Ignescent: l-r Guitarist Nathan Allard, vocalist Jennifer Benson, bassist Ian Sebastian.
You probably know by now: I had planned to go to Kingdom Come Fest on Saturday, June 18th this year. When the schedule came out, I looked at if the bands I most wanted to hear were there on Saturday. Forsaken Hero? Check. Reclaim the Day? Check. Theody? Check. Ignescent? Right after Theody.
And you know I didn't make it to KCF. Would I have lasted over eight hours on a warm June day at age 62 to hear all these bands? So I didn't get to hear Ignescent, but hopefully that will change someday soon. (And yes, for those asking, I did discover them on the FB group Female Christian Rock and Metal, as I have discovered several other groups I've interviewed.)
JR: Welcome to the blog. Could you let me know who all is in the band, how the band got started, and the origin of the band's name?
JB: Jennifer Benson - vocals, Ian Sebastian - bass, Nathan Allard - guitar. We are currently hiring drummers. Lori Peters will be filling in for us at Lifest.
I started the band by putting out ads on Craigslist and contacting people on bandmix. I prayed for the band name and was looking in the dictionary and the name Ignescent just popped out at me. Ignescent means to Ignite which is perfect since we want to Ignite people's hearts on fire for Jesus.
JR: When I think of Chicago, where you're from, I think of Moody Bible Institute and Radio, Rez Band and Jesus People USA. I also think of pizza, Brookfield Zoo, the Cubs and the ChiSox, and traffic that gives me nightmares, but I'm getting off topic. What are the blessings and curses of being in Chicago, especially in relation to your faith and your music?
JB: The blessings of being on the Chicago are definitely my family and the food here is amazing! Giordano's Pizza is my favorite and Portillo's! The curses of being in Chicago is I have been bullied and harassed for my faith in Jesus. I've been treated like garbage. It's definitely not an easy place to live as a Christian. There are too many bullies here and the school system is awful.
JR: I love your song "Remnant." Would you like to tell us about it and about what project you're working on? (As if you'd answer, "No, I don't want to talk about my music; I've yet to get that answer.)
JB: Thank you! Yes. We have a brand new song we co-wrote with Jeremy Valentyne formerly of the band New Years Day that we are hoping to release at the end of summer. We have many fests we will be playing at this summer including Lifest, Rock Fest, and Inkcarceration Fest.
JR: I'm asking these questions after you performed at Kingdom Come Festival (KCF). We're currently having a two week heat wave in Indiana, with a two day period in the middle where it was quite comfortable. Coincidentally, it was during KCF. Last year, I watched golf ball size hail from my apartment window, just when another favorite band (Theody) was on stage. The hail didn't reach to Kokomo. Are there any instances where you saw God work things out perfectly for the band?
JB: Yes. Absolutely! Speaking of weather, at Rock Fest, a couple years ago there was a bad storm with tornado type weather. One person ran past me and said "We're gonna die." LOL. It was a little scary and all we had was our car to get in to run for cover. We thought the fest was going to be canceled and it happened right when our first set was supposed to take place. We all prayed and the weather cleared up quickly and we were able to play for the 2nd and 3rd set time that night. Everyone was OK.
JR: I smiled when I saw your post of one of my favorite singers (Zahna) performing on your FB page, and seeing the guitarists of another favorite band (Becca and Marcus Sugg of Reclaim the Day) backing her up. What's it like being at a big festival like KCF? Are there any singers/bands that have mentored and encouraged you in your ministry? Anybody you've had the privilege to encourage and mentor?
JB: Yes. Sameer Bhattacharya of Flyleaf has given us alot of advice and encouraged us. It's so nice to have someone like that who has been so successful encouraging us. Yes. I have had the opportunity to encourage and mentor some local bands here.
JB: You can go to www.ignescentmusic.com, Songkick, and follow is on Instagram @ignescentmusic to keep updated on shows and news. Follow Ignescent on Spotify too as well as TikTok and Facebook all under @ignescentmusic
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