Inspired by his Cave In bandmate Stephen Brodsky‘s deep dive into acoustic covers of hardcore, etc. tracks, guitarist/vocalist Adam McGrath has now tried his hand at the idea. McGrath actually united with Brodsky on the a recently released cover of Damnation A.D.‘s “Wait For A Day“.
While he may not opt to be as prolific as Brodsky, McGrath‘s opening contribution is the below stripped-down take on Prema‘s “Graduation Day“. He said of that:
“I’ve been so inspired by @stephenbrodsky ‘s cover series that I also decided to take on a song from an innocent and exciting time in our lives. Here is ‘Graduation Day‘ by the band @prema_punk from their 1996 album Drivel. Prema was a punk hardcore band from Philadelphia PA whose sound drastically evolved from their first record to the next.
When I first heard Drivel I was definitely thrown off at how different it was from their first EP, Pebble. I could still hear characteristics of the band that made Pebble but this was a new feral unhinged chaotic sound that took me some time to understand and digest. This new record was looking to the future and leaving the more traditional hardcore sounds of the times behind. After a while I fell in love with the bombastic derelict ferocity of Drivel and love it to this day. Thanks to Steve for recording/editing this clip and also for joining me while learning that guitar solo on the fly.
Next solo show this Wednesday (4/30/25) at @moon_north_shore in Salem MA with Tiny the Bear and Dan Levy. 6pm doors.
Next duo show with Steve Brodsky, Friday May 9, 2025 at Christ Church Episcopal Harwich Port, MA with yeah everything and Biggest Beast. 6:30pm doors.”
