Said Sara is a musical project created by musician David Benson, mixing elements from several different genres into one ultimate package. Then There You Are sees Said Sara heading in a folky direction, creating a really powerful piece of music. If you liked our review of the track, why not find out more about David below?
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new single titled Then There You Are. What can you tell us about the song?
It’s a true mingling of lyrical ideas and musical strains/refrains, some of which I’d been thinking about for many years. There is a short melodic line (“it don’t get more alight than that”) that’s been in my head since I was a child. I always knew that I would use it someday, and I always knew that it would be the conclusion – or the solution of a section. In terms of lyrics, I’d touched on the concept of accepting guidance from a dead friend (or lover, or beloved family member – it’s open to interpretation) in my 2020 single I Star as You. This is a different take; while I Star as You depicted someone acting like that person, in Then There You Are, we witnesses that person who has passed, giving signals at every turn. Constant communication via nature and the heavens.
Do you have any more singles planned for release soon?
I’ve been doing a single a year, which probably doesn’t sound like a lot of output. In the ‘olden days’ of the music biz, artists would release an album per year, tour it, then do it again. Very few artists do that anymore. In a way, I’m bringing back that old way by at least releasing something new every year. I truly don’t have the capacity (or enough ideas?!) to do it more often, at least at this stage. My ‘day job’ is extremely demanding, and I also have my hands in 2 other musical projects right now. In summary, expect at least a new single in 2025!
Your last full album release was Theothanatology in 2022. What can you tell us about the record? What does the title refer to?
That’s entirely separate from Said Sara. In fact, Acephalix and Said Sara couldn’t be further from one-another. Acephalix is the crust punk/death metal band that I’m the drummer for. I’ve been playing drums for Acephalix since 2008. Though I could speak briefly about the meaning behind Theothanatology, it is the concept of Acephalix vocalist/lyricist Daniel Butler. He is the one who must address the theme – and there is plenty of press/at least one podcast, etc from him on the subject.
Your music has an alt-folk sound. What/who are you most influenced by? What have you been listening to recently?
Said Sara is definitely influenced, at least musically, by a combination of singer-songwriters of the 70s (Cat Stevens, Lindsey Buckingham, Neil Young), 80s and 90s alternative music (The Innocence Mission, The Sundays, Toad the Wet Sprocket – people constantly compare Said Sara to Smashing Pumpkins, though they’ve never been a personal influence), and some darker music like Bauhaus and Swans. I listen to all of these artists regularly, but I always come back to Rush. Rush has been my favorite band by far since I was 11 years old. I’ve seen them live more than any other band, and I play their entire discography end-to-end every few years. The loss of Neil Peart was the greatest loss in rock history, in my opinion. The concept that Rush will never play live again as such is devastating to music as a whole. I just finished reading Geddy Lee’s autobiography, so I’m back on a Rush kick once again – this time listening again to every one of their live albums (which is A LOT).
You’re based in San Francisco. What is the local music scene like in your part of the world?
I would have to say, as much as it sounds cliche, that it ebbs and flows. That said, it’s been good for a while now. There are some new venues that have opened or reopened recently in San Francisco proper. Recently, I went to an outside, “unofficial” show at a skatepark in an industrial part of SF. My friend’s son’s band Catharsis was playing, along with many other hardcore bands. I’d say the average age of the musicians in these bands is 17. It was amazing, and as loose and chaotic as I remember shows in the 90s being. Not all teens are Swifties.
Do you have anything else exciting coming up over the next few months?
I have gigs in San Francisco, CA and San Jose, CA this month, and I’m also playing drums with amazing British artist Baz Francis for a live-streamed event in Oakland, CA on August 30th. Acephalix is rehearsing a new album, due out in the second half of next year.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
I wish I did! I had a wonderful time playing London in July, 2023. It’s expensive to get there, but I would jump on it if the opportunity arose.
Any last words for the fans?
I would love for any fans that I’ve earned to give me a word! It’s difficult for an artist to gauge their reach. Streams and my own social media don’t mean much at a lower level (like mine), and it’s hard to know who’s reading the blogs, though I’ve been featured in many. Traditionally, it’s live shows that give an artist an idea of whether or not they’re gaining steam — and locally, this tends not to mean much since you can expect your friends to attend. I’ve got to keep getting out there, and hope that I’m being heard. To the fans I say reach out to the artists you love, especially the smaller ones! Let them know how you feel about them.