Well first off, I bet your wondering, "it's BotD, does John Ralston have band status?" The answer is "Yes, my friend". Two reasons, he plays with a full on band - we're talkin violins, backup vocals, aka the works. And second, he plays guitar for Dashboard Confessional.
His debut album "Needle Bed" was a total accident. It was just a casual recording project between friends, yet took off into one hell of an album. The term "needle bed" is a great description of his music: The comfort of a bed (soft happy music) and the pain of needles (darker lyrics).