Interviews

Interviews: Cave In

Smother - How did Cave In start?

Steve - 3 out of the 4 of us have been buddies since middle school. Cave In began like lots of bands, in the basement just trying to play music that excited us a great deal. We've been through lots of different line-ups over the course of about 4 1/2 years, and the present one has been the most musically rewarding.

Smother - I loved your cover of N.I.B. by Black Sabbath. Have you guys done any other covers?

Steve - We've done quite a few. A Failure cover on our EP, a Cure song for a compilation that's yet to be released, a Bad Brains song for a tribute record on Century Media, and I believe that's it.

Smother - I recently interview Jacob from Converge and he said he's done the artwork for you guys album-wise for a while. How did you get hooked up with Jacob?

Steve - Jake used to design a few things here and there for Hydra Head. I didn't formally meet him until I joined Converge for a little while, and perhaps some ideas were formed & exchanged back then, I really don't remember.

Smother - I unfortunately missed your DC show with Candiria and Neurosis. What was that like playing with two of the most innovative bands such as those two?

Steve - It really was a blessing. It's the first tour where we really felt like "No matter how hard we play, those guys will mop the floor with us!" but it felt really good. I thought we played very, very well. Usually, it takes us about a week before we lock into a groove on tour, but we locked in almost immediately with the Neurosis tour. We got treated very well by everyone in the Neurosis and Candiria camps, and it seemed like good vibes all around.

Smother - What exactly do you write your lyrics about in Cave In? I was reading the lyrics to the songs from, "Until Your Heart Stops" and some of it I understood, some of it I didn't. Would you care to explain any of the songs?

Steve - Lots of lyrics on that album came from pieces I had written for a Creative Writing course I took at school one semester. A few songs have a solid theme 70% of the time, but that percentage varies all over the place at any given time. The title song is sort of about people who's own identities are so weak and under-developed that they call someone else's identity their own. "Halo of Flies" is about someone I used to be close with a long time ago who eventually died of a drug overdose. "Juggernaut" is about feeling lonely in a city-environment. "The End Of Our Rope Is A Noose" is about the departure of a certain ex-band member.

Smother - How would you personally describe Cave In's sound?

Steve - Four guys wearing ear-plugs in their noses eating Dunkaroos in one hand and fretting guitars in the other.

Smother - What are your future plans as far as touring and recording is concerned?

Steve - We're recording another album in February, with Brian McTernan. It'll probably come out in late April/early May, and then we really want to tour overseas in Europe for the early springtime. We're also piecing together things for a 4-track CD under our alter-ego name "The Sacrifice Poles" that'll come out around the same time.

Smother - I heard a rumor that your tour van caught fire or something like that. Is this true?

Steve - Yeah. It was quite an unpleasent experience. 65% of our equipment was ruined, we lost a van, lots of personal belongings... tour really went out with a "bang" this time! The Neurosis tour really made up for it, though. We played in almost all the places we missed on our summer tour from the fire, so we got a little payback in some way.

Smother - What do you hope to accomplish with Cave In?

Steve - I just want to feel good about the music I play. I don't always feel good about it, but that's why we've changed as much as we have in the past year or so. We're still finding ourselves, and our fans are just along for the ride.