Ben Grant

thestatus: The long and winding road We know an update is far...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:46:31 -0500

The long and winding road

We know an update is far overdue.. We’ve been fairly silent for a little more than a year. Went from touring almost year round from the time STIP was released, to only one tour this whole year. The truth of it is we just got to the point where we had to let go of all things that had to do with the band to be able to decide what to do. Here’s what we decided.. We still love music and each other so we’re going to continue to play, make, and record music together.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that the lifespan of bands aren’t as long as they used to be. Why? Lots of reasons, and it’s those same reasons that have discouraged our hearts away from the things we were so passionate about since we started playing together back in 2004. Yeah, 2004. You may have not even known that about us, but Andy and I started writing songs in Andy’s freshmen year of high school. We played shows, played bars, did everything we knew how to do to grow our band. We would sit on his front porch for hours and just write songs, dreaming about going on tour with our favorite bands. Without making this any longer than it probably is already going to be, a lot of GREAT things happened since those days on the front porch. We played hundreds of shows, toured across the country multiple times, with countless memories (good and bad) released a record and EP on one of our favorite labels, saw our record in record stores across the country, toured with some amazing bands, and probably the best part, met so many amazing people.   The tricky part of it is, all of that takes an incredible amount of hard work. That was never the problem, we loved what we did so it was easy to do the “work” part of it. Somewhere along the line though, when we probably needed a bigger hand involved, we just never got it. Maybe that’s fate, maybe that’s the ever-changing age of digital revelation and it’s effects on music and ART. We accept it for what it is and with a deep breath, and with some time away, we now can continue doing what we love.

At the end of the day, after seven years of working towards a goal, (many that we did reach), we just needed a break. In a lot of cases we just didn’t fit in with a lot of the bands we ended up playing with. We’re not young “scenesters” anymore, not that we ever were? We love music, we never care or cared who we played with or saw at a show, but a lot of times we felt the “group” of bands and music we got organized into wasn’t really where we belonged, because sadly sometimes it seemed less about he music, and that took a toll on all of our hearts I believe. I think that’s one the biggest thing we wanted to break free from.

So a year removed from our last real activity on the road, we spent a lot of time writing and playing more of my solo material with Dan and Mike, and playing shows in the Atlanta area. This was another breathe of fresh air we needed and    so we started recording a record for this material earlier this spring and it should be finished soon and released early next year. I guess it is a solo project, but it’s the same people playing and are just as important, just a different sound under my own name.   So don’t let it confuse you! J We want to create and put out as much music as possible.    That being said, I’ll finally get to the news of new Status material. We have a huge batch of songs that was intended for our follow up record to STIP.    We’re finally at a point where we can logistically all four (Yes Andy!!) get back together and start rehearsing with the intention of recording these songs.   We also are planning to do most of the recording and releasing ourselves.   We’ll get help here and there, but one of the biggest setbacks is always waiting on other people or things to develop, and in turn we make empty promises.. We don’t want this to be that.. We want this to happen and hope a handful of you do as well.

I realize this is long and may feel like the same written description from just another band fallen on hard times. Thank you for reading it, we felt like we wanted to be as honest and transparent as possible.   We always wanted to be that type of band, maybe we were, maybe we weren’t. 2012 is definitely the start of a new season for the Status. We have no idea what it will look like or exactly how busy we will be.. but we will release new music. We have nothing but thanks and excitement for the future.   We’ll keep you updated and let you know when we start rehearsing and preparing to record, until then, we love you and appreciate your support so here’s two of the demos we recorded last year for this record.   These are entirely rough and we have since wrote dozens of songs.. so don’t judge the future too much based solely on these.. There are TWO demos up on our soundcloud page.. (http://soundcloud.com/thestatus/secondchancewvoxruff10). So please enjoy and help pass them around social arenas.

With nothing but love,

Ben, Mike, Andy, and Dan

Working on an overdue update from The Status.. We’ve all...

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:37:07 -0500

Working on an overdue update from The Status.. We’ve all had a crazy year, and it went by way too fast. Feeling really blessed to still have something so sweet that was invested in so heavily. Sometimes a little time off or away can bring closure or bring you back to the place where you started. Can’t wait to send more your way. For now, hope your holidays are going well! I have some holiday music on my soundcloud (soundcloud.com/bengrant) and am hoping to record something to share this week.. So I’ll check back soon, promise:)

Hey everyone.. I’m starting to mix the final songs for the...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:33:13 -0400

Hey everyone.. I’m starting to mix the final songs for the new (first) record so I figured I should probably start sharing some of the material that will be on the record! This is one of the songs that will be on the finished product, but an earlier version/demo of the song. Hope you’ll check it out and start helping me get the word out about my new solo endeavors. As always I really appreciate your kind hearts, makes sharing all the more worth it. More to come soon and hoping the record will be out sometime this fall!

For more updates check out my new facebook music page.. facebook.com/bengrantmusic or twitter.com/bengrant thank you!

Lake Wier on Flickr. This was taken with my old cannon film...

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:02:39 -0400

Lake Wier on Flickr.

This was taken with my old cannon film camera earlier this spring at a park in Lake Weir, Florida. It was already so warm at that time of year.. Surprise, surprise, it’s Florida, no offense! In the very far background of the photo close to center, you can see it’s a little out of focus, but it’s a wild turkey! We saw several that day at the park but this was the closest picture we got. That’s all for now, hope you all are well!

Meet Reecy.. I started a flickr account to start posting some of...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:15:00 -0400

Meet Reecy.. I started a flickr account to start posting some of the pictures I’ve taken for fun. If you’re interested you can go here: www.flickr.com/photos/benthomasgrant Hope you’re all having a great week!

Taking a break from recording vocals for my first solo album. ...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:49:58 -0400

Taking a break from recording vocals for my first solo album. Only have 3 more songs to finish before finalizing things and mixing! I realize this might be the first time I’ve said anything about an album.. but I’ve been working and working on getting everything in the general area and direction I was hoping to get, and am finally close! I owe an entire explanation and update to both this page, and the Status page. Don’t worry neither are done, or ending. However, a lot of time has passed and feel like everyone should know exactly where the guys and my heart’s have been, and currently are. For now, I’m trying to keep up my commitment to sharing more of my music. This is a song I wrote last fall.. Hope you enjoy it, and if you do please pass it on. Thanks for checking in, a full update will be here this week. Take care everyone!

Ive decided to make a new Youtube channel for my solo stuff. ...

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:47:26 -0400

Ive decided to make a new Youtube channel for my solo stuff. I’m in the middle of recording my first record that will be out this fall. Until then, I’m going to try to start putting out a bunch of demos and live videos like these. I have way too many songs to not share and get some sort of feedback, other than my own brain. Like hundreds upon hundreds.. Would love to hear what you guys think as I post them. Thanks for checking it out, I appreciate it!!

Hey everyone.. I know I’ve mentioned that a few friends,...

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:59:51 -0500

Hey everyone.. I know I’ve mentioned that a few friends, (including my good friend Megg who sings on the songs) and I decided to record some Christmas songs with the intent to share them. We did 8 songs in about a week. We did them all at my home, so they aren’t really a professional recording or perfect. But.. we had an awesome time putting them together and wanted to share them with anyone that wanted to hear them! I also just wanted to say thanks to anyone that does download them (they are FREE!), and for supporting what I love to do. If you like them, please pass the word along, and most of all Happy Holidays, hope you are all spending them with family and friends! -ben

Just follow this link and click the blue download button..

http://usershare.net/dxayqkv3rn4b

Today is one of those days I wish I could be home relaxing. ...

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:19:21 -0500

Today is one of those days I wish I could be home relaxing. Having a good time on this tour, but we have a week off in between tours which I’m sure will be fun, but home would be nice too. That’s all. This is a picture of my dog Rocky playing in the snow before we left for this tour.

I’m hoping for something good soon, you know how you work and work, and then work some more? Sometimes you just want to see someone ahead of you come along side you and say, “hey you’re doing a good job, let me help you do this” or “maybe you should try this, I think it could help”. That would be incredibly nice soon. Happy friday everyone, keep your heads up, I’ll do the same.

“Heart in a frame” This is the second song I...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:15:45 -0500

“Heart in a frame”

This is the second song I decided to post from the September days stuck in Winnemucca, NV. I wrote this when I was feeling pretty drained. So this is for anyone feeling tired, or fearing what they’re attempting may be in vain. It’s not, and don’t get too tired. Don’t be afraid to slow down, even if you have to force yourself. Sometimes all you need is the smallest of signs or words from an unexpected friend to help find a new direction or to get back on track. I know I left that experience last fall feeling more focused and driven than before.

www.flickr.com/photos/torichelbyphoto/ This is one of my...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:05:45 -0500

www.flickr.com/photos/torichelbyphoto/

This is one of my favorite pictures and favorite memories of being on tour last year. It was a show in Dover, NH w/ Sparks The Rescue, The Scenic, and Lannen Fall. The Scenic are really close friends of ours and we are mutual Weezer fans. So Jake came out to play guitar and Jeremy came out to help me sing on “Say It Ain’t So” . That’s one of the few songs out there that still gives me that “chill” when I hear it. Definitely one of my favorites, and a song that that links all kinds of different seasons of my life. All the credit goes to Victoria Morse on this picture, she does great live photography. Her link is at the top.

Matt took this photo last night of the Chicago skyline. Have to...

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:47:10 -0500

Matt took this photo last night of the Chicago skyline. Have to say this is one of our favorite places to come. Lots of good people here, hope we’ere coming here for a long time. Thanks for all the love with the song I posted, looks like I’ll be posting another tomorrow

“flying along the traintracks” Last september we...

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:12:00 -0500

“flying along the traintracks”

Last september we were on tour with Thieves and Villains and Yearling on the west coast. We had just played Reno, NV and were spending a few days with friends there. A few days before that we got the chance to hang out at Lake Tahoe, that was absolutely beautiful. After leaving Reno, we headed east for Salt Lake City. Only a hundred or so miles into the drive, we broke down in the middle of the desert.. Our worse fear, yet at the same time something that we always wish we had time to do, be stranded in the middle of nowhere. For five days we slept in our van at a truck stop in Winnemucca, NV. So many thoughts go through your head at a time like that, obviously we weren’t in any danger, but you still panic a little inside. Wondering if we’d ever be able to leave. I spent a few afternoons sitting by the highway, only a couple hundred feet away, beneath a big tree. I recorded ten or so songs in the shade of that tree. I decided to share the first one today tentatively titled “Flying Along the traintracks”. Each song was recorded live on garage band, then I overdubbed a background vocal and key part on a few of the songs. Hope you enjoy, I really like the authentic feel, hope you can see that too.

Quite a different experience tonight in Chicago.. Rather cold by...

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:40:00 -0500

Quite a different experience tonight in Chicago.. Rather cold by lake Michigan in February!

Working on some new songs tonight, stoked to share some soon.

Been a while since I’ve posted anything on here..but...

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:03:19 -0500

Been a while since I’ve posted anything on here..but we’re back on tour for the year and we’re having a great time. We have a few days off in chicago so were celebrating Mike’s birthday tonight, and going downtown to see the “bean” and lakefront in the city. Going to be freezing. This pic is Dan and I from last time we were able to go downtown on some time off in June of ‘09.. going to be a little colder this time.

Promise I’m going to post my first tumblr song this week sometime.

Enjoy your day people, stay warm!!

New York, New York. Danny and I got take a train into Manhattan...

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:34:00 -0400

New York, New York.

Danny and I got take a train into Manhattan yesterday and explore for a little bit. This is still one of my favorite places to visit and every time I come here I’m just amazed at the speed of life and how many people are there! Got to hang with out with our friends @ doghouse records as well as Anthony Raneri. Overall it was a really good day off on a really fun tour that we just started with The Scenic. That’s it for now:)

So I’ve decided to start using the tumblr account I...

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:08:02 -0400

So I’ve decided to start using the tumblr account I created at the beginning of the year. So much social networking going on out there, and I’m involved in a lot of them. I figured I’d utilize this account to share more about my experiences on tour and life more in depth than I could or can on myspace, facebook, twitter, etc. I think I’ll try to add some more demos and music I won’t post on myspace as I do them on here as well.

This time on the road has been particularly adventurous. I’m sure anyone that might read this knows we had some van trouble in Nevada last week. It was quite an experience to say the least.. The pic is from the exact spot we broke down before we were towed 70 miles to nearest town, which was Winnemucca, NV. All in all it was a really cool time to just slow down and think about the things that matter in life, like friends and family and music of course. I really realized how cool it even was that I was able to be in Nevada… haha. One of my favorite things about the 4 days we were stuck there was how much time I had to write through the experience. I ended up writing about 11 songs and am trying to decide on a creative way to release them at some point. I’ll touch more on this tomorrow but am considering uploading one of the songs I worked on. All of them are just rough live recordings with a background vocal on some. I think when I’m home this fall I’ll re-record them and try to release an EP of some sort. I have plans for another release towards the end of the year as well. Just feeling out some ideas with those two things, but I’d love to hear some feedback:)

That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow…. and maybe therell be a song if I get some feedback:)