It always makes interviews easier when you can find some common ground. Keith and I both share a history of wandering the same downtown streets of Knoxville, TN. While I was born there, Keith attended the prestigious University of Tennessee. Born into a family of performers, the spotlight is nothing new to the talented vocalist/guitarist.
Joining Breaking Benjamin with the reconfigured lineup in 2015, the band went into a long run of commercial success. Now, a little over a decade later, he has the room to work both on band and solo projects. Keith is starting over when it comes to garnering an audience. Taking the opportunity to enjoy the scenes he may have missed on the climb up. Retaining an appreciation for the small wins is no easy task, but he remains just as thankful. He took some time to reflect on his journey as a solo artist with us.
You’ve got some solo single releases and some with Breaking Benjamin. What are the biggest lessons or standout experiences for the year so far?
Being a solo artist is hard. It is hard. I think lots of people might think that, oh, you know, you’re also in Breaking Benjamin; that probably helps you. In some ways, maybe a little bit, but in most ways, it’s pretty much just an undertaking from the ground up. And you know, you just kind of start from the ground and work your way up the mountain. It’s a climb. It’s a real climb up the mountain, and you have to get out there and put the work in and play the shows, but other than that, you know, when you get into music, you don’t necessarily get into this kind of thing, thinking about the money. What am I going to make? How much money am I going to make? You do it because you love it. And I liken this whole kind of solo experience and project back to when I was first starting to play in bands and first getting in a van and, you know, going out of town and playing a show for the first time. It’s kind of like that, but 25-some years later, so I’m, like, a little—I’m a lot—bit older and more experienced, and it’s definitely different, but it’s also kind of the same in a way, but I love it. You know, we do it because we love the music, and we love to play, and so that’s what it’s all about. And then hopefully, someday the money might come.
With the knowledge from Breaking Benjamin, do you feel like a veteran, or do you feel like you’re in that starting spot again, where you’re truly at the bottom, starting to build your way up?
It really is a funny thing. I don’t know if there are many artists that are in quite this kind of position as me, because I’ve played music for a long time, over 25 years, and so I feel like a veteran. And obviously my experience and time with Breaking Benjamin is just like we’ve—I’ve seen the top of the mountain, and I’ve seen just like, all the just great shows and humongous shows and venues that we’ve played. And I’m still experiencing that. Every tour we do, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and it’s amazing. But then, when that’s over, I go back to my, my solo thing, and it’s just such a different, more intimate experience. I kind of feel like I’m just a brand-new artist but trapped in an experienced, seasoned vet. So it’s kind of a mindfuck in a way, but I try and just take all the best aspects of both experiences and just lean into it and enjoy it. Just know that, hey, look, I have an opportunity to sing and play guitar tonight, no matter what stage it is, whether it’s a 200-cap venue or a 20,000-cap venue. I’m able to do it. Really, that’s kind of one of my main reasons for doing it, because I know there’s going to be one day when I’m too old to do it, and I won’t be able to sing the same. Well, my hands won’t work the same. So I’m grateful to just be young enough to be able to do it. That’s kind of where I’m at. But it’s a very odd situation, in a way. But, yeah, I’m just kind of working toward getting the solo thing, at least just a little bit closer to the other projects. Yeah, I don’t have too much time on my hands. I guess time’s running out in a way, because I’m getting older, and so I’m just going to do my best and keep going for as long as I can.
Do you think there are some things that you might not have forgotten on the climb up, that you’re kind of getting to experience again, that you’re kind of seeing with a new light?
The little wins, the little wins you get. They really are just special, even all these years later, just showing up to a venue you’ve never been to before, you’ve never seen, and you don’t know what to expect. Having people come out and support you. You never know. You never know who all is going to come out. You know, there are so many things that people could be doing with their time and their money. And I mean, obviously the world is just so much more expensive than it used to be, and people are trying to save their money here and there, you know. So, the fact that people still come out and support, I mean, granted, even if it’s not as large of a crowd as a Breaking Benjamin concert, the people that do come out there, they’re all in and all gung-ho and supportive, and that kind of feeling is just, it’s just irreplaceable. It’s better than any drug that I’ve ever taken, you know, so it’s still special, and I think that’s why I keep doing it, because it really is a magic feeling.
I saw there were some comments about you “taking away time” from Breaking Benjamin with your solo career. How do you kind of deal with those remarks and then also kind of respond to that? How do you find that balance in between both?
I think anytime someone is unhappy with a band or any kind of thing in their life, they have to lash out in some sort of way and say some sort of thing. I’m pretty available and pretty easy to get ahold of on social media, so I’m an easy target. But that being said, me being on tour and doing my solo music, it’s like it doesn’t interfere with the way the band writes or the way the band does things. We all have our own projects, and we all still work together, whether it be remotely or anything else. So me being on tour doesn’t affect that. So if that can, you know, quell any criticism on the internet, hopefully that helps. Probably not, though, but I’ll just keep doing my thing. I keep focused on the things that I want to focus on. You try to be as positive as you can. There’s no pleasing everyone, you know. And no matter what, there are going to be people that are never satisfied. No matter how perfect or how on schedule and how great things are going, there will be someone that will find fault in something. So I try not to let it get to me. Yeah, and honestly, there are way worse things that people say to other people on the internet. So if that’s the worst I’m getting, then whatever. I’m trying!
You dropped your sophomore solo album last year. Are there any themes or messages that you want your fans to take away from it?
Gosh, honestly, any message that I would like to just send out to fans, obviously, just starts with “Thank you.” Thank you for listening. Thank you for caring. Because, gosh, there are so many other things for your attention to be captured by, so I’m really grateful for that. But other than that, I think just music-wise, it’s like, I think the goal of an artist is to not write the same song twice, not have the same album twice. Try to grow and evolve in a genuine, authentic way. I’m going to continue to try and do that, and some of the songs that I’m working on now are probably a little bit different than those, but that’s okay.
Some of your interests, beyond music, are golf, video games, and spending time in nature. Do you find that these hobbies intersect with your creative process, or are they kind of like a reprieve?
Yeah, I don’t really play as many video games as I used to. I started feeling guilty playing video games. I’d be sitting there, and I’d be like, “I could be writing songs or doing something constructive,” so I don’t do it too much anymore, but hiking—maybe I can kind of just walk and hike and clear my head, maybe think of some lyrics or something. But honestly, I think some of the side quests of my life are more just that—just kind of like a reprieve from music. There are times I’ll come home from a tour, and I don’t even want to look at a guitar, and you just kind of want to take a break. You need time to recharge a little bit, at least for me.
Both a solo career and Breaking Benjamin can get to be a lot sometimes, so I feel like taking a break is always nice to kind of refresh.
It’s kind of like I’m doing overtime a little bit. But again, I love it. I love it. But sometimes it’s like, all right, I need to, like, take a chill pill for a second.
If you had to pick three non-rock metal covers for your live set, what would they be?
I’m a child of the 80s. So I just love, just like the old synthy kind of stuff, like Tears for Fears and stuff like that. Probably, probably stuff like that. I don’t know, maybe, maybe a Shania Twain song that could be kind of changed around a little bit. She’s got some good stuff. But, yeah, I love the 80s, all that stuff. I feel like it’s just great.
Speaking of the cover of Avril Lavigne. What was the inspiration behind making that song?
Especially if you’re a new artist, sometimes you have to kind of capture someone’s attention with a cover. And it’s so hard to pick the right cover. And I think the 2000s era and genre of music are making a real comeback, and, oh, it’s having its own moment now. And I don’t know, I just felt like that was kind of a song that I felt like I could pull off. I’ve always liked that song. I always liked that album. Obviously, she’s a great artist, and it’s very nostalgic. I don’t know; I think it was like, “Yeah, let’s give it a shot.”
What’s one song from your current set list that has evolved the most since it was first written?
I would probably say The Wolf or Crush Me. These are songs off of Infinity Now, and I just sing them a little differently live. There’s one thing when you’re in the studio and you’re recording something for the first time. You’re not necessarily sure of how you want to sing it. So you’re kind of just trying it and singing it for the first time. And I think after singing it and playing it show after show after show, year after year, it can evolve the way you sing it, where you’re breathing, in the way you’re kind of throwing a melody out. It kind of can change a little bit. So I’d probably say those two; I kind of doctor them up a little bit.
Is it like a thing where you’re like, “I’m going to change it for this show?” Or is it just kind of like in the moment? When it feels right.
Yeah, completely in the moment. Lots of things I don’t even think about. I plan on just singing it how it’s supposed to be sung. But just sometimes in the moment, I’m just like, “I feel like I can do a little something here or over here.” That’s just something I love about performing. You kind of get lost in the moment. If you’re not totally in that moment, in that song and that lyric and that feeling, you know, what’s the fucking point? So might as well just be completely immersed in it.
Headspace holidays quickly become a fan favorite from infinity. Now, as you release new music for either your solo or breaking. Benjamin, is there a song on the album or the EP where you’re like, “This one’s going to be the one that resonates the most”? Or does it kind of surprise you?
I mean, honestly, I’m just waiting for any of them too. It’d be nice if any of them resonated. I think you have hopes of something maybe resonating more than the other, but ultimately the fans kind of decide that. So yeah. I mean, I think at this point with my solo career, the goal now is to just keep releasing music, putting it out there, doing the whole social media TikTok thing, and just hoping that something can connect with people.
How would you say marketing has changed from when you were starting with Breaking Benjamin to now? Are there any big differences where you’re like, “This is hard for me to wrap my head around,” or is it kind of just learning the process?
I heard something one time, and I’m not sure where I heard this, but basically, someone was saying, “Every artist in the world is under-exposed.” They’re not completely exposed and marketed as much as they should be. And I’m just like, how does that make sense? Well, it’s like, has everybody in the world heard of The Beatles? Well, you would think yes, but maybe not. So if that’s true of the Beatles, then it’s definitely true of me and other artists that aren’t as well known as the Beatles or whatever. I, at least, hope for myself that I’m just not exposed and marketed enough or known about as much, because if everybody in the world did know about me and there still wasn’t kind of a buzz or success. Then, then you got problems. But if no one has heard of you, then that’s half of it, you know, because I feel like most people that have heard of me, they like it generally. They generally like my music. And I can tell because I do have some fans online that I see, and they’re not just fans; they’re super fans. So I don’t know; I think the hope is to just get myself out there and get exposed more. And I mean, as far as the difference between back in the day, when I first started with breaking Ben to now, the whole thing is just constantly evolving. Back in the day there wasn’t TikTok; obviously, TikTok is everything now. It’s, like, the single most important marketing tool that a band can have at this point. I think a lot of labels—that’s kind of their advice. They’re like, “Well, what is it? How do we get this band big?” They just have to get viral on TikTok. And that’s it, which is crazy, you know? It’s like, “Well, what are you doing?” So I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll see what things will change for the next five years. Maybe TikTok will be around. Maybe it’ll be some other kind of shift to something else that we don’t even know about yet. So yeah, it’s all changing.
Do you find that there is a lot of overlap between fans from Breaking Benjamin, or are you getting a lot of new fans from different parts of the world/internet?
Yeah, I would like to think that there’s some overlap, but not as much as you would think. I think some people were introduced to me through Breaking Benjamin. But then, they’ve made a conscious decision to be like, “You know what? I like his music, and I’m invested in his music also.” I’m sure there are plenty of people that love Breaking Benjamin. But my music is not their thing, which is fine. I think that comes with everything, you know. Everybody’s got different tastes and stuff, but, yeah, I don’t know. I think it’s just like, whoever you can get, and whoever you can get to come along for the ride would be great. But I do feel like I still believe the one-song theory. I think, you know, it just takes one song to really connect. Especially if you have a foundation of super fans, I feel like it takes that one song, whether it’s on the radio or TikTok or whatever, to connect with people, to get some of the other more casual listeners and fans to be into it, and maybe, hopefully, they can develop into more super fans. But I think that one thing kind of helps, and that gives me hope to keep going, because it’s just, you’re only/you’re always just a song away from having a career, you know?
What’s the biggest difference between writing music for your solo work versus collaborations or for Breaking Benjamin? Or is there a difference?
I mean, the similarity is just like, “Hey, just try to write the best song you can.” I think that’s a no-brainer. But the difference is, every band and every artist has a different kind of voice, a different message, a different kind of thing they want to say, and a different way in which they kind of want to say it. So I think that, with my stuff, I don’t really think about it too much. I don’t know. I don’t have to think about, like, how do I want to say this? Because I’m my own artist, you know. Writing with different artists, you know, it’s really all about their vision and their art and how they want to say it. And so that’s something I really hold high up there, as far as, like, the importance; you really want them to be able to express themselves. And I think if I’m writing something with them, I want to help them get their message out, and hopefully, just try and make it cool and something that they’ll like and feel cool and good about.
When you’re writing for the bands, do you try to separate yourself from it, or do you try to be authentic in it as yourself? Instead of writing just for another band, or more of a collaborator?
Yeah, I think, I think there’s kind of a little bit of both. I kind of put myself in the position of, how would I want this song to go if I was in the band? If I were in this band, and this was something that I was putting out. And I think I look at it like that. How do we make this the best thing we could make? I kind of just put myself in that kind of position.
What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?
For the rest of the year, obviously, we got this tour. I’m out now with Breaking Benjamin, and we have this tour with Three Days Grace until October, and then I get home. There was talk of maybe doing another solo tour, but I don’t know. I might stay home and just recharge a little bit. I’ve been pretty busy this year, so it might be good to just hang and help my wife plant some stuff in the garden. Maybe the garden will be over by then. I’ll drink some pumpkin spice lattes at home.
Are you a fan of those?
I haven’t really had one, but my, my guitar player that plays in my solo band, Cowboy. He’s just like, “I can’t wait for fall.” He’s like, “I can already taste the pumpkin spice.” And I’m just like, “I’m with you with fall,” but I might, I might need to try out the pumpkin spice to see if it’s good.
