The following appeared on InsideOUT, May 2012

"John Beninghof Video Spreads Good Vibes Far and Wide"

Chris Kazarian

The world has seen its share of tragedies for more than a decade, from the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center to the collapse of the economy in 2008 to last year?s tsunami in Japan.

It is enough to bring the most optimistic of people down.

But a music video ?Float Sink or Swim? released last week on YouTube by West Falmouth musician John Beninghof, brings viewers a little joy in these difficult times.

With more than 3,000 views in its first week online, the video’s uplifting message is already making a splash.

?You can work hard at trying to stay positive,? Beninghof said. ?You only get one go at this life, so you might as well enjoy it.?

The video begins with the tall, lanky Beninghof jumping off the back of the Woods Hole Community Hall and into the Eel Pond channel nearly 30 feet below. The stunt has long been performed by village daredevils, though Beninghof hadn?t done it himself until August 2010, when the music video was shot.

?It was my first and last experience,? he said. ?We got a great take, so it made it into the video.?

The video also features shots of Beninghof singing and playing guitar on a soapbox reading ?Free Your Speech? and on a jetty at Falmouth Harbor; driving along Nobska Road in the famed ?Woods Hole safari car? with friends Dee Sullivan, Macallan Sutton and three dogs; and performing for a group of locals on the deck of the Landfall at night.

Cape collaboration

There is a decidedly Cape Cod summer feel to the piece, which is why Beninghof chose this month as the best time to release it to the masses. Shot over a two-day period in the summer of 2010, the video was completed last year and first screened at a Cinema Politica short film showcase featuring local works.

Beninghof is hoping that the video will whet his fans? appetites for his first full-length album, expected out this summer. It’s produced locally by John McNamara, a fellow musician who fronts for the Falmouth-based band The Commonwealth.

The video was shot in collaboration with Beninghof?s friends Daniel Brown, a commercial photographer from Arlington and Joseph Gaetani, a videographer based in Burlington, Vermont.

After spending summers between college as lifeguards, the video fulfills the friends? longtime dream to collaborate creatively on a project.

The reaction to the piece ?is exactly what I was hoping for and I think everyone was hoping for,? said Gaetani, who served as the video?s director. ?It encapsulates what it is like to be in Falmouth or Cape Cod during the summer.?

More positive vibes

The song?available for purchase on iTunes?is living up to its positive message with a portion of the proceeds going to the Life is Good Playmakers, a foundation dedicated to improving the health of children who have undergone trauma, whether it be through poverty, violence or sickness.

Heffernan said he was thrilled to have Beninghof?s talents boost his company?s cause.

?I love his music, he?s a terrific guy and a good quality musician,? said Heffernan, who owns a home in Cataumet.

?He came by our house and said he wanted to participate with Life is Good Playmakers, and I was thrilled. Every little bit helps, but it might not be just a little bit, because who knows where this will go.?