The entertainment industry is riddled with talent that can switch from one role to the next—not just on-screen while the cameras roll but also behind the scenes. We often hear of musicians who want to dabble in acting or screenwriters who want to direct. It is, however, rare to hear of a veteran or a former military man entering the entertainment sphere.
This is the case of Nickolas Benson, a young man who learned to play the guitar and became a songwriter while fighting a war in the Persian Gulf. His story is inspirational in how he never gave up on his dream and ultimately succeeded in his mission of becoming a #RockPopCountryBlues entertainer.
Nickolas had been surrounded by music ever since his childhood. He was only 8 years of age when he first discovered his passion for music. It was a typical Sunday morning in his grandma’s kitchen, listening to her Country AM radio, when he heard “The Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart” by Randy Travis and was instantly blown away by the song’s rhythm. Around that time, his father was the frontman of a well-known band, who eventually passed on his talent to his son. As a freshman in high school, Nickolas was encouraged by his band teacher, who told him he had a good ear for music. This interest escalated when his stepfather heard him play and got so impressed that he gifted Nickolas his very first guitar at Christmas. He started learning the chords, but this was just the beginning. However, before he could learn more, he was sent far away to the Middle East for 18 months, with the 740th Transportation Company from South Dakota, and his whole life changed.
For Nickolas Benson, the transition from leading a fairly normal life to being transported to military bases all around the Persian Gulf over 3 military operations was a significant one. But what was even greater was his dream of music that he left behind. After 8 months at war, he realized that there was something that was missing, something he couldn’t survive without; his music. While he was fighting diligently with his squad and driving truck missions as an 88 mike, there was still plenty of time in between. This was his chance to finally go back to music, and to top it all, destiny was in his favor too. In his tent city base, there was a small shop where he could easily get an acoustic guitar, one that he still plays today. He realized that, unlike high school, it was time to quit fumbling around and start genuinely learning how to play. He needed to take his passion for music seriously. It was now or never. And he seized the days in between missions!
That’s when his extraordinary transition from military to musician started. As soon as he picked up the guitar, Nickolas started learning how to play his favorite tunes, and in a few months, he began writing his own songs and formed the Blue Falcon Band. Many of the songs from the early stages of his musical career were the result of a collaboration with his fellow veterans, a project called “Desert Dogs,” on SoundCloud Now! They rose to fame after penning a bunch of tracks, some of which became popular with coalition troops, and one song served as somewhat of an anthem, earning them a feature in the “Stars And Stripes” 4th of July Edition. There was no turning back.
Since then, Nickolas Benson has written songs that continue to inspire people. Talking about one of his personal favorites, The Heart of What Really Matters, which he wrote with the same battle buddy he joined the military with, he shared, “It’s a song about feelings. About everything that we have lost, everything that we have missed due to the war, and everything that we took for granted before we went to war.” His music explores ideas that he otherwise might not have had the courage to put into words. For instance, his famous composition, ‘Walk between the Raindrops,’ poses the most heart-wrenching question that no one dares to ask; why were we sent there?
At the core of Nickolas’ music is pure love for the artistry. He is passionate about telling stories and inspiring people through them and with his stage performance. For him, music is about its true essence, “Rock isn’t always about screaming and cranking the amplifier up to 11. The beauty lies in simplicity. Enjoy the pure magic of an acoustic guitar and the feeling of an inspired vocal, leaving the rest to production. You have to learn to get it right at the most basic, rawest form first,” he explained.
Nickolas Benson could have easily given up music when he was sent to war, but he didn’t. Despite where he was, he never gave up on his dream, which makes his journey from war to music so extraordinary. Because you never know what life has in store for you till you actually try! Nickolas will be playing live online, December 1st through December 16th, at 8PM CST. Go to nickolasdavidbenson.com, scroll down to showtimes, click the show and enter!
