August Benjamin’s new single “Rose Marie” brings a family story into a lively guitar-led song. It is about his paternal grandmother, a German-born Jewish woman who had to leave her home when the Nazis came to power. After a difficult time in Europe, she eventually made her way to America, where she built a new life and raised a family.
The music has so much going on from the start. The guitars give the track a strong lift and the drums keep a steady pace underneath. The melodies are catchy and sit naturally beside the lyrics, which helps the story stay with you after the track ends. The production is polished and gives each part space without making the whole thing sound too clean or distant.
Benjamin’s voice is a real highlight here. It has warmth and depth, and he gives the song a strong performance without pushing too hard. His delivery suits the subject, especially as the story moves through such a big change in one person’s life. You can hear the songwriting care in the way the music and words work together. The track has energy, but there is also a personal side to it that keeps it from becoming just another upbeat guitar song.
Music was around Benjamin from an early age, with his father playing guitar and writing songs. That background may help explain why the guitars and storytelling sit so naturally together here. We enjoyed this one, especially the voice, the melodies and the way the full arrangement supports the story. It is a strong single and gives us a good reason to keep an eye on August Benjamin. Enjoy! 🙂
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Born and raised in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, music has been a part of August’s life since the beginning. His father, Colin, is a guitar player and songwriter in his own right and was in a local band when August was growing up. Sundays were always band practice day, and August never missed an opportunity to sit and watch. This sparked a passion for music that has been with him ever since.
Starting in 2023, August began to write in a more focused manner, both expanding on drafts of unfinished songs from his father as well as original work all his own. Some of these songs were brand new altogether, and some that were unfinished dated back to before he was born. Breathing new life into old songs from his dad was a very special project. Topics ranged from struggles with mental health, tough goodbyes, and stories from the Benjamin family tree. Once the nine-song album began to fully take shape, August’s goal was to eventually record it and release it to the world.
Fast-forward to early 2025, and a mutual friend ended up connecting August with Todd Adelman, owner of The Woods Studio in Woodstock, NY. Todd and August hit it off over their mutual love for classic rock and folk music, and they shared a vision for the sound of the album. Recorded and produced by Todd himself over the course of a three-day live session in September of 2025, the album features veteran musicians Taras Prodaniuk (bass), Jim Christie (drums), and Doug Pettibone (electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, dobro). Additional players include Eamon McLoughlin (fiddle), Tyler Wood (B3 Organ), and Matt Menefee (banjo). Along with lead and backup vocals, August also plays acoustic guitar on the album. The song arrangements were all created on the spot during the live sessions. There were no prior rehearsals, and in fact none of the musicians had heard any of the songs until the day of recording. Adelman was also the mixing engineer on the album. Pete Lyman (Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers) was the mastering engineer.
Set for release on November 13th, August Bejamin is the culmination of two generations of songwriting coming together. The songs shift perspective between August and Colin and vary in genre. While the album begins with a folk / bluegrass tone, later songs lean further into alt rock.
