We had the good fortune of connecting with Grant Benziger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Grant, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I think I can speak for most of dedicated musicians/producers in saying there really is no giving up. There are times where you may need to step away or take a break for extended periods, which can benefit you, but there really isn’t much of a way to extinguish the creativity that forms inside of you overtime. I have experienced many life altering moments in my life that have made me question if im on the right path, but it has always lead me back to my passion because no matter how much I curse it or obsess over it, its as immovable as Mt. Everest. It won’t budge for heartache, failure, personal drama or death because at the root of it, im simply a music fan No matter how many years in the game, wins or losses, the child like wonder of creation never goes away.

A dramatic answer, maybe, but it is a dramatic question that most everyone has confronted no matter the profession. Though over time it maybe look different as I’ve shifted from my own bands to being a hired gun at different level to stepping away from the stage to purely focus on writing and recording its always circled the same thing at the end of the day.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My journey in all of this began with a $100 d0llar acoustic guitar and a circle of friends who fell into the same love I did as a kid. I was like a musical sponge I wanted to learn and take influence from everything metal to classical or Jazz to world music from across the globe. I can say without a doubt the diversity of influences lead me to big gigs, tours and opportunities to play on big records that went to platinum/Billboard status. I love having jobs in everything country, pop, rap etc. it always keeps it interesting. It took me a long time to find the right lane, but I am in love with the journey of it so I was never focused on the destination as much.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family deserves all the credit for their support in carving my own path. It started with driving me and my equipment to rank dive bars on school nights to traveling internationally to see me perform. Thats something I’ve never forgotten or overlooked in my journey because its incredibly hard to pull off as an outsider from a small town with no industry connections it takes that support when things seem to be bleak.

Website: https://www.curlygrits.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/curlygrits

Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1qJjot5J8pkGizQk2UKGbZ?si=09fecb654849425b

Image Credits
Photos by James Exley
Photos by Legit Looks

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.