Cradle to Grave
Greg Cavanagh – Vocals
1. Judging by the overall sound of Cradle to Grave, there are a few obvious musical influences, but who are the biggest specific influences for your sound?
Greg: When I was 16 I remember saying (shouting) to everyone who’d bother to listen that someday I’d sound like a cross between James Hetfield and Oderus Urungus. At least that’s what I wanted at the time. What I actually sound like now might not sound like that but hey, f**k off. As far as songwriting or performance goes, I look up to Mike Patton and Eddie Vedder. Not really Metal, and it’s amazing how far removed they are from typical Metal ‘heroes’ but without either of those guys to look up to, I’m not sure if I’d even be singing. I don’t think I would’ve ever tried. As far as the rest of the band goes, I know that Sasquatch is heavily influenced by Ted Nugent and Voivod, Matt has his love for old school Metal like Slayer and Iron Maiden, and Glenn not only loves the old-school Thrash like Anthrax and Testament but also bands like The Deftones and The Beatles. And when it all comes together and we fight and cry and vomit our way through the songwriting process the end result is Cradle To Grave. Something we can all enjoy to do and hopefully never limit ourselves in any way doing it. But we’ve been also been influenced by everything from authors to actors to the personal heroes that we have in our everyday lives. I know that I take a little something I like from anything and almost everything that I come across and try to put it into the man I want to be and hopefully that will spill over into the music I create. I probably sound like some blow-hard douche bag, but I hope that the heroes that we’ve looked up to would be proud to hear their influence somewhere in our music.
2. What attitude/feelings went into writing Texas Medicine? How did this affect the lyrical content?
G: I write about what I know. I’ve never had lunch with Satan, I don’t have humps, I’ve never banged strippers in Hollywood, and I’ve never known how hard it is for a pimp. I just put down what I know is true. If other people are affected by what I say then that’s perfect. There’s nothing better than having your own songs yelled back at you during a live show. I mean, that’s the ultimate goal. To have the music you create actually stick with somebody through all the other bullsh*t they have to deal with. I went through a period in my life awhile ago that changed what I thought was the way I was defined. I had to change perspectives without any warning. That’s what ‘From Nowhere To Nowhere’ is about. You’re something, you’re forced to change, you’re something else. But through it all, you’re still yourself. And then you die. Like I said before, we don’t try to limit ourselves and that’s true for the lyrics. I write about love in ‘Nothing Left To Taste’, death in ‘Light’, rape in ‘F**k It Up’, and the passion it takes to survive in ‘Five Years Of Fire’. Anything’s up for grabs. Maybe even lunch with Satan someday.
3. What made you go the Southern Heavy metal route?
G: Back in the day, Sasquatch used to roam the swamps of Jackonsville, Florida on a constant hunt for mescaline. In between his blackouts, he played in a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band. Now, I’ve always been a fan of Skynyrd, way before I met him so that mutual love for the Southern Rock easily rears its ugly head whenever we write together. But he’s also turned me onto other Southern Rock acts like Black Oak Arkansas and Drive By Truckers. The intro to our live show is ‘Cocaine Blues’ by Johnny Cash. Pure Canadian rednecks!!
4. Which market is better for your products? Canada or US?
G: Definitely the US. I love Canada and I love being a Canadian, I believe it’s the best country in the world. But our sound/style has American market all over it. I know that people are generally the same but the last time we went down to California, there was a slightly different vibe from the crowds. They seemed to appreciate it more. So when we come down there in August, you better be ready! We’re gonna f**k you up! And you better f**k us up! But then again when we played Montreal, it was f**king insane! Maybe there’s something in the air here in Vancouver that puts people in a vegetative, zombie-like, peaceful state….
