E57: Community, Music & Art: A professional musician and artist relocate to Woodstock with their two young kids to have more space to create and grow | KT & Marco Benevento in Woodstock, NY

This episode is sponsored by Marvelous, is a software platform that has everything: courses, bundles, memberships, live streams, community, integrations, a mobile app, and live tech support from real humans. It is the world's most beautiful and easeful teaching platform. Check it out at: heymarvelous.com I’m excited to invite you to my conversation with KT and Marco Benevento. KT is a metalsmith, jewelry artist and t-shirt designer and Marco is a pianist, songwriter and record producer, who has been a fixture of the New York experimental music rock and jazz scene for the past two decades. He is the founder and recording engineer of Fred Short, a recording studio in Upstate New York, and a member of the rock groups Benevento/Russo Duo and Joe Russo's Almost Dead. I photographed Marco and KT for Urban Exodus back in 2016. When I first met them they were just a few years into their transition from NYC to the woods of Woodstock, New York. They had both hoped that eventually they would find their way out of New York City but it wasn’t until Marco had made it to a level in his career where he didn’t need to live in a city to survive that they felt confident to make the leap. It took the couple three years of house hunting, with their baby girls in tow, before they finally found their perfect place in the country. Covid threw the Benevento’s a major curveball when Marco’s touring income, that their family was dependent on, completely dried up. KT and Marco put their heads together and came up with a number of creative ways to stay afloat. Marco collaborated and recorded with other artists, hosted virtual concerts and started a local outdoor concert series. KT began designing T-shirts, making jewelry and hosting pop-ups. Her local Woodstock community - that she cultivated through years of helping and volunteering - championed her work and were her biggest customers. This is a story about taking risks and making creative pivots, being held and supported by the community in hard times, and the amazing way music fosters deeper connection and compassion. Support the show Sign up for Apple Podcasts premium or our Patreon Membership for ad-free listening, rapid-fire guest interviews & our new mini-pod Ditch the City. urbanexodus.com | @theurbanexodus | buy the book