Cave In – White Silence

In the summer of 2009, the band Cave In, one of my personal favorite released a four song EP called Planets of Old on vinyl from Hydra Head Records. Only a few years after a self-imposed hiatus, Cave In was back with four songs of monumental riffage. I picked up the single “Retina Sees Rewind” as a digital download from iTunes then mistakenly, albeit promptly forgot about the EP. I’d recently been listening to their watershed album Jupiter as of late and using the googles found out about their forthcoming full-length, White Silence. I received a ping from the Neurosis FB status update that Sovereign had been rereleased on colored vinyl and went to the link provided where I immediately purchased that indelible sonic document. Navigating around the store I found a link to the Cave In pre-order for White Silence and was blown away by the song presented there. Of course I was a huge fan of “Retina Sees Rewind.” The song is a four on the floor (John Conner) noodle fest (Brodsky, Scofield, Macgrath)  of a barn burner. However, much to the satisfaction of my ear-gut, the latest song, “Sings My Love” encapsulates the entirety of the Cave In ouvre: crushing beats, dissonant chords, raging marine sergeant vocals (a la Caleb) and a haunting chorus by Mr. Brodsky. Below is a link to the song, please enjoy at full volume…

Incidentally this blog is named after a line in the song “Big Riff” on the Cave In album, Jupiter.

Here’s a pic of the cover art.

Converge’s Ben Koller: A Well-Rounded Timekeeper

Converge came into existence at the behest of founding members Jacob Bannon (vox, lyrics) and guitarist Kurt Ballou in 1991. Subsequent lineup changes and several albums (met with critical appraise) later, Converge has been one of the most interesting and influential bands in hard core metal today. Their highly acclaimed album, When Forever Comes Crashing, produced by Steve Austin (Today is the Day), found Converge getting into their respective creative groove, solidifying a sound that is both unique and brutal and always evolving.

Though Converge has been around for the past 10 years, it wasn’t until the release of their highly lauded and groundbreaking concept album, Jane Doe, that mainstream metal pundits started taking notice. At which time gave them more footing in not only the hardcore metal scene but also garnered much respect among metal enthusiasts and art rockers alike. The intelligence in lyrics and songwriting make Converge a compelling and formidable band.

Drummer Ben Koller took some time between his busy schedule working a full-time job and recording for the new Converge album to talk to themusicedge.com

How old were you when you started playing music?
I got a drum set for Christmas when I was 13. I started playing in bands a couple years later.

Did you play music in school? Were you involved in any after-school band programs?
Hell ya! Let’s see if I can name them all off. Jazz band, elite jazz band, concert band, pep band and a Blues Brothers cover band. I also took guitar class.

What is your first recollection of music? What inspired you to become interested in playing the drums?
I grew up listening to stuff like Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. The song that made me want to be in a band was “I’m Not a Loser” by the Descendents.

What are some of your early influences as a drummer? Who are some of your most inspirational drummers?
Drummers in local bands on Cape Cod were a huge inspiration when I was in high school. Some drummers that I dig are Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendents), Danny Carey (Tool), Dave Lombardo, Bonzo, etc. There’s so many, it would be impossible to try and list them all.

What benefits, if any, did you attain from playing music in school?
I learned how to read music and sight-read, I learned from other drummers, built some amazing friendships, built up my chops, learned to play with other musicians (not just guitarists but brass, woodwinds, etc.), learned dynamics (although I always played way too loud), and kept my sanity by having a break from the monotony of the rest of school.

Did you take lessons? What was the most important thing you learned from lessons?
I took lessons for a few years after I started playing. I did a lot of stuff that I probably never would have done on my own like jazz, salsa, Latin, etc. Also all the nerdy stuff like rudiments and reading music.

What is the songwriting process like for Converge?
Don’t ask. It’s ugly.

How often do you get to compose an entire song on drums, and is it easy or hard for the other members to write around drum parts?
Rarely are entire songs written from drum outlines, but many songs start with what we like to call “drum riffs.”

Do you favor speed over technique and style in your own playing, and which do you focus on the most?
It all depends on what the song calls for. In Converge, I try to compliment the rest of the band as best I can while still having a unique voice.

What kind of playing style do you gravitate toward? Converge has some very jazzy bits, and it’s in those bits that your playing really shines. Is this something the band strives for with each release, slowly moving away from the traditional hard core or metal style and into a more freeform improv style?
We write what we think we would want to listen to, and what we write is drawn from so many influences that it can be hard to categorize.

On “Homewrecker’s” intro there are some serious rolls—do you use triggers at all? How important is a double bass pedal, and how often do you use it?
I don’t use triggers with Converge. I never played double bass before coming into this band, and I probably wouldn’t have if the old songs didn’t call for it. When writing new songs I don’t consider using it all that much.

“The Broken Vow” has some interesting timing changes—was that something conceptualized when you were writing with the bass and guitar, or does it just sort of appear out of the creative process?
I’m so used to writing with odd timing and time signatures that I don’t really notice it that much. Ever since I started playing in bands I have grown accustomed to playing non-4/4 rhythms, so it just comes naturally.

What does your dream kit look like?
Led Zeppelin John Bonham custom kit. Clear amber vistalite shells. 26” kick, 14” rack, 16” & 18” floor toms.

Are there other projects you are currently pursuing? If so, what are they? If not, is there any you can see yourself being a part of in the future?
A couple months ago I assumed drumming duties for a Boston band called The Cignal. They’re amazing people, and they write amazing music. With any luck, we’ll be recording the band’s first full-length in the future. http://www.thecignal.com

Do you have any advice for new drummers? Any tips or insights that would benefit someone in the early stages of playing?
When I first started playing, I would practice playing along to The Ramones and The Sex Pistols songs with a boombox and headphones in my basement.
Start a band! Start a lot of bands! Playing in a band is one of the most valuable and rewarding experiences one can have. Start today!

For more on Converge, visit http://www.convergecult.com

Cave In: An Interview with Stephen Brodsky

These guys have impressed me with just about every release they’ve managed to push with all their label trouble.  Sure Antenna wasn’t my favorite but there were still some amazing songs and riffs on there. Bands like Thrice would still be playing the same songs without the influence of Cave In and the rest of the Hydrahead Records roster for that matter. I caught the last few measures of The Stephen Brodsky Quartet at the Hydrahead showcase at sxsw. It was meh…okay. I can appreciate it but goddammit every time I hear the opening to ‘Big Riff’ I pop like 16 boners (figuratively not literally). Mike Thomas and I worked out the questions for this one so I can’t take complete credit for it. But I wrote the intro so…yeah. Like, enjoy it okay?

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In the Stream of Commerce

From playing in garages and recording on a four-track tape machine to signing to RCA, Cave In has seen quite a transformation over the past decade. Frontman/guitarist Stephen Brodsky has been the voice of this Boston-based quartet, which has always had a tough time fitting in. Maybe that’s because their rock-meets-hardcore-meets-metal-meets-something else sound has captivated and bewildered listeners and critics alike.

Call it what you will, but Cave In has become an underground staple these days; one of those bands that has seemingly been around forever. Brodsky was kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions about the band’s past, present and future.

Shane: Have you felt the impact personally of Hydra Head moving to L.A. and Isis changing its locale?
Brodsky: I know the Hydra Head fellows had felt as though they did all they could in Boston. I miss poking around their office and bothering Mark by wiping boogers on him while he works.

SR: Has it ever been a conscious decision as to how much screaming and singing you do in Cave In?
Brodsky: As soon as Caleb stepped up his role as a vocalist in the band, it pretty much sealed the deal for me to continue doing what I now do as a singer in the band.

SR: Could you ever have imagined your band or any of the other bands you’ve been part of having the type of impact you have had?
Brodsky: We’ve always been ambitious. I never wanted to be stuck in one place, geographically and musically speaking. If you make those kinds of feelings known, then people are bound to respond in one way or another.

SR: What kind of direction do you see Cave In going from here musically, if you can see that at all?
Brodsky: With Ben now playing drums, our musical spectrum for the future is broader than any of us could imagine. He has his own bag of tricks that we can now dig through and play with. Our record collections have grown since our last recordings too—stuff like Zappa, Sun Ra, Black Mountain, John Fahey… This always has an impact on what we want to do, as well.

SR: How do you view the immense popularity metal and metalcore has taken on in recent years?
Brodsky: I might try and get more into black metal. I’ve heard some cool stuff recently—it was far more melodic and listenable than I could imagine. And there’s a whole slew of people making black metal solo records, which kind of blows my mind.

SR: Did you feel a responsibility of sorts to take over vocals in the band when you did? Is it hard to have that responsibility to the band?
Brodsky: The four of us felt like we had a good chemistry going, and we weren’t up for attempting to find another member. It was better to have a smaller group of people—less heads to butt, so things could happen a bit quicker. I sang lead vocals in previous bands, so it wasn’t that big of a deal for me to do it in Cave In.

SR: What is your songwriting process like, musically and lyrically? How much does practice and just jamming play a role in your actual songs?
Brodsky: Writing tunes is a bit different now than it used to be. Everyone’s role as a musician in the band has become more refined, so that now there are ideas coming from multiple places and bouncing all around. Jamming is a good way to surprise yourself and the other guys in the room. They might hear something that you don’t necessarily feel grabbed by.

SR: What are you and your band mates’ relationships like outside of the band? How much time do you spend with each other?
Brodsky: Adam and I live in the same town and we’ll hit up Ana’s Taqueria for amazing burritos. Caleb has been living in L.A. for about a year. He’s visited on a few non-band related occasions and we always make time to kick back and listen to records.

SR: If you had to pick one genre of music and one band that has influenced Cave In the most, what and who would it be?
Brodsky: Converge is a band we have always admired, and it goes way, way back. Then there’s Sonic Youth, who never made the same record twice and have always been ahead of their own game musically.

SR: How much has Ben’s contribution as Cave In’s new drummer played in both songwriting and playing live?
Brodsky: He’s a musician in his own right, and we’re beginning to mold ourselves to what he is capable of doing. It’s a great means for us to enhance our own abilities as players. We can be blistering fast if we wanted to—he’s also not afraid to use a thunderstick.

SR: What was being part of the Major Label machine like for you as an artist and a business?
Brodsky: As an artist, it was like being a deer trapped in oncoming headlights. As a business, it was like taking a music industry course and skipping almost every class.

SR: What are some common misconceptions about the relationship between an independent band moving onto a major label and how did you deal with the transition?
Brodsky: Total freedom is a funny thing. They tell you not to worry—you’ll have it they promise! But you never really are totally free. We were never free of a constant barrage of opinions from people who actually understood little to nothing of our history as a band. Dumb s**t like the placement of our band name on the front cover of Antenna—that managed to produce a number of weird phone calls being made back and forth. Certain people felt it necessary to argue over having the band’s logo placed in the top left corner, as a selling point so that record buyers will have an easier time finding our album in stores. It’s one example of what these people get paid to do, and in most cases it’s way more money than the artists will ever see.
SR: What is the most gratifying experience you’ve ever had while playing or
writing music?
Brodsky: Anytime the fretboard trips me out in an unexpected way. I’ve been playing
guitar since I was 12 years old, so at this point, those little moments are always welcome to come around, though it’s never a certain thing. Sometimes they grace me often, other times they shack up somewhere far away where I can’t access the sounds of ’em too easily.

SR: Are you currently writing and recording any more solo material?
Brodsky: Yeah, I just finished a new album. Well, the tracking is finished but it won’t be mixed until April. And I’ve already written about two more albums’ worth of new stuff since the writing for this recent one has been finished. Mucho brain activity.

SR: What is the status of Virgin, the Converge/Cave In collaboration?
Brodsky: Too many cooks in the kitchen. Certain ones complain about using classic-metal tasting spices, and others want it to be free, loose and weirder. Who knows when that thing will ever see the light of day. I truly hope it will, but I also haven’t been saving my appetite for it.

SR: We’re a non-profit youth initiative and the majority of our readers are young aspiring musicians. If you had some words of advice, what would they be—in two different contexts, one being advice for a fledgling band and another for the person who is just starting out on an instrument?
Brodsky: Relax your hands. It should never feel painful. And I know of bands whose
members will scream, yell and fistfight each other, and that has always struck me as being a bit bizarre. I’d recommend avoiding those situations.

SR: When can we expect the next Cave In record?
Brodsky: I’d like to say it’ll be recorded in summer 2006.