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Benjy Davis, the 23-year-old titular songwriter for acoustic southern rockers The Benjy Davis Project, sits down with 225 to share the influences and experiences that have helped shape the music he makes. The band will begin work on its third full-length album this summer. bdpmusic.com.

Growing up both of your parents were attorneys. And you also bounced around to a lot of different high schools.

Yeah, having two lawyers in the house wasn’t the most fun part of growing up. Dinner was more of a business conversation. They were busy, obviously. I had a rough patch in high school. I went to Episcopal, Redemptorist, Tara, St. Stanislaus and U-High.

How did your rebellious streak and your parents’ strict expectations affect your writing?

That put a huge gap between me and my parents. I was more defensive than anything else, and I would write songs because they can’t get mad at me for writing a song. I can say what I want. My mom would say, “Okay, you can go out tonight, but don’t get into trouble.” And of course I always would, then I’d write a song about it. I would play it for them and see their faces. It was a look of general concern that said, “What a weird way to admit you lied to us.”

You stuttered as a kid. How did this affect you and your music?

I had a lot of trouble with Ws and Ks. Ws were bad because it was hard to even raise my hand in class to ask a question. I started singing because I noticed when I sang I did not stutter. So in conversation I would sing the first word, then say the rest, and that seemed to work. One day at my aunt’s house, my mom somehow convinced me to play an original song on piano for the first time. That sticks out in my mind because even though I couldn’t speak to anyone there, I was able to sing my song. That was good. It felt more comfortable than talking.

So you took lessons?

My brother Amos and I were in piano lessons from about 8 years old. And one day I said I didn’t want to do that anymore. I told my mom I wanted to play the flute instead. My brother said, “You’re not playing flute! You can play guitar if you want.”

And that led to writing acoustic songs.

I started off wanting to write songs for other people, so I wouldn’t have to deal with performing.

As a teenager, who would you have picked to sing one of your songs?

Jerry Cantrell [Alice In Chains] or Daniel Johns [Silverchair]. Daniel Johns is just a little older than me, and I thought if he can do it, so can I.

Ever bought a guitar because a famous musician had the same kind?

Yeah, I bought a black Ibanez like Daniel Johns played.

What movies did you like as a kid?

I really liked The Man From Snowy River. The soundtrack is great. I still find myself every now and then playing parts of it on guitar. The Peanut Butter Solution was another one. That scared the sh-t out of me. I don’t remember why. I want to watch it again.

Your band’s music aims for a rootsy, throwback feel. What’s the most recent new album you bought?

The Fall Out Boy album From Under The Cork Tree.

What music did your parents listen to when you were a kid?

My dad was all Motown. My mom was all Beatles. But we didn’t listen to much Beatles growing up because my dad was in charge of the radio. We got a little bit of everything—Motown, Beach Boys.

When did you first seek out music on your own?

When I was 8, I got Michael Jackson’s Bad on cassette. That changed my life.

Do you remember some of those early grade school conversations when you and your friends first started discussing music?

Yeah, I do. I was a closet Michael Jackson fan. I would deny it if people asked me. They would have laughed if they’d known I danced alone to Michael Jackson. From there I went to Aerosmith and bought Rock In A Hard Place. That was my first CD. For a while it was Michael Jackson versus rock ’n’ roll. Rock ’n’ roll won out.