DRAIMAN's Brother 'Nearly Had A Heart Attack' Fearing DISTURBED Singer Wouldn't Like 'Stricken' Cover

November 15, 2013

Ben Draiman — younger brother of David Draiman of the famed rock group DISTURBED and a singer in his own right — spoke to Rock Revolt magazine about his decision to release a cover version of the DISTURBED song "Stricken".

"The idea [to cover 'Stricken'] first came about when I was discussing successful covers with my friend and producer, Raz Klinghoffer, who had just released a cover of his own with his project EARLYRISE," Ben said. "He had said that some of the best covers are ones that change the song 180 degrees and that if I was going to do a slow cover best to choose a fast-paced song. I honestly didn't think it would work.

"'Stricken' has long been one of my favorites — something about the hooks and the lyrics that resonate well with me. In fact, from a lyrical standpoint it was exactly the sort of thing I myself would write so it was very easy to connect to. So that very night I went to the piano and tried it. I play by ear so it didn't take me long to come up with a basic arrangement. It became instantly clear that the lyrics and the melody lent themselves well to a ballad and I was immediately hooked."

Asked if his brother David has given him his opinion on the cover, Ben said: "Of course! I sent it to him immediately after we had mastered it and was extremely nervous to hear his response.

"I know myself that my art and my music is very sacred and it's not easy to accept a reinterpretation of it. And while I had already done 'Darkness', which was performed in honor of his coming to one of my shows a few years back, that was still much closer to the original than this was.

"I still remember when I got the e-mail back from him. I nearly had a heart attack fearing he may not like it and won't want us to release it. But much to my relief he liked it a lot; so once we had his approval, we moved forward. Since then, the other guys from DISTURBED have heard it and expressed how much they liked it as well."

Read the entire interview at Rock Revolt magazine.

Ben performs as a singer/songwriter in Israel, where he currently lives.

For more information, visit www.bendraiman.com.

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