Steve Brosdky: "Caleb's spirit will live on, and that alone is a good reason to continue"

Cave In are a musical group that marked the hearts of many of us through the way they approached the post-hardcore sound very early on, bringing it into a groundbreaking encounter with metal and the Converge-style metalcore from the very beginning. The landmark "Jupiter" logged countless plays from thousands of listeners - in fact, we had the joy as a team to enjoy it in its entirety at this year's Roadburn Festival, and rumors say we got a little emotional.

A turning point in the course of Cave In, of course, was the loss of their key member, Caleb Scofield, in a tragic accident in 2018 - something that led to his position being filled by Nate Newton of Converge, initially for a concert held in his memory (a show for which Isis, under the name Celestial, reunited for one time only to play in his honor) and then on a long-term basis.

We were lucky enough to steal a few words from Cave In founder Stephen - Steve - Brodsky during the rest of their tour and shortly before they arrived for an all-encompassing concert in Athens (for the very first time!). Below, we discuss the tragic loss of Scofield and how it practically and creatively affected the band, as well as the nature of Cave In's last two releases, "Final Transmission" and "Heavy Pendulum" - which, of course, the band had already discussed with us in detail at the time of the latter's release, here.

At the same time, Brodsky's path with many other bands such as Old Man Gloom, Mutoid Man, and so many more - as well as the almost collective of musicians complementing one another - became a central point of the conversation, showing how important it is to find your brothers and carve out a common path within the music you love playing together, creating communication and community. Enjoy Steve Brodsky, and from experience we tell you: don't miss Cave In!

Hello and welcome to Rocking.gr! How is the end of this year's summer hitting you?

I never want summer to end, but I'm happy to wrap it up with friends, music and riffs on the road for a couple weeks. 

You had the chance earlier this year to play the entire "Jupiter" album in Roadburn festival, and this performance later expanded to a whole European tour. It wasn't the first time doing a show like this since you performed also "Heavy Pendulum" in its entirety previously on the same stage. How was the experience in Tilburg this year, how was it getting back to this album?

It's always an honor to play Roadburn - still one of the best music festivals on the planet. This year, I had a little too much coffee before our set, and it kinda threw me… but I thought the set still went over well.

Now that you can see it through a distance, what does "Jupiter"'s legacy feel like to you, once you can see what it means for people?

"Jupiter" was some people's introduction to Cave In, and as a band, you only get one first impression… that album was our first full creative endeavor with Caleb Scofield, so based on that alone, I'd say it's a good place to start. 

Playing music with my friends is how I get to spend the deepest quality time with them

My most significant lyric in your discography is that "we're so lucky to be alive" and I couldn't help but bringing in my mind Caleb these days, especially after the recent tragic event of Brent Hinds passing in a similar, tragic manner. In a way, I feel he is always in the room performing and watching over you, but what changed inside you while you continued playing as Cave In? I could only imagine being a rough decision whether to continue or not.

When awful stuff like that happens, it absolutely changes the perspective on why we do things. One simple takeaway for me is that playing music with my friends is how I get to spend the deepest quality time with them. I'll never get to do that again with Caleb, but his spirit will always live on through our music, and that alone is a good reason to continue. 

There's a sort of shared sonic enlightenment with band mates/music partners, and when that gets ripped away, it's just devastating&

You dealt a lot with loss in the release of "Final Transmission". 

How important is for you the usage of music to simultaneously grieve and remember?

Music triggers feelings and emotions that only music can trigger. It has its own set of rules for why that is, which I don't fully understand. But I do know there's a sort of shared sonic enlightenment with band mates/music partners, and when that gets ripped away, it's just devastating. I think grief serves as a reminder for me to not take those relationships for granted.

Later, you stepped back on your feet with the release of "Heavy Pendulum" with Converge's Nate Newton stepping in. Did Nate helped with a breath of fresh air in the band?

He absolutely did. It's difficult to envision this band without him. He and Caleb were good friends, also bandmates in Old Man Gloom, so it's relatively easy for all of us to be on the same page when asking ourselves "What would Caleb do?" Nate also brings a vibe that we've been fans of since the days of his early bands Channel and Jesuit. 

It is obvious that through your latest album, you leaned into harshest, sludgier sounds than what you did before. "Heavy Pendulum" is less soft-spoken and more in your face type of an album. What led you towards that direction, especially bearing in mind it was written during the pandemic era?

One thing we wanted to do was honor Caleb's vision for another Cave In record, something he expressed shortly before he passed away. We absolutely kept that in mind, continuing the vibe that started with "Final Transmission". We also had accumulated some momentum touring on that album - you can hear all that in the intent of our playing on "Heavy Pendulum". 

Any opportunity to work is a chance to grow

Throughout the years, you have created a strong "family" of musicians, working in each other's bands, sharing or exchanging members - Converge, Old Man Gloom, Mutoid Man, Zozobra, Quicksand, Kid Kilowatt, Sumac to name a few - or members working on other roles, such as producing and mastering. How important is it for you to have a strong support system amongst your peers?

It's incredibly important. Strength exists in numbers. Plus, any opportunity to work is a chance to grow, and we feed off that as a community. The infrastructure as a whole has a cyclical vibe to it, which I love. 

On the other hand, how is it to balance your existence in Cave In whilst all the members are simultaneously on other rather big musical projects? Do you find the golden ratio or does it get overwhelming at times?

It's pretty chill these days. Usually making a record will attract some attention and things will get busy, but the album cycle for Heavy Pendulum is basically over at this point. We've all kept busy with various other things to fill the time. 

What is your favorite gear item that you could not play without, no matter the project or era of each project?

Besides a guitar? At this point, probably the Helix Floor. Aside from the incredible convenience that it affords me on numerous levels, the tuner screen is huge, which is helpful for my old eyes. 

You'll see us looking and maybe sounding a little cooked from our travels, but also absolutely dialed in

As a last stop of your tour, you are going to have a stop at Athens, with a full on set of your whole discography. It will actually be the first time visiting our place as Cave In and we are beyond excited. What are your expectations of this performance?

We're excited too - you'll see us looking and maybe sounding a little cooked from our travels, but also absolutely dialed in after 9 shows. In other words, we'll be in rare form - maybe not the rarest, but pretty rare these days. 

How does the future of extreme music look like to you? Have you stumbled upon any fresh bands that you think are doing something radical in the metal or punk scene that you want to suggest?

There are many beautiful things to discover. The new record by Pile has some cool twisted stuff. 

It has been a while since you released "Heavy Pendulum", but what does the future hold for Cave In? More touring, touring with other bands or maybe some new music?

I will say a big yes to all of that!

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Please conclude however you feel like, sharing something you want to our readers!

 See you in Athens!