I was struck by the music’s emotional honesty, both in the way it was written and how it was performed on the recording.
Sarah Benck explodes with passion onstage! She can belt out a tune as powerfully as any big name artist.
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I subscribe to an e-newsletter from rockoncolorado.com. Rockoncolorado is a site that publishes photos of live music in Colorado. The newsletter sends links to the latest pictures. It has been invaluable to me for finding local performers to go see. One day I clicked on one of those links and found a photo of a performer I had never heard of before, Sarah Benck. Because her picture was on rockoncolorado, I incorrectly assumed that she was from here.
I googled her name to find out that she was in a band named Sarah Benck and the Robbers. I listened to the music on her page and enjoyed their bluesy rock with a rural sound. I was struck by the music’s emotional honesty, both in the way it was written and how it was performed on the recording. One song in particular grabbed me, the 7th song on the album, I Want It To Be You. I was moved and knew that I had to see this band perform as soon as I could.
When I looked at their list of upcoming performances, I realized that they were not from Colorado, but rather from Nebraska, and there were no upcoming Colorado performances. Disappointed, I ordered their album and vowed to keep checking for Colorado shows. Since they had performed here before, I imagined they would be back. Week after week I checked their web site only to be disappointed that no Colorado shows were lined up. Finally, I plugged Omaha, Nebraska into my Rand McNally software to see how far of a drive it was. The program reported back that it was about 550 miles away and would take about 8 and a half hours to get there.
By now I had received their album and had grown to love it and play it often. I decided it was worth the 550 mile drive, and I began making plans to take time off work and make my first trip ever to Omaha, Nebraska. And wouldn’t you know it – as soon as I made this decision, Colorado gigs started showing up on SBR’s web page. First a show in Lyons appeared, then one in Conifer, and then yet another in Erie. Now that I didn’t have to drive 550 miles to see them play, I of course thought that the practical thing to do would be to cancel my trip to Nebraska.
But leave it to me to be totally impractical! When I thought about canceling my trip, I felt bummed out. I had been looking forward to it. I thought, “Wait a minute! It’s a free country. If I want to drive up to Omaha anyway, I have every right to do that.” I’m a creative, artistic type anyway; no one should expect me to be too darn sensible. And so I drove up to Omaha to see them, even though the Colorado performances were only about three weeks away. I went to see SBR perform in a rustic little tavern in Omaha named McKenna’s.
Through Myspace.com I had befriended a local fan of the band named Gary. He had posted a video of the band on Youtube, one that had whetted my desire to see them play even more. He had wished me a good trip, but said that unfortunately he would not be able to see either of the two (Friday or Saturday) performances at McKenna’s. I found a table close to the stage and ordered fries, corn on the cobb with no butter, and a wheat beer (because I’m a strict vegetarian – no meat, eggs, butter, or any animal products). The waiter gave me a look like I was from outer space and then wrote down my order. I was feeling very out of place in the barbeque tavern and was wondering whether or not I was nuts to drive all this way to see a local Omaha band play when Denver is loaded with its own local talent. I wondered if SBR would be good live. With today’s recording technology, it’s possible for some bands to sound great recorded, but not be able to perform well live. With computer software it’s even possible to fix singing a note off key. That’s cheating!
All this was going through my head when none other than Gary walked through the door. I welcomed him to my table and told him I was glad he could make it after all. He served as my Sarah Benck and the Robbers tour guide and helped me to feel welcome in this city I had never before visited. He filled me in on facts about the band I would not have known about (since there was no Sarah Benck and the Robbers tourist brochure). For instance, when the band opened for Bon Jovi at the Qwest Center (the equivalent of our Pepsi Center or New York’s Madison Square Garden), it was the first time Sarah had ever been in the building. Gary paid fifty bucks to attend that performance and didn’t even stick around to see Bon Jovi play. That’s probably what I would have done. I was glad to meet another person as enthusiastic about SBR as I was, and to have someone to introduce me to the members of the band.
When the band started playing, any doubt as to whether they could make the magic happen live was erased within the first few bars. Sarah Benck explodes with passion onstage! She can belt out a tune as powerfully as any big name artist. I was riveted! And she’s backed by musicians who are right there with her; they’re a very tight band. Before the first song was over, I knew I had made the right decision to drive all the way up to Omaha. I would do it again. In fact, I will. The release of this web site is happening right before my next trip there for the band's CD release party. I find myself waiting with the same excited anticipation I had before my first trip, both for the show and their new album.
On the photos page, you can find the photos I took of the two performances I attended at McKenna’s in Omaha. I believe they capture some of the group’s intensity. I was also pleased to be able to welcome Sarah Benck and the Robbers to my home state. I attended all three of their recent Colorado performances. You’ll find my photos of these events on the photos page also, as well as many taken by Gary. I'm pleased that other fans of the band have generously allowed us to use their photos also. Check them out.
Gary and I thought enough of this band to team up on this web site in support of them. I hope we've done them justice and have provided a place for other fans to get info and to speak out. If you would like to contribute, either with photos or by writing an article, please e-mail me at this address:
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