Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
David Benson (aka Said Sara) Releases New Single "Then There You Are"

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • David Benson (aka Said Sara) Releases New Single "Then There You Are"
David Benson (Said Sara) Photo Credit by Chris Johnston

Photo Credit by Chris Johnston

Fri Jul 12, 2024
Cashbox Canada

David Benson wears many hats. He's a drummer for longtime death metal outfit Acephalix when he's not a special education teacher at a high school in his native San Francisco. Now Benson, under the moniker Said Sara, ventures out into eclectic but effective musical territory with his latest single "Then There You Are".

The musician, who describes the song as "emphatic but affectionate," says the single pays tribute to those who passed on but still "might be monitoring you." You might not see them visually, but could they be present and "listening in" whether "showing themselves in nature or in the air?" For Said Sara, the contemplative track acknowledges the departed's presence through these signs.

The song -- recorded at The Guest Room and Yosemite Studios in San Francisco and mastered by Jesse Nichols at Oakland's Atomic Garden West -- was created entirely by Said Sara. Although his vocals and an acoustic guitar are the primary instruments heard, piano, bodhran and electronics flesh out "Then There You Are" to near perfection.

Haunting and saturated with vivid imagery, Said Sara's performance on "Then There You Are" recalls the likes of Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Live’s Ed Kowalczyk with an earnest, forceful delivery that at times passionately bursts through. Gentle but still powerful, the song invites the listener in with some lovely roots-meet-folk guitar work courtesy of the dynamic performer.

Listen on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/album/0WoJnqFVLPnxIdBCjQ0CDo

The genre-defying song, which follows the release of 2023's "Same," had a few notable inspirations, including a song from John Cougar's 1982 American Fool album. Said Sara describes "Then There You Are" as "a nagging, psychic melodic concept" fueled by three fragmented aural ideas. One was "the tonic jangle of a guitar turnaround from John Cougar's 'Hand To Hold On To.'" The second was "the resonant sound of a certain click track - a mix of cowbell and woodblock, though as played through a guitar chord." The third spark of inspiration derived from "the conclusion of a refrain from the '80s 'Toys 'R Us Kid' jingle."

After having these three distinct sounds popping into Benson's head from time to time, the musician sat down and sat with the extremely diverse sonic trio. "Once that three-second, three-chord solution was written, the rest of the song marched in line," he says. With the musical arrangement formed, the lyrical component was written in roughly a month. The musician says "the astral theme took shape as if guided by the milky way itself" as Mercury and Ganymede's seas are referenced in the lyrics. As a matter of fact, Benson says, "the stars and the shadows they create" should receive ghostwriting credits on "Then There You Are."

Said Sara performed in Paris, London, Amsterdam, and San Francisco in 2023 and looks for "Then There You Are" to continue that momentum. Based on this stirring new single, to quote a line from the song, "it don't get more alright than that."

saidsara.com

Reviews
Album
David Benson
Said Sara
Month: Jul 2023
I Want Poetry I Want Poetry
Matt Zaddy Matt Zaddy's Captivating Blend of Folk-Rock and Modern Soul…
Mike Bern Mike Bern's Thunderous 'Reverberation' Showcases The…
Ryan Wayne Photo Credit Brent Orr Photography Americana/roots-rock Singer-Songwriter Ryan Wayne “Overheard in an All…
Shale Alt. Rockers SHALE Captures Raw Anxiety In "Shake" And Announce B.C.…
Suzanne Cook British Singer-Songwriter Suzanne Cook Tells the Stormy, Cinematic…
The Nolas Montreal-Based Alt. Rock Band The Nolas Capture The Latin Spirit In "Mexico…
Mindbender Supreme Mindbender Supreme’s 13th Project, The King Of Queen Street,…
Altered By Mom Canada’s Rock’N’Roll Power Couple ALTERED BY MOM Unleashes Their…
André Bisson Canadian Blues Guitarist André Bisson Releases 'Dusty Albums…
Chin Injeti Renowned Songwriter and Producer Chin Injeti Makes Triumphant Return…
Gideon Foster Gideon Foster's Haunting Single 'Prophecy' Takes…
Beck Norman and James Keith Norman Toronto-Based Beck Norman and James Keith Norman Build Neo-Classical…
Jeff Eager Vintage Pop Soulster Jeff Eager Releases Song For The Ages –…
Jessica Chaz Jessica Chaz Releases Hopeful, Wistful Acoustic Version of Her…

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 100
  • Page 101
  • Page 102
  • Page 103
  • Current page 104
  • Page 105
  • Page 106
  • Page 107
  • Page 108
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers