CAVEAT: A New Breed Of Metal
by Freddy Metal
Caveat is a new breed of metal band who refuse to conform to standard metal labels. Caveat has created a distinctive, multi-layered sound, blending booming death metal vocals with melodic three part vocal harmonies and ever-changing time signatures.
Introduce the Caveat players to our readers?
There is Terry Baldwin on bass & vocals, Joe Sikorski on lead guitar, Casey Rogers on drums & backing vocals, & myself (Greg Musgrave) on guitar & vocals.
How long has the group been in existence?
The first line up originated in late 2001 as a 3 piece with Terry, Jawad Baloch on drums, & myself. So the band is just over 4 years old at this point, with the current line up in place since the summer of 2004.
In your own words describe Caveat sound & influences?
The sound is kind of an amalgamation of opposites. Where on one hand we are certainly a 'metal' band, on the other we incorporate a variety of different styles & influences that is really hard to pin point as sounding like a specific band or genre of metal. We really enjoy the fact that we're not pigeonholed into only being able to play one particular style of music. Instead we incorporate a variety of styles ranging from shredding guitars, to clean melodic passages, to tapping, slapping, solos, & anything else we decide to experiment with. Vocally, there is the same type of approach, merging black metal, death metal, clean vocals, to 3 part harmonies. The approach defiantly provides less boundaries & opens up the creative process into a much more diverse way of writing music.
What are Caveat's long & short-term goals as far as touring, recording, writing etc?
As far as touring goes, we plan on being on tour with in the next few months. We are currently in the process of completing the writing for the next full-length album, which is about 85% done. We are planning on having the writing & arranging fully completed by spring, with the full-length album to hopefully see the light of day some time this summer.
Any label nibbles?
We have had a label out of Winnipeg approach us about a year ago, but are only now starting to go after the bigger labels, as we feel that we are now at the point of being ready.... & believe me, we ARE ready!
What type of image would you say the band projects?
Truthfully, we haven't really concentrated too much on the 'image' of the band per say. I think that the image that most people would get from us is 4 guys who are very intense musicians, who if you see live will most likely rip the spine right out of your back, & in the next breath will take you on a journey of melody & mood. I don't think that we've ever had the desire to come across as anything other than what are; & what we are is no bullshit, intensity, & diversity. Nothing superficial.
Do all members contribute to the writing & arrangements of Caveat material?
As far as the writing process goes - I usually come to rehearsal with the skeleton & basic structure of the song. I then start going over the riffs & ideas with the other guys who all put it though their own musical blender to put their own take on the original ideas, & after experimenting & arranging...& then rearranging we end up with a Caveat song.
How did the band name come about?
All the members at the time all put in a bunch of ideas that we all couldn't collectively agree on for at least a few months. Then Terry came to jam one day & said that someone at his work suggested the name 'Caveat'. We were like WTF does that mean? Terry said "its Latin for 'Beware'." We kind of paused for a few seconds & were like.... that's pretty cool'. We pondered on it until our next rehearsal where we agreed to go with it.
What do you feel sets Caveat apart from other Metal Acts?
I think it's the fact that we do go outside of the traditional confines of songwriting in relation to metal music. It really gives people something of a broader spectrum to digest when listening, because dynamically, there are no rules with us, & you never know what to expect...except the unexpected.
What does each member bring into the band?
Terry really brings a the whole funk/R & B feel, as well as being a huge Frank Zappa fan, which brings the avante garde influence which is great for experimental music. He's also very versatile in that he uses fretted, fretless, & stand-up bass as well as being a powerful vocalist. The big thing that I like is that he doesn't always follow the guitar & really plays the bass like a bass, & not just copying the guitar lines all the time. It makes for a much better layered sound, rather than having 2 guitars & the bass all playing the same thing all the time. Casey is one of the heaviest hitters that I have ever heard, & really pounds us into submission every damn rehearsal. Casey's background is more rock & country believe it or not, but he also holds the likes of Meshuggah next to godliness. This is the 4th band that Casey & I have played in together, so we know each other's style very well, & have a solid chemistry. He is also a very well rounded musician & really understands bass, guitar, & vocalizing, so that really comes in handy in the writing & arranging of songs.
Joe has really brought a whole other dimension to the band being a very proficient songwriter as well as guitarist. I know that when I bring an idea or riff to rehearsal, Joe will take it and put a totally unique twist on it & has a very creative edge for creating harmonies & counter melodies. His lead playing always blows my mind, & his solos are always tasteful & add alot to the songs. His background is more in the vein of grind & death metal, so he brings a very extreme edge to the band, as well as bringing a very exotic sound, that would be more comparable to his work in BlackSky.
So what do you guys do when your not making music?
We are all in multiple projects, so music does consume most of our time, but in what little time off we have, we like to spend with friends, family, & our lady friends (I know, boring answer).
Describe a Caveat fan?
It's hard to sum up a Caveat fan in one specific way, because we get so many different types of people that seem to enjoy our music. We have the really 'HEAVY' metal fans that dig the aggression & intensity of the music; then you have the progressive fans that dig the musicianship of the band, & then you have all the other folks in between that seem to like the over all diversity & the fact that we really don't sound like anyone else out there. I think people are always looking for something new & unique, & that is what we offer them.
What would you say is your biggest gripe about the music industry?
My biggest gripe about the music industry would most definitely be the fact that people are always trying to give you a pre-packaged product that has been stripped of soul after going through the industry grinder, & being told that they have to modify this & that to make themselves more accessible. If you create with the intention of creating the best work that you yourself are capable of in the purest form, without polluting it with outside influences that are trying to mold you into what they would have you be for their own person reason of bettering themselves, you truly have art. Rather than what usually happens when art goes through the industry grinder & ends up a 'product' lacking the true soul of who created it. Why try to do what has been done...oh ya, money..lol.
What is the most outrageous thing that ever happened to you on stage during a performance or rehearsal?
I think the craziest thing that happened to us on stage was one of our 1st shows, & the venue we were playing at had all their beer lines directly above the stage running across the roof. About half way into the 1st song one of the lines burst & beer starting pouring from the roof all over the stage, our gear, the monitors, & us actually blowing both the monitors. After a big clean up, we finished the show soaked in beer, with no monitors.... oh what fun..lol.
Who would you like to tour with and why?
I would love to tour with Nevermore or Opeth, just because I really enjoyed their recent releases in 2005, & find them to be really own their own territory with a sound & approach is that is unique to each band. I just think that fans of either of those bands would find something of appeal in Caveat.
Parting shot?
A big thanks to Ball-Buster Music, for showing some interest in Caveat & having a killer & resourceful website. And thank YOU for reading this interview. Cheers!!!
