Final lineup (last performance at Furnace Fest 2003):
Kyle Benecke - vocals
Travis Villines - guitar
Dustin Nadler - guitar
Jason Douglas - bass
Jason Shrout - drums

Former members:
Mike Waters - vocals [four-song demo]
Josh Broadhead - vocals [all recorded vocals after the four-song demo]
Mark Jackson - vocals [spring-summer 2003 touring/live shows only]
Brent Windler - guitar [early practice sessions only]
Brian Little - guitar [pre-breakup practice sessions only]
Jeremy Wilson - guitar [pre-breakup practice sessions only]
Jon Barker - bass [practice sessions after the demo only]

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Bio:
It all started back in 1998. You're probably thinking , what? 1998? Well, we didn't know it, but what was to later become Saved By Grace was united in 1998. I (Jason Shrout) was in a funk/metal band at the time but absolutely loved hardcore and always wanted to play it. Well, somehow I met these two kids from a local punk rock band I had heard of - Josh and Travis from The Excuses - (I don't know how we met, it was probably at a King Mob show or something). Josh mentioned The Excuses needed a drummer and said he liked my drumming and asked if I would play for them. Well, being a huge melodic punk fan also, I said although I was in a band already, I would think about it. About November of that year I got a call from Josh begging me to play. I said yes and did it, although my band King Mob didn't necessarily like it. So we practiced and went into the studio and recorded a few songs that were never put out. I ended up being in the band for like 2 weeks and didn't even play any shows with them. Although it was fun and as much as I love melodic punk, I honestly didn't want to play it very much. So, I quit The Excuses and Josh said that if I ever wanted to come back, I had a permanent spot in the band.

I went on playing with King Mob until we broke up in late May of 1999. I didn't know what my plans were but I saw Josh at a Good Riddance show on June 21, 1999 and decided to call him and see if The Excuses needed a drummer. Jason Anderson was actually in the band at the time and he was hooking them up, but, at Cornerstone 99' he screwed them over and basically, they broke up. In August of that year I called Josh and we reformed The Excuses with the originals, Adam, Josh, and Travis, but with the addition of myself and Tommy Hoskins on guitar/vocals (3 guitars). We ended up doing that song "Second Chances" but nothing else. So while we were just going nowhere with that, Travis and Josh knew I lived and breathed hardcore and we came up with the idea of starting a hardcore band.
Honestly, I thought it was just an idea too good to be true and I didn't think we'd get past discussion (judging from our lack of motivation in The Excuses). Before we started the band, we had the name Saved By Grace picked for sure. Not only did it sound cool but for Josh, Travis, and everyone who joined later Grace = God. For me, Grace = Straightedge, which is coo how the name can be whatever you make of it. When we started practicing/writing, we knew we wanted 2 guitars, so we recruited Mike Waters to play 2nd guitar. So the lineup was then: Travis - guitar, Mike - guitar, Josh - bass, and me on drums.

We tried and tried to find someone to sing, but it didn't work. Mike said he could sing, so we said "prove it." Mike screamed and it sounded okay so we asked Mike to sing and he accepted (he wasn't working out playing guitar anyway, he wasn't half as good as Travis who was coming up with some awesome stuff).

Then the problem arose with 2nd guitar. We needed someone who would totally complement Travis. Our close friend Dusitn Nadler was playing in a local emo/indie band but liked playing with us after one practice. The guy is amazing at guitar. We asked him to join and he said yes. Now we had the great melodic songwriting of Dustin to complement Travis' heavy hardcore influences.

Now the band was complete and we went on to write 4 songs that we put out as a demo soon after. We still weren't playing shows but we were practicing. After a small hiatus from doing nothing with the band, Mike informed us that he was going into the army, so we had to find a new singer. Well, Josh stepped up and said he'd do it. After much discussion we decided to let him try. After all, he wrote all the lyrics to our other songs anyway. Josh ended up sounding amazing, so we accepted. It complemented the music more so than Mike's higher pitched vocals. Although this change was for the better, it left us looking for a new bassist since josh was now singing.

For awhile Jon Barker from Boy Hero filled in on bass. For some reason we couldn't get ahold of Jon one day for practice so another close friend, Jason Douglas, filled in and really wanted to be in the band. He was more technical and smooth than Jon and he loved our music so he joined (ironically he was in Dustin's emo band prior to SBG. He was the drummer (yeah, he's one of those kids who play a million different instruments)). So the lineup as follows: Josh Broadhead on vocals, Travis Villines and Dustin Nadler on guitars, Jason Douglas on bass guitar, and Jason Shrout on drums.

Saved By Grace continued to write music, started playing shows in September of 2000, and signed with Recorse Records in Fall of 2000. Since the official forming of the band in early 2000 (roughly in February or March) we have already accomplished more than we thought we would have in the lifetime of the band. So to everyone who has done anything positive for or relating to the band - Thank You. It's all about having fun playing hardcore. I know if anyone of us in the band ever quit, I think it would all be over because all this band is about, is getting together with best friends and playing the kind of music we love the most, and seeing a big crowd of kids go off and screaming lyrics at us. That is definitely the best feeling in the world - Being up on stage and seeing people enjoy something you have created.

XJason ShroutX
Saved By Grace
11-23-00