45 Grave

45 Grave
Dinah Cancer in 2007 with the reformed 45 Grave at Blue Cafe, Long Beach, CA
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Horror punk Deathrock Gothic rock
Years active	1979–1985 1988–1990 2005–present
Members	Dinah Cancer Tom Coyne Brandden Blackwell Frank Agnew Mark Bolton
Past members	Paul B. Cutler Rob Ritter Don Bolles Paul Roessler Pat Smear Mikey Borens Lisa Pifer Jamie Pina Rikk Agnew Mike "Thrashhead" Sullivan L. Ron Jeremy Kenton Holmes Stevyn Grey

45 Grave are an American gothic and punk rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985 but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. 45 Grave are noted as one of the first bands to mix punk rock with horror-themed lyrics, thereby positioning them as progenitors of the horror punk subgenre. Their unique appearance and morbid theatricality also distinguished them as innovators of goth rock as well as "deathrock," a term used to identify a subgenre of punk rock incorporating horror elements and spooky atmospherics.

History

The band was formed in Los Angeles, California during the punk rock movement. It formed out of another band with almost the same lineup called Vox Pop, which produced two singles. Its original lineup consisted of Dinah Cancer on vocals, Paul B. Cutler (formerly of The Consumers) on guitar, Rob Ritter (also known as Rob Graves, of The Bags) on bass, and Don Bolles (of Germs) on drums. The name, according to Bolles, derives from a mysterious button he found that said "WE DIG 45 GRAVE".

In 1980, 45 Grave recorded their first released song, "Riboflavin Flavored, Non-Carbonated, Poly-Unsaturated Blood", included on the LAFMS (Los Angeles Free Music Society) art rock 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 Germs on guitar) and a fast-paced punk song called "Party Time" (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 are recognized as being one of the first American gothic bands, predating the formation of Christian Death. Allmusic cites them as a top artist in the Goth rock genre, and the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles lists 45 Grave and Christian Death as "early proponents of American Gothic Rock."

Style

45 Grave's musical style is rooted in punk rock with a darker edge/horror movie aesthetic, representative of the genre deathrock/horror-punk. Compared to punk bands of the era, 45 Grave songs included stop-start mid-song tempo changes, instrumentals and aggressive musicianship due to 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. Cancer's high-pitched female vocals are usually used, but the whole band provides backing vocals. The band also has a connection to surf rock, manifested in the instrumental "Surf Bat" from Sleep in Safety. In the vein of horror punk artists, the band's appearance draws from horror films (Italian zombie flicks in particular) to create a camp gothic aesthetic. However, the band's lyrical themes don't often draw inspiration from horror films, instead adopting a tongue-in-cheek manner.

Return of the Living Dead

In 1985, a new, heavier version of "Party Time" 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 Ritter 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 Dinah Cancer being the single remaining member from previous incarnations. Dinah Cancer 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 Paul Cutler/Rob Graves era, and his traditional approach to the classic 45 Grave songs such as “Party Time” and “Black Cross” won rave reviews at their first few shows with him.^{[citation needed]} The current lineup is fleshed out by a rhythm section consisting of Los Angeles goth-rock mainstay Tom Coyne (The Last Dance, Frankenstein) on drums and newcomer Brannden Blackwell on bass.

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

Members

Current members

• Dinah Cancer - vocals (1979–1990, 2004–present)
• Tom Coyne - drums (2008–present)
• Brandden Blackwell - bass (2009–present)
• Frank Agnew - guitar (2010–present)
• Mark Bolton - guitar (2011-present)

Former members

• Paul Cutler - guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (1979–1990)
• Rob Ritter (aka Rob Graves) - bass, backing vocals (1979–1990; died 1991)
• Don Bolles - drums, backing vocals (1979–1990)
• Paul Roessler - keyboards, backing vocals (1980–1990)
• Pat Smear - guitar (1981)
• Mikey Borens - guitar (1983–1984)
• Lisa Pifer - bass (2004–2009)
• Jamie Pina - guitar (2004–2006)
• Rikk Agnew - guitar (2004-2005)
• Mike "Thrashhead" Sullivan - drums (2004–2007)
• L. Ron Jeremy - guitar (2006–2010)
• Kenton Holmes - guitar (2006–2010)
• Stevyn Grey - drums (2007–2008)

Touring musicians

• Del Hopkins - drums, keyboards (1980–1986)
• Bruce Duff - bass (1983–1985)

Discography

Albums

• Sleep in Safety (1983) (re-released in 1993 on CD)
• Pick Your Poison (2012)

EPs

• Phantoms (containing new and alternative versions of tracks) (1983)
• What Is 45 Grave? A Tale Of A Strange Phenomena (1984)

Singles

• "Black Cross" (1981)
• "Partytime" (1984)

Compilations

• Darker Skratcher (various artists compilation) (1980)
• Hell Comes to Your House (various artists compilation containing alternative versions of some tracks) (1981)
• The Return of the Living Dead (various artists compilation) (1985)
• Enigma Variations (various artists compilation) (1985)
• Autopsy (compilation of new tracks, alternative versions, and tracks from the "Black Cross" single) (1987)
• Only the Good Die Young (Live) (1989) (reissued in 1993)
• Debasement Tapes (Demos) (1993)
• A Devil's Possessions (Demos and live) (2008)

See also

• Deathrock
• Christian Death
• Ripper lead guitarist/vocalist Rob Graves, not to be confused with Rob (Graves) Ritter of 45 Grave.

External links

• Official 45 Grave site
• Dinah Cancer's website
• 45 Grave interview from Flipside No. 22, 1980 at Punk Zine Archive
• 45 Grave article from Flipside No. 30, 1982 at Punk Zine Archive
• 45 Grave article from Flipside No. 51, 1986 at Punk Zine Archive
• Review of 45 Grave show in March, 2011 in Big Wheel Magazine
• Death Rock Pioneers 45 Grave Rise, Fall, Rise Again/ OC Weekly Dec. 2012