About

Bennie J

When Martha A. Kelch passed away in December 2020, she left behind a stack of poetry nearly a foot tall, and very few other physical belongings. Martha’s long-time partner, Rochester musician Barbara Johnston, took on the mission of transforming the poems into songs. Performing as Bennie J, she sings and accompanies herself on ukelele and percussion.

The Song Project

The first song that Bennie set to one of Martha’s poems was “Mutant Ticks on Steroids” in 1999, which was recorded live at the Bug Jar by Rochester alternative rock band Peachy Nietszche. (https://open.spotify.com/track/3qt1Ekoze5vTPWxl1CA2ed?si=06fe6fb85dfe45b5 . She wrote several more songs set to Martha’s poems between 2000 and 2005. 

After after Martha sunk into a depression and wasn’t able to write, she didn’t want to hear her poems and the song project was shelved. In December 2023, three years after Martha’s death, Bennie performed “Mesopotamia” at the Mental Wellness Open Mic at Muck Duck Studios. The encouragement offered there led her to write more songs, learn to sing and play the ukulele, and to continue to polish the arrangements and presentation.

Special thanks to:

Casey Arthur, founder of Muck Duck Studio

Ken Luk, for not only teaching Bennie to play the ukulele but for the invaluable tips on songwriting, arrangements, and performing

Sally Louise, who taught me to sing with proper technique and to be more comfortable and professional on stage

Testimonials

“As Martha’s friend and biggest fan, setting Martha’s poems to music and performing the songs allows me to honor Martha and carry on her legacy. As a songwriter, Martha’s poems are a gift because each one is so well-written, with a distinct voice, clear structure and rhythm. As a musician, preparing to perform the songs inspired me to learn how to sing with better technique, learn to play the ukelele, and expand my skills as a percussionist. The experience of singing in front of people with honesty and vulnerability has helped me grow as a person in ways I could never have imagined. It is appropriate to perform at the Spirit Room as I act as a medium for the voice of Martha’s spirit.”
                    – Barbara Johnston (aka Bennie J)

“Bennie’s performances are a species of necromancy, in which the dead return, speak, rattle tambourines and sing. They exist between evocation and invocation, in that twilight space between memory and forgetting, living and dying, the self and the other.”

Jacob Rakovan, Spirit Room proprietor

“Having the chance to work with Bennie on shaping the vocals for this project has been a joy. We took special care to dive dep and highlight the meaning of each poem through the raw emotion of the voice.”

Sally Louise (Singer-Songwriter and Bennie’s voice teacher)

“Over the past year, I watched Bennie develop this song project from her first “Mental Wellness Open Mic” at Muck Duck Studio to a full-length performance for family and friends just a few months later. Although I never met Martha, I have gotten to know her a bit from her poems as interpreted through Bennie’s music and performances. The songs demonstrate the power of art to heal and to transform suffering into beauty.”

Casey Arthur (founder, Muck Duck Studio)