Returning to scene of the hip-hop success
Nascent artist got his first sold-out show in Albuquerque
It’s been five years since Benjamin Laub’s debut album. Long days on the road and then performing at night has become part of his life, and he wouldn’t change anything.
“I’m in this for the long haul,” he says during a recent phone interview from his Seattle home. “This year has been great because I’ve spent a lot of time on tour, building my fan base. I’ve been around the world and it’s starting to pick up.”
Laub, who is known by the stage name Grieves and is signed to the Seattlebased Rhymesayers Entertainment, is aiming on having new music out by the end of the year.
In between tours, Laub has been traveling to Sacramento to work on songs with his producer, Budo.
“I’m taking a different approach to music, but I can’t say what it is,” he explains. “What I can say is that I am working on one song at a time from scratch. Coming in with just an idea, I work the song until I like it.”
Grieves often works with Budo. The duo have also performed a couple times at the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin.
While the two have cultivated their working relationship, Laub says that Budo isn’t the touring type of guy.
“It’s difficult to get him to come out on tour,” he says. “He’s a homebody and enjoys staying at home. When we plan a big tour, that’s when he’s ready for it. He doesn’t enjoy the short, two-week tours.”
Laub has released four albums. He’s touring in support of his 2011 album, “Together/Apart.”
“Back in 2005, when I was just getting started, one of my first shows was in Albuquerque,” he recalls. “No one really knew who I was, but I was able to have my first sold-out show in Albuquerque and it meant so much to me. The crowds have always received my music and the shows keep getting better.”
Laub also is busy trying to land another spot on the Vans Warped Tour in 2013. Two years ago, he and Budo were one of three hip-hop groups on the annual rock tour.
“Talk about working hard to reach an audience,” he says. “It was a fun challenge and I learned so much. I think being on that type of tour really helped let people know who we were and what we’re about. Hopefully, next summer we’ll be able to get back on the show and we can use what we learned from being on a tour that big.”