Sarah Benck: Press

"This band has never failed to create that impression of future possibilities: the songs are there, the live performance is electric, and the band rocks til it hurts."

"...she is extremely reserved and soft-spoken; one could almost even say meek, but when shes onstage, theres no doubt she belongs there as she jams on that Gibson hollow-body guitar, singing as if her vocal chords were attached to her soul. To say she has a powerful voice is an understatement."

"On the new album, Benck continues to lean on a voice that's equal parts Bonnie, Ricki, and Joni, sung over tunes that are equal parts Van Morrison, Black Crowes and Spin Doctors. At the age 23, Benck's voice is still growing, though it's already bigger than her 5-foot nothing frame. The fact that the music lies somewhere between Americana, R&B, chick pop and good-time rock is surprising and respectable, especially since she's well aware that she's doing it from the heart of indie. Benck never caters to the mode o' day of the Creek/indie/slacker nation -- where Omaha just happens to be the capitol -- and that's just the way she wants it -- preferring pop to pap."

"The second release from this Omaha based combo sees them turn in a confident and accomplished set of soul and funk infused rock, with the prerequisites for the successful delivery of their chosen genre all firmly in place."

"The combination of the soft acoustic guitar and Sarahs beautiful, sincere vocals send shivers down my spine. This band is extremely talented and has a bluesy swagger that will knock you on your ass."

Every year we see countless “Best of” lists come out starting about November. These are interesting to come up with, but can lead to guilt and remorse because of glaring omissions noticed after the fact.

While I’ve come in off the ledge and don’t plan on jumping anymore, my list would be different today if I had received all the ‘07 releases I have now actually IN 2007. One of the CDs that would be at or near the top is by one of several fine female artist that are new to me, Sarah Benck and her band The Robbers. The 2007 CD Neighbor’s Garden is a fantastic CD by a truly wonderful singer and songwriter. Neighbor’s Garden is the sophomore effort for the Omaha resident and her band, consisting of Jason Ferguson on guitar (a graduate of the Musicians Institute in Hollywood), James Carrig on bass and Scott “Zip” Zimmerman on drums. This CD had me from right from the first energetic beats of the opening title track. When Sarah opens her mouth its like she’s opening a can of “whup-ass” on you; you’d never imagine a package this petite could pack so much punch. After hearing all the styles she handles on this disc, I’m not sure there’s a style she couldn’t handle. Her bluesy-rock stuff is great, such as the title track. “Dump the Truck” has a bit of a funky feel to it. Slower ballad? Covered, with “Good Man.” She even straps on the acoustic guitar for a solo acoustic tune “Once a Week,” which also displays Sarah’s great vocal range. She adds a bluesy horn section to the upbeat “Trails,” another standout cut. This is definitely a performer you need to check out!