Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Nobody gets to say who is me but me: an interview with Grieves

Music | September 27th, 2017

“You’re from Fargo so you must know Kipp G”

This was the first thing that rapper Benjamin Laub -- better known as Grieves -- said to me when we started this interview.

He has been to Fargo a handful of times over the last 10 years, a place that he says is very sentimental to him. “It was one of the first places I started going on tour,” he said.

He will make his next stop this Monday, October 2nd at The Aquarium supporting his awesome new record, “Running Wild.”

The first thing I noticed when listening to this record was the positivity versus his previous projects. When asked about it, Laub said, “Music is a therapeutic source, so you need new things to tap into besides being the victim. I wanted to show the brighter side of my personality. That’s the whole point of this record.”

You can feel that sentiment from the very first track, called “Postcards.” To me, a record is nothing without a great opening track to set the stage for the collection of songs to come. It has an old-school funk/R&B vibe to it with an added flair of modern production.

I asked him about the writing process. “We had a lot of the record together already but needed something with a more vintage vibe. It sounds like a sample but it wasn’t sampled. I played all of the instruments and sequenced it like a modern song with -anti-hook’ guitars, organs, and vintage synths.”

He described the night he wrote it, saying he kicked everyone else out of the studio. So they all went and watched a soccer game while he wrote the song. He said “We recorded everything in Sweden where they are serious about soccer.”

When he was done he interrupted the soccer game and their attention went from the game to the song. They all loved it.

With regard to the fans’ reaction to the new record and the new positivity, he said, “The reception has been interesting. People either say ‘I f*cking hate this’ or ‘I f*cking love it.’ It is inspiring because nobody gets to say who is me but me. It makes me want to dig deeper; it makes me want to do more.”

He said he is not done with the darker tone of his other releases, but he does want to be more positive, saying “Nobody has to look back on my discography except for me.”

Before we got off the phone I had to ask him if he had any Kipp G stories. He quickly replied, “Nothing you can print.”

Catch Grieves at The Aquarium with his opener, who is of course Kipp G.

IF YOU GO

Grieves: Running Wild Tour, with deM atlaS & Kipp G.

Monday, October 2, 8-11pm; doors 8pm, show 9pm

The Aquarium (Dempsey’s upstairs), 226 Broadway N




Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com Ten North Dakota communities will participate in the nationwide No Kings Day of Peaceful Action on October 18. The grassroots movement is a nonviolent protest against President Trump’s…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu I would like to recognize some of the scholarly Germans from Russia from Canada and USA shared on the GRHC website. There are additional names not included here. If you have suggestions…

Friday, October 31, doors 8 p.m. show starts at 8:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe annual Aquarium Halloween Cover Show is back and it is stacked. And this time there are a limited amount of presale…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comAnother public health crisis besides guns: lack of empathyThe Sisters of Charity have finally had enough of their Trumper boss, Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. One of the most…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comNoémie Merlant, working from a script she wrote with Pauline Munier and her “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” collaborator Celine Sciamma, directs herself in “The Balconettes” (the…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Gallery 4 downtown recently celebrated its 50 year anniversary, making it one of the longest consecutively running galleries in the country. With different membership tiers, there are 17 primary…

Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com When we are sick, all we want is a cure. You go to the doctor, they give you a pill, you take it for a bit, then you are cured. It happens. But unfortunately, it is not always the case. …

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership  As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…