Benny is a First Nations Gunai/Kurnai and Djabwurrung Musician, Photographer, Cultural Consultant and Creator based in Naarm (Melbourne).
Music:
For over 20 years, Benny Clark has been a touring drummer. Having toured with, mentored, teched and tour managed countless artists over the years, notably Baker Boy, Barkaa, Dallas Woods, Nooky, Alice Sky, The Merindas, Tasman Keith, Superheist and many more, Benny has played every major festival Australia has to offer and almost every club you can find.
Benny has also spent time working in LA writing/recording albums with Jay Baumgardner at NRG Studios in North Hollywood. He also currently has top line endorsements with Pearl Drums, Remo, Vic Firth, Roland and Zildjian.
Cultural Consultancy:
Being a proud Gunai/Kurnai and Djabwurrung man growing up in the VIC Aboriginal community, Benny has taken all his cultural learnings and consulted, trained and coached major organisations across the country.
As part of this, Benny has worked with SXSW Sydney, Laneway Festival, Thinking Loud, Lunatic Entertainment, Red Cross Australia and several Aboriginal organisations and schools across Australia.
A highlight for Benny was spending a week with European band Heilung, consulting with them around their Australian tour and immersing them in local culture and community.
Photography:
Benny Picked up photography in 2018 as a way of documenting his travels and community. This soon turned from a hobby into a passion and obsession, and very quickly became another channel in his creative career. Developing his skills on the road and being mentored buy some of Australia’s top photographers, Benny now has an impressive portfolio that continues to grow.
In recent years, Benny has been lucky enough to professionally photograph Baker Boy, G-Flip, Dallas Woods, Tasman Keith, King Stingray, Alice Cooper, Blondie, Turnstile, The Decendants, Deftones, Heilung, Laneway Festival, Good Things Festival, Juicy Fest, Xzibt, Stray From The Path, Ville Vallo, Inked Tattoo Festival, Requiem Tattoo Gallery and the list goes on. Benny Is also currently working with Jessica Mouboy.
Benny also does documentary style photography, capturing Aboriginal community events including NAIDOC events, special events, marches and protests. Benny has also been the personal photographer for Senator Lidia Thorpe and was asked to document Uncle Archie Roach’s last trip home from Collingwood to Framlingham.
Outside of this Benny has a love for portrait photography and telling stories through this medium.