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: Mar 2021
Zenesoul Toronto's R&B Neo-Soul Artist Zenesoul Searches for “That Love” in New Single
Shannon Dooks Singer/Songwriter Shannon Dooks Eschews All “Doubts” in New Single
velours Velvet-Voiced Alt-Pop Artist velours Sheds Painful Past in New Single, “…
Tricia Fitz Brazil-Born, Montreal-Based Tricia Fitz Speaks Up with New Video for “Millennials”
Paul Simms Singer/Songwriter STEVE PAUL SIMMS has Some “Blues for Back Alley John” in New…
Month: Apr 2021
Tim Delaney Psychedelic Uke-Pop Artist Tim Delaney Finds Where to Begin with Release of Debut…
Raja-nee’ Award-Winning R&B Singer Raja-nee’ Summons Audiences to “Come Get This Love”
Caardia Alt Singer/Songwriting Sisters Caardia are “Over You” in New Single
Saturniids Saturniids Pluck at Your Heartstrings with 90s-Era New Single, “Springtime”
Tracy Coletto Tracy Coletto is “Diving In” with Atmospheric New Dream-Pop Single
Howard Lee Naylor It’s a Series of Songs from Isolation for Penticton, BC Singer/Songwriter…
Kele Fleming Kele Fleming Calls Out Society’s Addiction to Tech with Thought-Provoking “…
Paul Kuzbik Paul Kuzbik Gets Introspective & Reflective In Emotional New Single…
Frank Patrick Singer/Songwriter Frank Patrick Releases New Video for Emotional New Single “…
Deanna Faye Deanna Faye's “Reassure” Bears the Weight Behind Hardships of Love

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 33
  • Page 34
  • Page 35
  • Page 36
  • Current page 37
  • Page 38
  • Page 39
  • Page 40
  • Page 41
  • …
  • 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