INTERVIEW – Ben Morgan of Mangrenade

Mangrenade is a band unlike many others out there today. With a sound that is constantly evolving and a solid lineup that shall prove to stand the test of time, the foursome out of Cincinnati, Ohio, are ready for absolutely anything that life throws at them. They’ve got two shows coming up in support on the Breaking Benjamin tour with Red, and it’s safe to say that this will be just the beginning of their time on sold-out stages.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Ben Morgan, guitarist and vocalist for Mangrenade to see just what they’ve been up to since last we spoke.

Thank you so much, Ben, for sitting down with me tonight. How are things going ?

I’m doing great, and things are going well.

Good, good. Now, a bit of time has passed since we last spoke on the record. How have things changed for your band in that time?

A lot, really, has changed. First of all, we have a full band now. We are completely staffed. We’ve got A.J. Grubb as our official drummer, so he is now an official member of Mangrenade. He brought on, from another band he played in, a gentleman named Nick Millson who has been playing bass with us, and he is hired on as a full time member of Mangrenade.

We’ve done a couple of gigs; we’ve done one with the current lineup. We completed a record – well, an EP anyway – and released it. We’ve just begun writing, as a unit, new music for a new record that I am really excited about. And we’ve been lining up some really, really nice gigs. So, things have been paying off for us since you chatted with me last.

Well, that’s great news. I know that you said you had some lineup changes. How does the band work now as it stands after the lineup changes you have had to deal with? Do you feel like this is it, this is the band, or do you feel another evolution is possible?

We absolutely feel that we have a solid lineup. We feel like everybody in the band is focused on the same goal. It feels like a unit; it doesn’t feel like four entities trying to work together. It really just feels like one machine coming at you. It definitely feels like a band. We have no intention of getting rid of or replacing anybody.

Nick (Thieme) and I are pretty much of the mind that we’ve got these guys, we’re keeping these guys, and everybody’s going to be working on this. We want everybody to have equal parts in this. We’ve definitely taken on some new bits of attitude and new bits of sound already just adding these two guys. Seeing what comes out of this from here on forward will be a big tell as to what this unit of Mangrenade will really be like.

Now, that’s exciting. You said that each of you have the same focus on a common goal. What is that common goal?

That’s really hard to put into words, really. We all see it; we all know what we want. Saying it and defining it is kind of difficult. We want to write the best music that we are capable of writing. Every one of us wants it to be a vehicle for us to make our living doing that. We want it to perpetuate itself, basically.

I think everybody kind of knows what their strengths are – how they can contribute to that and also what their strengths aren’t and where they should kind of back off and let other people sort of take the lead on this. We are firing like a machine – everyone has a job and a purpose, and it might not be clearly defined what that job and purpose is, you know it and it’s yours.

That is an interesting way of putting that; I like that. I don’t think a lot of bands understand that as the goal. You know your job, and you know what you need to do.

Right, and I think a big part of that is just that we don’t think, “Hey, we’re in a band…” You know, it’s not a band; it’s a business. It’s a job; it’s so much more than just a band that plays. There’s a whole thing going on here. It’s definitely a business.

That makes sense. Now, you mentioned some gigs you have had lately; so tell me more about those gigs that you’ve had since we last chatted.

The last time you spoke to me, we talked about us playing Bogart’s here in Cincinnati, and we did that. We supported Breaking Benjamin for that show, and that was Mangrenade’s first time playing with those dudes. And, it was absolutely fantastic. It was a great audience.

We’ve all seen so many different bands play Bogart’s, and several of us have played the Bogart’s stage before. But, to play it in front of a sold out audience was definitely new for all of us involved. I think that that is clearly the most stand-out thing that we’ve done since then.

We’ve done other shows, smaller things, just to keep the dust off of us a bit, and they’ve been fun. There’s nothing wrong with those shows. But, you know, at the end of the day – and I hate to be like this – but at the end of the day, it’s just another local show. You go home and it’s like it never happened. Whereas, the bigger stuff kind of stays with you, and it kind of teaches you more. I feel like we learned a lot playing that Bogart’s stage, and we know a few things we need to do differently to put on a better show.

Well good, you said you learned a few things from that. So, what did it feel like being in that arena from where you’d come before that?

Well, it felt like a lot of the hard work and the effort and BS we’ve endured was kind of paying off into something. It finally felt like we were accomplishing something, and I haven’t felt like that in this band in a long time, to be honest. We broke new ground. Finally, we’ve done something new. That, I think, is the best way to describe that feeling – that, and accomplished. We did it, and we want to keep doing that. That is where we belong. Like I said, we learned some things to do even better so that we can keep on doing this.

Right, and that is sort of the pinnacle. Like, it sounds like you’re saying, “We want that shit all the time.”

*laughs* Yeah.

I love the way you talk about it. I have to tell you that just since I spoke with you the last time, you sound different. You sound more confident, more accomplished. You sound like you’ve seen a few more things and have a few more notches on your experience belt since I’ve last talked to you.

Yeah, I am definitely more confident in what we are doing. And, you know, honestly what is the biggest part of that is what we talked about earlier. I have a real band behind me right now. I don’t have worries about who is going to play what for the next show. I’m not concerned about whether or not this person is really enjoying himself doing it. My band is solid; that alone gives you a lot of confidence.

Having broken some of the threshold and being able to do some bigger and better things, I definitely think we all feel more confident in what we’re doing. That’s not to say that we aren’t humble about it, as we clearly are, but you don’t get to do these kinds of things if you’re not doing something right. And we recognize that.

 

Yeah, I mean, I have to agree with you. Speaking of Breaking Benjamin, they brought you on to do two more shows with them on their current run with Red. Those shows are pretty damn near sold out. So, How did getting those spots come about, and what was your reaction to the news?

These two shows? It’s actually a really fun story. We’re on the shows because Ben wants us on the shows. And honestly, there was a text message conversation between Nick (Thieme) and Ben, and Ben basically told him he wanted us on the shows. Fifteen minutes after that, their tour manager is texting Nick the details and blah blah, and I’m sitting on the couch with my mouth on the floor.

I was like, What is happening in my apartment right now? There are rockstars and tour managers texting my roommate, and all of a sudden, we’re being asked to pick up more really cool gigs. Guess I better start playing more!

Better practice! It sounds like Ben appreciates what you bring to the table when it comes to style, talent, and energy because I don’t think he would bring you onboard himself if he didn’t support what you are doing.

Well, I can’t speak for him, but it sure seems that way. It seems like there’s something about what we’re doing that he’s fond of somehow. I’ll take it, ya know? He’s an incredible talent. And he’s been doing this for a pretty long time now. So, any sort of positive feedback and support from a guy like him is priceless.

I am eternally grateful, very thankful and appreciative of the opportunity. I am still a little bit stunned by how it all came about. I am stunned that this person that I respect as a musician and performer likes what I am doing on some level. I don’t know that it has sunk in as real yet, like I haven’t grasped the reality of that.

 

Well, I am stoked because I get to go to my first Mangrenade show on Tuesday, so I am pumped to see you play live finally!! So, now that your lineup is full, what can fans expect from your live show now, since you’ve had some lineup changes?

That’s a good question. I don’t think that there’s a whole lot different about what our show is going to be, other than there are four of us now, and we’re just going to be better at it. We’ve always been a really high-energy, all over the place kind of band. We have a lot of movement and chaos on stage when we play. So, I think that just expect more of the same.

Well, I have only had the chance to see you via videos, so I am pretty amped for Tuesday.

We are excited to play Columbus. When Mangrenade has played Columbus before, it’s been at house parties and record shops, and stuff like that – rooms where you may get 50 to 100 people. We’re going to be playing in front of 5200 people now, so yah….

I’m nervous for you! You said that number, and I was like, “Eeek! That’s so many!”

I’m not really nervous about it, to be honest. I’m anxious and ready to put on a really great show on a really great stage. I think I’m giddy with anticipation for that stage.

I know Severed, Part II came out in its entirety since we spoke last. What has the reaction been to that? Did you have any expectations for its release, and if so, how have they been met or exceeded?

The feedback that I have gotten from Severed, Part II is interesting. A lot of the old fanbase do not really approve of it, I am not going to lie. Track three, “My Oblivion,” gets a little more respect from our older fanbase. By and large, they’re not really digging it. But, the new listeners are starting to outnumber those older ears, and what I am hearing about songs like “Suffer” and “Severed Parts” for instance, is just these songs are absolute bangers – these are incredible songs. I am getting a lot of good feedback from the new fanbase. I hate to draw a line in the sand like that, but it’s the truth of the matter of how it’s been.

Okay, so why do you think that is? It’s interesting that you said that because typically old fans are like, “I’m going to love this no matter what because it’s you,” you know what I mean? So, why do you think the line is there for those fans?

We have evolved sonically so far that I don’t think you could really pull anything off of our very first release and set it next to anything on our latest release and, beyond maybe some vocal similarities, hear anything similar. We quit playing blues licks and lost a lot of our local fanbase because of that. But, it’s all good because we’ve picked up a lot of new local fanbase in the process.

I think the differences are in the songs. We used to write a song that would sound like a fun, party time, blues rock song – call it Dad Rock if you will. We never intended it to be that way; it was just what came out. And we were a different band lineup wise. We were a three-piece, I played bass, and we had a different drummer. As time went on, we parted ways with the original drummer and went through, like, nine others all while writing new material, going through darker and darker times in our lives, and the sound of what we were writing was really starting to represent that. Moodier and darker music just kept coming out, and every little thing that we did just got darker.

We went from writing songs about barhopping to writing songs about shooting heroin and yourself.

We stopped touching on the feel good stuff, and it’s just not how we felt, so it wasn’t what we wrote. And now, we have two guitarists who are doing entirely different stuff than what Thieme used to do in Mangrenade. The old chords are gone; the old scales are gone. Everything has evolved into something new. It was never intended. It wasn’t something we decided on; it just happened.

And, I’m playing guitar which means I am not playing the licky bass stuff that the old fans are used to. People just liked it. With me on guitar, people are questioning how we can still be Mangrenade, and I have gotten that response quite a bit. People ask me how we can call ourselves Mangrenade if it’s not Thieme on guitar and me on bass.

So, people liked what they liked, and we’re not doing it anymore. It’s not that they don’t like what we ARE doing, they’re just not as enthusiastic as they once were about it before. Like I said, in the process, this whole new crop of people who do relate to what we are going now and don’t find it to be scary to talk about darker stuff and explore that have come forward from it.

And I feel it to be honest to be able to write about that kind of stuff and feel like cleansed by it to be able to write about them, and I think there is a new fanbase who can pick up on that and respect it, identify with it, and want to be a part of it. What we’re losing is really small when you look at the new enthusiasm and the new love for what we are doing, when you take that into account. We haven’t lost anything; we’ve only gained.

That’s a really good way to look at it. The new people who are hearing about you for the first time because they didn’t know about you before they saw you at Bogart’s, or didn’t know you before an interview ran – those people are going to be the ones who carry you from show to show and release to release.

Absolutely. And we’ve started to see a little bit of that sort of attitude. Just looking at it from a sales perspective, the new fanbase is spending more money on our stuff than the old fanbase ever did. So, there is definitely a lot of vigor and enthusiasm in our fanbase. I hope they keep it up; I am loving it.

Well, the old fanbase might have been used to getting it for free, whereas the new folks will pay for what they like. It’s different from those who will tell you that they knew you way back when and don’t want to pay for things they feel they don’t have to.

You’re right. And hey, I am not mad at anybody. I feel it’s refreshing and great that people know that they can tell me exactly how they feel about something and forget all the politeness and niceties and all that crap. I want people to be honest with us. Call me a sell out to my face, and I will respect you more than you’d ever know. It’s fine.

Right! Speaking of sell out, with all this new attention and touring, are you guys still thinking about labels? Has anyone contacted you?

Well, we’ve heard a few things here and there, but more than labels, we are interested more in management. Good management. We’re looking for promotions, tour management, things like that. Record label has come up in conversation before, but we’re far more interested in just good management and PR. We’re definitely looking for that. We have some people in mind that we want to work with and that we have been reaching out to. We are excited to get some new material together to kind of aid in that. We’re definitely looking in that direction.

Okay, so you read my mind once again and I want to talk about new stuff. New energy, new drive, new focus: what can the listeners expect from the new material you’re coming up with now? And, will it be full length or EP style release?

We are going to do a full-length. It’s going to be called Grime. You can essentially expect it to sound the way the word “grime” sounds. What I have been writing have been some thick, dirty dirty riffs. They’re really thick with melody. There’s a lot of moodiness and a new darkness to what we are doing now.

There’s also a new sort of air of hopefulness and positivity that things are sort of landing on solid ground as well. Again, none of this was planned or on purpose. But I noticed a lot of my chord progressions are ending in ways that sort of make you feel up about things, even though the subject matter is kind of depressing, there is still a light at the end of the tunnel constantly.

Are you saying that with, compared to Severed, Part II being the lowest of the low, in Grime, do we see a maybe happier kind of ending? Or a happier progression?

You start to see the path towards the happy ending, I want to say. Grime is us cleaning ourselves kind of. We’re removing a lot of the hurt and a lot of the pain from our lives, specifically Thieme and I as main songwriters in the band. So, we have shed a lot of weight and learned a lot about ourselves and each other. We sort of help each other kind of just clean the hurtful and wasteful stuff out of each other’s life. 

I like that mentality about the progression and look forward to experiencing it! In your opinion, what is the best part of being in a band like Mangrenade? What are some of the tradeoffs you’ve had to make in your own life to be able to be a musician? Are those tradeoffs continuing to pay off?

The best part for me is getting to write and record music and perform it with my best friend. I think that it always will be. I love that guy, and I am fortunate that our lives have gone in such a direction that we get to do the thing that we do so well and we love so much. I am just fortunate to be able to do it with him. In terms of tradeoffs, a lot of different things come to mind. I am 32 year old and live in a two-bedroom apartment with my best friend.

So, I think a lot of the sort of adult evolution of American people have been sort of put on hold for both of us. We sort of started over, if you will. The whole career and home thing and picket fence thing never really appealed to me, and it’s not a reality I ever really imagined for myself. I don’t like sitting still; I can’t sit for too long. That part is worth it to me because I wouldn’t be there anyway.

Time with family and friends a lot of people take for granted, and when you’re on the road, you’re in a new place every day and have so little time. You know people everywhere and want to give people your time; it’s just that you find yourself pinballing and bouncing around. So, some of the stability people typically have, we don’t. It’s worth it, totally worth it.

I like what I do. I like getting better at it. I still like stability, but I like going about it in my own way. My end game is to keep doing this with Nick. Anything else that comes with it, it’s like, “All right, let’s do this.” But, my end game with Mangrenade won’t change.

So, what mode is Mangrenade in right now? Are you in touring mode after the two dates you have set with Breaking Benjamin (one in Columbus on May 2^nd, the other in Indiana on May 12^th), or are you hunkered down in writing mode?

We are kind of hunkered down in writing mode. With Thieme working with the band he works with, they’re always out on the road, so getting out on our own is kind of really hard to do. We’re hunkered down, writing and recording this record, and getting it ready to be released. In the meantime, we are constantly ear to the ground about getting on a tour, so that can change at any time, but right now, we’re totally in writing mode.

What’s next for Mangrenade?

Honestly, I would like to think we are going to continue to write and record really great music and play that music for really great audiences. If we can turn that into touring, I would love to do it. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, but I am not going to cry in my cereal if it doesn’t. We’re going to keep ourselves open to whatever may come. We are available for whatever else comes.

That’s kind of a kick ass place to be, no matter what your station in life. To just be ready for whatever is next to come is kind of awesome.

Absolutely. It’s liberating. We can kind of do whatever we want right now, and we need to see what exactly comes about for us down the line. We’re ready for whatever.

Well, I can’t wait to see what exactly that is! Thank you so much for sitting down with me tonight and giving me the skinny on Mangrenade. I really appreciate it.

Well, you’re welcome. You’re my favorite, and I love talking to you, so anytime.

Thank you so much, and I’ll see you on Tuesday! I can’t wait!

Interview by Devon Anderson, Managing Editor and Journalist
Photos courtesy of Terry Holmes, freelance photographer