In an absolutely tragic occurrence, Cave In bassist Caleb Scofield was killed in an auto accident in March 2018, leaving behind a wife and two children. Tribute shows happened with the community around the band getting together to help his family. What else was left behind was an unfinished Cave In record.
Vocalist/guitarist Steve Brodsky, guitarist Adam McGrath and drummer J.R. Conners, with Converge bassist Nate Newton joining the project, set to put together the band's final recordings based on demos recorded with Caleb. That release is Final Transmission and is scheduled to be released June 7th. Half of the proceeds from Final Transmission will be given to Caleb Scofield’s wife and children. Preorder a copy here. Today, the band unveiled the first single, "Shake My Blood." It's awesome:
[youtube=https://youtu.be/LFQQ7HDusfc][/youtube]
Additionally, in a new interview in AltPress, the band went into detail on the entire process.
What does Final Transmission actually consist of?
MCGRATH: They were all demos that were supposed to be constructed to build a new Cave In record. They were recorded on hand-held four-tracks in our practice space; maybe a computer would get drum tracks, another recorder would get guitars and we’d sync it up afterward.
It was very haphazard, and we didn’t go into this thinking they were going to be released the way it is today. We were lucky enough to have Andrew Schneider go through everything and make it sound way better than we could have ever imagined.
Ironically, White Silence was done in our practice space, and Caleb was adamant about never doing a record like that again. He wanted to do it in a proper studio and record it properly. Obviously, we never made it that far..
All the members of the band described the recording process as "very difficult," especially because some of the songs were demoed the last time they saw Caleb.
What was it like listening back to the mixes during the process?
BRODSKY: It was pretty painful and very upsetting. I found myself breaking down because part of the joy of hearing what’s supposed to be a finished product is sharing it with your band. This is the first experience where there’s no way I’m going to be able to share it with one of my best friends who is playing on the record. This is completely new territory, and I didn’t expect it to hit me that hard. But that’s grief; it comes out of nowhere, and the smallest things can hit you full force.
MCGRATH: Same for me. I still have a hard time listening to it. Two of the songs [on the album] are literally the last two times I ever saw and hung out with Caleb. I’m happy that the last time I saw him we played music, but I remember the day, and it’s rough for me.
Cave In have a few gigs lined up. You can check those out here.
