The God of the Stage: Rob Benedict on Louden Swain, Supernatural, and the Jump to Broadway

What started as a traditional television fan convention for the hit series Supernatural has morphed into a full-blown traveling rock festival. At the heart of this transformation is Rob Benedict, the actor famous for playing Chuck Shurley (and ultimately, God) on the show, and the frontman for the indie rock band Louden Swain. Evolving from simple panels to energetic Saturday Night Special concerts, Benedict and his band have essentially become the soundtrack of the Supernatural family. Now, taking things a step further in Orlando, they are premiering the Supernatural Broadway Concert, blending their rock roots with musical theater. We caught up with Rob to talk about managing this massive ensemble of castmates, stepping out of his comfort zone, and what it really feels like to dictate the rhythm of the stage.

KHRIS: Before we dive into the music, I have to mention something about the show. I'm sure you hear this all the time, but the plot twist of your character turning out to be God and then the ultimate villain... man, I really loved watching you in that acting process. You have my absolute respect.

ROB: Well, thank you.

KHRIS: Rob, for those of us watching from the trenches of music journalism, it’s fascinating how you guys turned a TV convention into a genuine rock festival. At what exact moment did you, along with Louden Swain and Richard Speight Jr., realize that the traditional panel format wasn't enough and decided to inject the energy of live music into the event?

ROB: At the very beginning, my band, Louden Swain, played a couple of conventions, and it went really well. Around that same time, they asked Richard Speight to host the convention in Vegas. He said, "If I'm going to host, I want Rob's band to play too, and let's do a Tonight Show kind of thing," where he hosted and we were the house band. That was originally around 2012 or 2013. We just found that it really worked to have music playing all day, playing the guests in and out. Then, it organically happened that we thought, "Let's do a concert too, because that was such a success." Over the years, it's morphed into what it is today: Rich and I co-host, my band plays, and on Saturday night we do a big concert where a couple of the actors come on stage and sing with us. Ultimately, it's a Louden Swain concert, and it just works so well. It took us beyond what the normal convention was; it adds so much energy and feels more like a traveling show now.

KHRIS: There's the Saturday Night Special, and now this kind of karaoke special night where cast members rock out with you. As the frontman and bandleader, what is the process like to integrate your fellow actors and musically direct them so the ensemble sounds tight and professional, rather than just a friendly karaoke session?

ROB: Well, we've been a band since the '90s, so by the time we started playing the Supernatural conventions, we felt very confident. But I was unaware of how much talent was in the Supernatural cast. We have so many people who can sing so well. Ultimately, we work with them to pick a song that makes them sound good and makes us sound good. You have people like Kim Rhodes and Brianna Buckmaster, who are such great singers, and Mark Sheppard is a really excellent drummer. We found a way to find a spot for everybody who wants to play with us, to highlight them during the night, and the fans love it. It's one of those rare instances where they all listen to me! Occasionally Jensen (Ackles) will sing with us, or Richard Speight plays bass. It's a fun challenge for us as a band to arrange a song for a specific actor to sing.

KHRIS: Speaking of evolving, now in Orlando you're premiering the Supernatural Broadway Concert. This is a huge leap: leaving behind the electric guitar and indie rock to stand in front of a live orchestra and sing musical theater. Technically speaking, how are you preparing for this shift in your vocal register, and what excites you the most about stepping out of your comfort zone?

ROB: So many of us come from theater backgrounds, and for me, one of the first professional things I did was a musical. We're really excited about it because it is different from the rock show, where I get to fulfill that dream of being a rock star. In this format, we get to be actors, and musical theater is something we all love. In a musical, you're an actor selling a song as an emotion, and we're looking forward to embodying that. I personally picked a couple of songs that are a little bit rock and a little bit musical. I'm doing something from Hair, which has such great rock music. It's going to be fun to be an actor and perform those songs as a character, not just as a rock star.

KHRIS: On TV, Chuck wrote everyone’s story, but on the convention stage, you dictate the rhythm of the night. Does it feel good to be the true God of the stage?

ROB: (Laughs) I don't know how comfortable I am in real life about being "God," but it's certainly fun to be on the stage and meet the fans. People have varying opinions about me and the character I played because God, by the end, was pretty mean! But they meet me, and I am a pretty nice person. It was a real honor to play a character as grandiose as God. It's super fun just to celebrate the show. We never thought we'd be doing something like this so many years later. It's been life-changing. The fans and the actors are such a family. It's fun to travel to a place like Orlando, which is such a great entertainment town. God or not, it's fun to be there.

KHRIS: Thank you for your time, Rob please invite our viwers to don't miss you on stage.

ROB: Hola, this is Rob Benedict. I played Chuck on Supernatural. Please come and see us in Orlando. We are going to be singing and celebrating the show. We are so excited to come to Florida and meet everyone. Come out to see us and come say HOLA to me. I look forward to hanging, singing, and celebrating with you.

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