45 Grave

History

The band was founded by Paul B. Cutler in Los Angeles, California during the punk rock movement, formed alongside another band with almost the same lineup called Vox Pop, which produced two singles. Its original lineup consisted of Cancer (formerly of Castration Squad) on vocals, Cutler (formerly of the Consumers) on guitar, Rob Graves (also known as Rob Ritter, formerly of the Exterminators, the Bags and the Gun Club) on bass, and Don Bolles (of the Exterminators, the Germs and Nervous Gender) on drums. The name, according to Bolles, derived from a mysterious button Cutler found at a thrift store and gave to Bolles for Christmas that said "WE DIG 45 GRAVE". Bolles stated that this needed to be the name of the band, and everyone agreed.

In 1980, 45 Grave recorded their first released song, "Riboflavin Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Poly-Unsaturated Blood", included on the Los Angeles Free Music Society compilation album, Darker Skratcher. The song was a cover version of novelty song originally performed by Don Hinson and The Rigamorticians on their 1964 album release Monster Dance Party. The 45 Grave recording (as with the original, produced by Gary S. Paxton of Skip & Flip) achieved cult status and became a signature song of the band's live sets.

Early on, the band began by playing the Consumers songs that Cutler had written, with lyrics changed to fit Cancer's singing style, before concentrating on composing new material like "Black Cross" (issued as a single in 1981, featuring Pat Smear of the Germs on guitar on the B-side "Wax") and a fast-paced punk song called "Partytime" (which was later slowed down and reworked on their 1983 debut album and sole studio release, Sleep in Safety. Another signature 45 Grave track, "Evil", was featured on MTV, and band members appeared as extras in Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

Despite never achieving major success, 45 Grave were recognized as being one of the first American gothic bands, predating the formation of Christian Death. Allmusic cited them as a top artist in the gothic rock genre, and the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles listed 45 Grave and Christian Death as "early proponents of American Gothic Rock".

Style

45 Grave's musical style was rooted in punk rock with a darker edge/horror movie aesthetic, representative of the deathrock and horror punk genres. Compared to most punk bands of the era, 45 Grave songs included stop-start mid-song tempo changes, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship accentuated by Cutler's virtuoso guitar playing. Keyboards added to the spooky atmosphere of many songs and harkened back to proto-punk garage bands of the early 1960s. The band also displayed a connection to surf rock, manifested in the instrumental "Surf Bat" from Sleep in Safety. The band's appearance drew from horror films (Italian zombie flicks in particular) to create a camp gothic aesthetic. However, the band's lyrical themes often adopted a tongue-in-cheek manner instead.

Return of the Living Dead

In 1985, a new, heavier version of "Partytime" was featured on the soundtrack to the film Return of the Living Dead along with tracks by bands such as T.S.O.L. and the Cramps.

The band reformed in 1988 for a brief tour, which was recorded and released as Only the Good Die Young. However, when Graves died in 1990 from an accidental drug overdose, the band broke up once again.

Reformation

In 2004, 45 Grave reformed to commemorate their 25th anniversary, with Cancer as the sole remaining member from previous incarnations. She posted on her MySpace blog, "I'm building this to keep the spirit of 45 Grave alive, introduce its magic to new fans, and as a personal commemorative of my best memories being the driving force and front person of 45 Grave. This is a part of my life that indeed changed me forever". One of the touring members involved in this lineup was Rikk Agnew, formerly of Christian Death.

Night of the Demons, a 2009 remake of the classic 1987 cult horror film, featured 45 Grave's title track.

In 2010, Rikk's brother Frank Agnew (T.S.O.L., Social Distortion, the Adolescents) joined the band. Frank Agnew brought the band closer to the classic sound of the Cutler/Graves era. This lineup was fleshed out by a rhythm section consisting of Los Angeles goth-rock mainstay Tom Coyne (The Last Dance, Frankenstein) on drums and Brandden Blackwell on bass.

Pick Your Poison, 45 Grave's first new album in 27 years, was released in 2012 on Frontier Records. The album contained a mix of new songs, unrecorded old songs and a remake of "Night of the Demons", for which a video was produced.

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Live albums

Compilation albums

Compilation appearances