Singer/songwriter Dusty Grant and his band have released a brand new single and video, "I Think I'm Okay", and it sends a message about being strong and overcoming criticism and those who try to hold you back. Like two recent releases, "Oceans" and "When It All Crashed Down", this new song is sure to increase the number of followers to this hard rock act from Wichita, Kansas.
Grant is joined by Jason Catlett (lead guitar), Bwana Villa (vocals), Shane Harper (drums), and Chris McNutt (bass). Lyrics for "I Think I'm Okay" were written by Grant, and Catlett wrote the music. They arranged the song together. The track was produced by Chris Dawson and mastered by Mike Kalajian.
This song is a little heavier than the other two recent songs. It starts out with an intricate guitar riff that hooks the listener right away. The drum beats in the chorus are especially powerful and combine well with the guitar and bass. The song comes full circle, as it closes with the same guitar melody from the beginning. Grant has a soulful, passionate voice that shows his emotions and brings to life the meaning of this song.
Grant describes "I Think I'm Okay" as a statement against gatekeepers, “keyboard warriors” and people who have rejected him or criticized him for the direction he has chosen to take with his music. He admits that he was angry when he wrote the song. He says, "A lot of people don't understand that, as an artist, it's not something I choose to do at this point. It's something I HAVE to do. It borders on obsession and I've put every last drop of everything I have into it."
There is determination to overcome the adversity, however. As Grant states, "I'm going to keep pushing, and I'll stop at nothing to push it as far as I can regardless of what people say or think. Until you've walked in my shoes and seen and appreciated what I've put myself and my family through to pursue this dream, you can keep your opinions to yourself.” This statement is reflected perfectly in the chorus:
"I'm not sure why you'd want to walk in these shoes
A monster driving everything that I do
I look around and all I see is smoke
I'm not the one you want to try and provoke"
The video, directed by the brilliant J.T. Ibanez, depicts the band playing in darkness with intermittent flashes of light. Meanwhile, Grant, while singing, is covered in blood and tethered to red restraints but trying to break free. He finally does at the end, and advances towards the light. This represents him freeing himself from the critics and negativity and pursuing his musical dreams.
Grant says, "Working with J.T. is definitely interesting. He's an absolute master at his craft. When we work with him, it usually starts with me sending him a demo or early mix of the song. Then we set a date and travel north about six and a half hours to his studio. We typically have very little insight as to what we'll be filming. It's usually a mystery before we shoot, but it always works. There's a great deal of trust that J.T. will knock whatever idea he has for the visuals out of the park."
Dusty Grant and the band will be doing a Halloween show with their friends in Big Red Horse in Wichita. They then plan to release one more song before the end of this year. There will be new music for 2023 written in November and December. Grant says, "It was my goal to release four songs this year, and it looks like we'll achieve that, which I'm super proud of. I am so grateful to work with a team of amazing people to create music."
<Annie Schlottman>