Interview with Ross Grant of Pseudopod
Pseudopod is an American jam band with their hometown being in Los Angeles. The band recorded and performed through the years 1998-2003. The members of the band consisted of two guitarists, Kevin Calberg and Ross Grant, a bassist, Brian Fox, and Tim McGregor on the drums. They were signed onto Interscope Records after winning a Best College Band in America award. The award came from an online contest sponsored by both Rollingstone.com and iuma.com. The band was known for putting on enjoyable live shows in which they usually played barefoot to make the stage more like home. Improvisation was a major factor in their live shows because they would constantly make their original songs longer during a performance. Fans of Pseudopod which would follow the band to performances were known as both Podpeople and Podheads. Here at jambandmusic.net we got to interview Ross Grant and ask him a few questions about the band.
How was Pseudopod formed? Where did the band members meet?
We met at UCLA, where we were all students, in 1998. The drummer (Tim) and guitarist (Ross) had been playing together since junior high. They came to UCLA and met Fox(Bass) and Matt Keegan( Sax) in the music dept., then saw Kevin playiing his own sogns in a local bar and just decided to start writing and playing together.
How was the bands name, Pseudopod, decided on?
We were originally called “Pod”, for no real good reason, then that Christian metal band from San Deigo came out (P.O.D.) and we had to change it. I saw the name pseudopod in my medical text books (I was pre-med) and though it looked like a cool word. Not too deep:)
What was it like winning Rolling Stone’s Best College Band contest? Did it open any doors for you?
That was definitely our break. This was back when the whole dot.com thing was huge and music websites had a lot of money. Before that, we had been touring the west coast a bit and had some fans, but that really gave us national exposure via the net, plus we got a good chunk of money, which helped pay some bills and allowed us to record our second album, which then got us a well-connected manager and got us signed to Interscope.
How would you describe your music?
I guess kind of pop-leaning improvisational rock:) Or a poppy jamband(?) We like to improvise and weren’t afraid to have ten minute songs, but we also weren’t afraid to have 3 minute songs and definitely appreciate a hooky chorus.
Is it difficult improvising on songs or does it come naturally?
It comes naturally. Honing things in to create a tight arrangement is the hard part. We all come from jazz backgrounds, and especially Tim, Keegan, and I were very influenced by Bitches Brew-Era Miles Davis and records like that where almost the whole record is improvised. We all play in bands where we do that the whole time.
Where did the inspiration come from for “Pod”? Where did it come from for “Rest Assured”?
“Pod” was recorded about 4 months after we first played together. So it was really just getting our initial ideas of how to write songs together out there on a disc
“Rest Assured” was the one where we really took some time and had a bit more money to play with things in the studio. I think we had so long between those albums that we had like 40 songs we were choosing from to put on there. It’s probably a bit “all over the place” stylistically, but that was fine with us.
What kind of music did you listen to growing up? Have any bands influenced you?
I went through many phases, initially hard rock and metal, like Guns n Roses, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, then got really, really in to Pink Floyd, later Phish, and a bit of the Dead, then really in to funk like Tower of Power, James Brown, The Meters, Medeski, Martin and Wood. I love Keith Jarret, Radiohead, Tom Waits, Dredg, Countring Crows, The Frames, Miles Davis. My favorite guitar players are Slash, John Scofield, and David Gilmour.
Do you have any memorable performances? If so, what made them memorable?
One of the first bigger shows we played was opening for Blues Traveler at a sold out Rialto Theater in Tuscon. They asked me to come up and jam with them on “Mountain Cry” which was always my favorite song of theirs. Trading solos with Jon Popper, this guy I had watched and admired growing up, was pretty amazing.
We also got to play at Red Rocks with BT, which was an amazing venue
Have you always played guitar or have you played other instruments as well? What makes the guitar the best pick for you?
Guitar was my first instrument (Age 7) But I played sax for many years, also clarinet, flute, piano. Guitar was always the one that felt right for some reason though. Not sure why:)
Do you have any famous icons you look up to?
I guess some of the guys I already mentioned. Miles Davis, for always staying fresh and changing what he was doing. John Scofield, for being one of the most unique voices in guitar playing.
Is Pseudopod working on any new projects or planning any for the future?
All of us are in different bands now, doing different things. We put out three albums and toured all ove the country for three years and then needed to come home for a while. We may get back together soon. Not sure.
Do you have any advice for all the amateur musicians out there following their dreams?
Just do what you love, with people you love, and enjoy every step of the way. Enjoy the little milestones. Always take time to look around and smell the roses.
