of the lane I want to go in. Okay. w what about the like the songwriting for a have you always written songs? Has that been part of the origin story of your music? I didn't even attempt to write a song until it was like right when college was over. So like

I wrote I sat down and wrote my first song in like twenty minutes. It's called The Only One I Call My Own. The Only One I Want to Call My Own. The Only One I Call My Own. The Only One I Call Yeah. It's it's on my first album, but I didn't record it till eight years later. But I wrote it for my girlfriend at the time and then used it to propose to her and thank God she became my wife. So she said Yeah, she said yes. Yeah, so that was my first that wasn't until twenty

twenty eighteen I wrote that song and then sent it around to a few people like my friend Dan I was talking to he was in Nashville at the time. He's like, Man, this is this is what I would call really good. I'm like, Well, I don't know much about writing songs, but it I I know what a good song is, I feel like, and I started dabbling in it. Now I'm I'm hooked on the songwriting. I got a long list of my phone of songs I've written and more I want to. So yeah, I got I got enough for I got a new album coming out in

Well, hopefully September. It depends on how the recording process goes. but I have enough music to last me three albums or so if I need really Was it daunting to do that to like put your foot into that world for the first time, to go from doing covers to like, now I gotta create this out of nothing? Yes. Because it's just so much to learn. Like I I knew nothing about it. It's like I I know I I know I have a decent pile of songs, it's just like what do I do? Right. And then you start going around this recording studios and getting

Speaker 1 (23:49.72)

quotes for how much it costs to record and man, I'm a teacher at the time. I'm trying to I'm trying to break break open this stuff. So I took the quotes I got from from different studios, even local studios like Des Moines. And then I'm like, well, I feel like between myself and some of my bandmates, we know enough that if I just invest in some equipment, we can do it ourselves. And that's what we did. My guitar player is from

Fort Dodge as well. He but he's a ex Berkeley grad and just a ridiculously talented person. Alex Travino is his name. yeah, he he's I write the songs, but he's honestly the the brain of the operation as far as like sonically how it should sound and he knows all the producing side. But we do send off each song for mastering. So we send it to Sterling Sound down in Nashville. So they do the mastering process to get it to

exact frequency and quality that it should be. We get a very close. So saving a lot of money as far as going down you bring up you bring up Nashville and you know the narrative that's out there on the you know when you read any artists that's making it big, they're like, well, I moved to Nashville and, you know, I played at the Bluebird or X Y or Z and then that's when they popped. Yeah. I I haven't heard of Fort Dodge origin story before. So

How's that how's that look for you? Is there a do you have to move to Nashville? Is there a a recipe that you think you're gonna create? I I think that's eventually the goal. But the thing is, like I I've known enough people that have gone down there and kind of gotten stuck on the Broadway scene and not been able to get out. So the the trend now is to build a regional act and then take a regional act to Nashville so they can amplify it. So that

That's kind of my goal with this is to build it up build up enough in the Midwest to where

Speaker 1 (25:51.698)

maybe a label sees it as an opportunity for a business for them. So that's so I I I want to present it to them as like, well, this guy can sell tickets here and and make some good money. Why should I sign with you if I gotta take a pay cut or not sell tickets or whatever it is? Or what can you do to help me to to reach a reach a bigger audience? So that's that's my goal with it. I I have no interest in in going down and playing bars that I could

do the same thing around here probably make more money. But I I it does interest me as far as like getting in the actual music business. There's a huge aspect to that. But I just want to make enough money to sustain a a good life for my family and do what I love. I I I don't need to be some massive global star. I wanna I wanna real I wanna write real music that I want to release that can resonate with people and make enough money to provide. Yeah. I

I s I imagine that with social media and the internet now that it would be more advantageous to like build build a regional following here rather than like right away going down to Nashville and maybe getting lost lost in the crowd, right? It's like it's not unlike somebody immediately going to LA right and trying to be an actor where if now with the way social media works and you can be get in front of people from anywhere.

I I think it's more advantageous probably right to to build that here and then like you said, take it somewhere else. Yeah, you're absolutely right with that the social media aspect. Like especially go to the booking side of things. I've gotten turned down bookings like, we love your stuff, but you don't have X amount of followers or you're not getting the traction. So I mean, I understand it. If you're gonna sell tickets, people are gonna go to your profiles, they're gonna see so I totally understand that, but it takes a long time to build. It's it's it's from the ground up and yeah, so

It's Nashville's so saturated. Like if you go down there with zero following, you'll get lost in the noise and it's just hard to book. It's hard to play. You can play a lot of free open mic nights, but it's like you're gonna run out of money at some point. Yeah. Yeah. So we're not filming, but you're wearing a Pheasants Forever t shirt. Yeah. Covered by mossy oak. and you get a pheasant. I don't know what kind of

Speaker 1 (28:09.506)

What brand Honda Hondo. Honda. It's a new brand I found online. Yeah. TikTok is where I found them. With a with a flush and rooster on it. So you're on brand for Pheasants Forever podcast. Yeah. how did the Pheasants Forever has that always been part of your life? Were you a member? Like and how did reaching out to us originally happen? Because I I don't know that I know. Yeah.

well I've been a member for a little while since I've since I've moved to Iowa, especially full time. So I think I became a member in twenty either twenty eighteen or nineteen. and then really helped them like the Webster County area. But I had a manager at the time. We no longer work together, but he had he had an idea of like, hey, how can what 'cause we've been we talked a lot about our my branding and and where I want to go as far as like more than just music. How do I build an audience that can relate to

something else I do besides my music and maybe pull them to it not with just the music. Yeah. So we re reached out to I believe Chris was the first person we reached out to and just came up with this idea of hey, is it any way we can come up with some kind of partnership strictly because of marketing? I and I want to be able to use like the Pheasants Forever name legally and everything to be able to put on shows to give back. So we eventually agreed upon that and we

Did like a mini tour in the in the spring. We did three shows. all f all Pheasants Forever events that we donated donated money back to the Jim Woolley fa tract. Yeah, the Bill of Wildlife area. Yeah. So we we did those three shows and then I plan on booking another three. But yeah, we did we did raffles, we a percentage of ticket sales went back straight back to it. So yeah, that that was kind of my goal is to kind of help each other out.

And it's something that nobody's really done, especially in Iowa. And I just I I want members to come out and enjoy music and and have more than just a banquet to give back to be able to use awareness to it. Yeah, it it fits, right? You you care about hunting and conservation and music and you're giving dollars back to our ability to create while at public wildlife areas for people to hunt. And I wanted to

Speaker 1 (30:30.146)

be involved in an organization that I feel like I I can actually talk about rather than just reaching out to everybody with throwing a thousand darts at the board and hopefully somebody comes. So I don't know I wanna I wanna sound somewhat authentic, I would say. Yeah. So speaking of authenticity, let's talk about the new song. Yeah. Old Bird Dog. tell us how that song came to be. Did you write the lyrics or the music first? how like

Real to life is it? Tell us, yeah. Tell us the story of it and I'm assuming it's about your your pup's name is Benny. Yeah, right. I'm assuming it's Benny. Uh-huh. Yeah, I mean, I tried to write it based off my life, but also like being a songwriter, you try to relate it to everybody possible. So I I did a mixture of like my own and then what I thought people could relate to. So that that's kind of in I used to just write about me.

And then I've kind of evolved as a songwriter to be able to write for other people or write to maybe it doesn't just relate to me, but pieces of it can. but yeah, you guys actually kind of put the idea in my head on remember if you remember that conversation. I do, yeah, yeah, yeah. I already had the song title. So I I don't know if this is the correct way to do songwriting. I've never taken a class, nothing like that. But I have a list of titles on my phone. Anything that comes up, like I might be listening to a song.

that little snippet of a of a song comes on and I like that lyric. Maybe I'll just jot that down. Or if it's a title, it's if it's not a title, it's a concept to a song. And I already had old bird dog written down and you said you said something along the lines of we we haven't had anybody write a specific pheasant hunting song or bird upland bird hunting song. I'm like, you know what? I think I have an idea. And it's probably two weeks after that conversation I sat down and it fell out and

Minutes. Is that right? Yeah. Yeah. I already had a little bit of a idea of a guitar lick I wanted to do with it. an a chord progression and everything. But yeah, I just I'm like, I'm gonna talk about what I love to do, my dog, and maybe and then the last verse relates back to like the generations of hunters with me passing it on to eventually my son. But then I could also see my dad and me in that as well. And I I just I feel like that last line.

Speaker 1 (32:53.324)

Lion. So if you listen to the song, make sure you get to the last verse. A lot of people can relate to that, especially if it's your son or daughter being able to pass that tradition on. Yeah. Well, it w w one the chorus and memories made one hunt at a time, right? That that's part of that story too. Absolutely. Yeah. And I think of I've only had my dog for four and a half years, but him and I have more memories hunting than I probably did growing up, just because it's like, well, I have my dog now, now I get to

I have to go out and I I there's no excuse anymore unless I want them to just go crazy inside. Yeah. But yeah, and I yeah, it j I just absolutely love it. You reference granddaddy's four ten. Is there a specific shotgun that you're thinking about when you're Yes. I don't have that gun anymore, but I so that that's one where it may not specifically relate to me, but I feel like a lot of people can relate to it.

So I the first gun I ever shot was a single single shot like crack open barrel four ten. And I believe it was my grandfather's, but I just I just remember my dad giving it to me and saying, This is what you're gonna shoot today. Shot my first duck with it. And yeah, so I I think I used that for a couple of years and then I upgraded to twenty gauge and I never never shot that again. But if I think about that, I'm like, I would love to have that single shot four ten back again. Yeah. This is the turkey hunting. But Where is it?

Speaker 2 (34:16.413)

I don't know where it is.

Speaker 3 (34:17.646)

What do mean you don't know where it is?

Speaker 1 (34:19.436)

I don't have it. My dad doesn't have it. So I feel like it was in a this imaginary gun. But but a lot of people can relate to that. Their first gun. Yeah. And it was an old I think it was a Stevens or something like that. old four ten. That so that that's one of those lines we talked about that a lot of people can relate to as far as shooting birds. Yeah, you talk about relating to everybody is like how many of us started

with that exact same description of it. Like that same gun. Yeah. Break open single shot four. I that's what I started with. Mine was a single shot. Break it open. Yeah. Break open Ithaca twenty age. But it's very s I mean very similar. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Huh. Yeah. And like I said, we gotta find that gun. I am I agree. You think it's like in a pawn store somewhere? I have no idea. I don't idea. So it sounds like you in this instance you wrote the words and then you put the music

to it. It's a little bit of both. Okay. I would say. Like it's it's honestly all comes together at once. Like for me to start putting lyrics over it, I have to have something guitar wise and chord progression wise just to get the feel of the song. I rarely ever write a full song without sitting down with my guitar. That's just that's that's my process because I want to know I want to know the cadence of

And the rhythms of of what you're saying too. Mm-hmm. 'cause you can write something on paper and then it just doesn't drive well and then you're sitting there switching words back and forth. So sure. Yeah. That's my process. But there's a lot of people that that I know that no, I write the song first and then I figure it out. Or the reverse. Yeah. Like I know people that do the music and then they're like, Okay, what words go with it? Yeah. That's that's like my guitar player I was talking about. He sent me a bunch of songs he's written, but they don't have lyrics to them. I'm he's like, Can you write

Can you write some lyrics to this? I'm like, yeah, absolutely. This is great. So so it's a good partnership that him and I have had, and we're starting to write a lot more. But yeah. So it's everybody's process is different. There's no right or wrong answer. And it's either it's either a good song or a bad song. I have a lot of bad songs that I won't record. Uh-huh. Yeah. Do you have a favorite song that you've written? that's a great question. Cause I I've asked that

Speaker 1 (36:37.44)

of musicians before like geez bob they're songs are like kids you can't you can't pick one that's the favorite or or I'll have well the newest song is my favorite in and like some are like my old stuff I just sort of cringe at it like people may love it but I'm like I've I can't even imagine playing that song anymore. Yeah. as far as like it being it's just so fun to play live.

It's a song called Back in the Day. It's just it's kind of like a southern rock song. that's that's a saying that everybody says is back in the day. Mm-hmm. It just I try to relate it as much to a Skinner song as I possibly could. It's my favorite one off my first album. We close with it as a band. It's it's it's wild. We we ended up so it's got like a long solo section at the end. We opened for Trace Atkins and my drummer said, We have eight minutes left. I said perfect, we're playing one song. And

Yeah, and we've we just rocked the house for the last minutes. Well the singing part is the singing part is probably four minutes. Yeah. But we just rocked out for the last four minutes and it went crazy. And yeah. That's my favorite one to play live, but as far as songs that I have written, as far as lyrics go, I have a song called Time Goes Fast as the closing track on my first album.

I wrote about my son. Mm-hmm. It was actually before he was born and it's amazing how much it relates to him now. So it was like and that was another one that just fell out of my head. It was like got implanted in my head and just came out and yeah, that's that's my favorite one by far. So I was just gonna ask how is you said you have a two and a half year old and eight eight month old is your son older? Yeah, my son Okay, your son's two and a half older. Yeah. It's funny how that

Like you said, how it relates to him now and how much that changes when you have a kid. Like it it's interesting that you wrote it before he was born 'cause it it's that makes you especially since he was your first, it's like it makes you think about things that you hadn't yeah, hadn't thought about ever yeah before. Yeah, it's it's and talk about vulnerability. It's yeah sitting down writing that. It's a very vulnerable song. It took me a while to be able to even perform it. And now I'm finally getting to a place where I can consistently. But yeah, it's a

Speaker 1 (39:00.406)

It's a good one, especially if you have kids and you can relate to it. I like it. you mentioned so old bird die is brand new. Yeah. What does that mean in today's where like you're releasing it? In twenty twenty six? Well, that means you gotta have a marketing campaign with it. Okay. you gotta be coming on the Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever podcast. Exactly. you gotta you have to

run it through social media as much as you can. The first six weeks of a song is is the most important I've heard as far as streams go. yeah, and just diversifying it across platforms is the biggest thing. It's when you release song, that's where it's just you throw as many darts at the board as possible and you see what what sticks. Like I I went to Instagram and and DM'd every every like hunting influencer within the upland

waterfowl realm as possible and say, Hey, I got a new song. I think you love it. Love your content. And a lot of them I I'd followed at the times. And sure. Got a lot of good responses and it and and pretty good traction as far as streams go compared to my other releases. Huh. So yeah, it it's it's doing pretty well. It's doing a lot better on Apple Music than Spotify, which I've never had that before. So I don't know I don't know if the Upland crowd is more of Apple Music people, but that's fine 'cause Apple Music pays better. So keep keep listening on Apple Music. Listening to Apple

Has it been played on the radio? Yeah. So I it got picked up by the Midwest Country Music Organization Radio. I don't know if you know that show at all, but they they put like a hour long program together, then they send it they send it out to like 30 radio stations across the Midwest. So that's that's really the only radio traction. That's the only attempt I really sent it to radio. But I'm trying to get more of like the social media aspect of it and and the streaming platforms going because

that's just kind how the world works right now. As soon as you get your streaming numbers, then it hits the radio. And so our listeners are probably wondering, when are they gonna play the damn song? Just wait. We're gonna end the this episode of On the Wing Podcast coming up. We're gonna play Jared Benson's old bird dog song and just moments away. any other songs that you've been influenced by?

Speaker 1 (41:24.002)

Hunting, fishing, bird dogs that you want to point people to that that you've written to this point? see that that's really the only like set down specific hunting like top to bottom song that I've written. Sure. Other ones I might have like snippets of of something in, like a quick lyric, but yeah, that's really the only one that I have released. I have a couple that I've have like one's written, one's half written about.

One's about deer hunting, one's about the the again, the concept of passing it down and and everything to different generations. But yeah. So hopefully I get some more out there. As a as a bird hunter and a musician, what's your favorite song that's like this? That's in the hunting and fishing and bird dog world or or or a couple that come to mind? Yeah, that's a great question.

Kobe Acuff has a song. What's what's that one called? I've used that a couple times. That's a bird dog. Yeah, that's a bird. Game song. Yep. Yeah. then Turnpike has another. The bird hunters. Yeah, the bird. Yeah. So probably those two, probably the most that I've listened to. Hunting by Yourself by Luke Combs. Have you ever heard that one? I don't know that one. That's a great one. It's about like talking about generations. It's it's a dad taking his kid out for the first time and then eventually realizing,

Now I'm hunting by myself. And then eventually the kid's hunting by himself. That that's a that's probably my favorite hunting song of all time. And that's a new, newer release of Luke Combs. But I've never heard that. I mean, that's a great listen to that. Yeah. It's a really good one. so I think that there's a lot of folks that have that this intersection of passions. You know, when hunting, fishing, dogs, and when you're going on a road trip.

I very specifically figure out what music I'm gonna play to you know, it's it's like, you know, getting hyped up before a sports game. Yeah, right? Yeah, it's the same. But it's the same it's putting you in a mental mindset to you know, some people you know, they want Metallica, like right? They have they have some gets the blood flowing. Yeah. Here we go or guns and roses, they enter the jungle, right? but then others is like chilling out, you know, have a little bit different

Speaker 3 (43:34.294)

Yeah, they have a

Speaker 1 (43:45.1)

Selection. that resonate with you that people do pick their soundtracks when they're going hunting and fishing? Yes. I can think of how many early mornings I've had and I have my own soundtrack going. It's usually all classic rock, a lot of a lot of guitar solos going. I don't know why, but I don't know if it wakes me up or what. Yeah. I need something to get my blood flowing. That that's that's what I so I resonate with that differently. What do you what do you do, Bob? What's your go to? it this is funny, but Elton John.

yeah. I pick based on where I'm going. So if I'm going north like Gunflint, Gunflint Trail or Boundary Waters, it's no doubt I'm grabbing a trampled. Right. and I still have a C D player in my truck and I love listening, you know, straight through this with the C D the way that the artist intended. I think the quality of a C D, like of the sound actually coming out is

Speaker 3 (44:15.214)

I don't even own an open jar.

Speaker 1 (44:43.586)

Ten times better than streaming. I I don't I really I don't know if that's a real thing or not, but I think it's just cut better. I I'm screwed because they I think last year they said no vehicles are being made with C D player.

Speaker 3 (44:56.75)

They might have that six years ago.

Speaker 1 (44:59.148)

Yeah, you better hang on. You better hang on to your car. I gotta keep buying old trucks. But but yeah, it and if I'm going to like Arizona, a long ass trip, Roger Klein and the Peacebakers. I which are they're like the Mexican, Tex Mex, New Mexico, Arizona. and so I like just the similar way with you know, you talk to Hank Shaw in

Trying to figure out how to cook a game bird using local ingredients. Okay. Same sort of philosophical approach applies to me with the music I'm gonna pick. Like if I'm going west, you know, Montana, I'm gonna, you know, fire up something that that connects. If I'm going like Oklahoma, like, well, it it's gonna be Turnpike, you know. so I so I definitely have a regional bias for where I'm heading.

That's cool, man. You gotta that's a complex system there. That's not all that. Yeah, I like it. Yeah. What about you? what you want the real honest answer? I go from NPR station to NPR station. I d typically, yeah. But if I am gonna listen, I would say I've been through a lot of phases, but I always go back to what I listened to primarily growing up, which was like

Late nineties, early two thousands, like pop punk. Late nineties of blank one eighty two eighty two, some forty one. Green, green daily. Yeah. That's what I was Yellow card. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's like my guilty pleasure music. Yeah. I forget how much I like that genre. Yeah. 'Cause I don't play it often. Then it'll come out of the truck. I'm like, man, this is Yeah. I used to go crazy for some blank one eighty two. Yeah, man. And I got away from it. I got away from it for a long time because I like, I listened to that when I was a kid. I don't want to listen to it anymore. But now

I have no shame about it. I guess that's what I'm into. That's what I grew up listening to. Or the nickelback hate from back in the day. Listen to it now. I'm like, this is good stuff. I used to just think these guys suck because now I listen to it as as I'm older, I'm like, this is good stuff. You just lost half our audience.

Speaker 3 (47:13.515)

Cheers.

Speaker 1 (47:16.814)

all right. So let we'll make a round for a close. We'll ask Jared where folks can find his music, find his website. I do want to thank once again Sport Dog brand for sponsoring this specific episode with Jared of on this episode of On the Wing podcast with Jared. Sport Dog has been part of our upland traditions for the last 20 years. They've been a sporter.

Of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Forever. From preseason training to opening day, Sport Dog is committed to the hunters, the dogs, and the habitat that make it all possible. Every purchase you make with Sport Dog helps support the conservation efforts of our organization. You can learn more at sportdog.com. All right. Jared, if folks want to find your music, find where you're touring.

You know, maybe go see you live. How do they do that? any social medias? It's the Jared Benson Music. If you look that up, Jared J A R E D. Yep. Benson B-E-N-S-O-N. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok. I do have a website, Jared Benson Music.com. That's where I post like my consistent schedule. Okay. but Facebook's a really good one for that. and then but if there's any ticketed events, I always post those on my website and where you can buy tickets specifically.

But then but we do have a lot of free shows as well to where you can come out and see us. It's almost county fair season down in Iowa. We're playing a bunch of county fairs. So if anybody down in Iowa wants to come to a county fair and you the Jared Benson band, come on out. Request old bird dog. there you well, you're gonna play no matter what, aren't you? Most likely. you you mentioned opening up for Trace Atkins, Easton Corbin. Anybody on the roster this year that you're pumped about? Not this weekend, but next weekend is Aaron Lewis. Okay.

That's in Manson, Iowa, just west of Fort Dodge. That'll be fun one. Confederate Railroad in July. And then we're doing I'm right now setting up like a fall tour of headlining shows for my next album release. So I hope to do like six to eight of those as far as like ticketed events and going around and just just trying to play my original music and trying to promote that album. So yeah. So that that's that's the goal. I'm I'm super excited for that.

Speaker 1 (49:42.946)

Thank you for contributing to Build a Wildlife Area, helping create public access. Absolutely. Thanks for writing this song and good luck to you. I hope hope you absolutely blow up in a good way. Yeah. I appreciate it. And keep us up to date. How how the song's going, how the tour's going, how your hunting season. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I'm just I'm excited for that specifically. I keep having kids.

Right before hunting season. I love I love it. But my my You know how that stuff happened though, right? My son was born October twenty-third, my daughter is born September 30th. So just wow. Perfect time. yeah. But still was able to get out a little bit. Your wife isn't due this fall. She is not. Okay. She is not. But not that I know of. You got a big season ahead. Yeah. That's that's the help. All right, folks. Thank you very much for listening. I always end the show with my

Favorite saying, but not this episode. This episode, Jared Benson is gonna close us out with old Bird Dog. Enjoy.

No

Speaker 1 (51:03.926)

Sun comin' up, he's waiting by the door, Tails wagging like a thousand times before.

Speaker 1 (51:17.934)

Man, I just can't get enough.

Speaker 1 (51:29.966)

Sky over the

Tan still shoots just fine.

Speaker 1 (51:42.806)

She's made one haunt at a time.

Speaker 1 (51:58.174)

In the mud, frost on the ground that nose to the window mess around.

Speaker 1 (52:10.39)

Flies and cattle roads, chasing down the only life we know.

Speaker 1 (52:23.638)

Sky, over dog running by. Granddaddy's for ten, still she's just fine.

Speaker 1 (52:36.884)

One hundred

Speaker 1 (52:51.67)

Someday I'll pass this down the line to a little hand holding mine.

Speaker 1 (53:04.47)

And find his own way with his older dog one day.

Speaker 1 (53:17.014)

Sky, old dog running by, Granddaddy's full ten still shoots just fine.

Speaker 1 (53:29.656)

Please make one hunt at a time.

Speaker 1 (53:42.014)

No.