Kind Turkey

“Last Time” is a really fitting title for the name of the latest Cave Weddings single – the band is now defunct, but that’s not stopping them from releasing two instantly catchy and solid tracks one last time on the great Austrian label, Bachelor Records (home to many great pop-garage singles over the past few years). Bachelor always puts a great deal of detail into their releases, and this cover art is really fantastic. Plus there’s a limited number on ultra-rad green vinyl (I managed to snag a copy!). The art was drawn up by resident computer modulator extraordinaire, Chris Capelle of the Midwest Beat (who also contributed to the B-Side’s track, Erin explains it in the interview).

This single’s definitely dirtier than their predecessors, but it still sounds poppy and shiny. Both songs clock in at under 2 and a half minutes, so that kinda sucks. Eric LaGrange (Romance Novels, Eric & the Happy Thoughts) has the A-Side wrapped up with his jangly guitar and nasally vocals. Erin Drobin fills out the B-Side nicely with catchy vocal line and a jumpy clean guitar riff (And some “Oohs” and “Ahhs” courtesy of the Midwest Beat). Although I think another B-side would have been more than appropriate considering that this is going to be the last Cave Weddings release ever, but this is what we’ll have to be left with (and it’s a short but pretty great single, so definitely worth the money!).

Check out the full album art and the sweet green vinyl here!

I interviewed Erin about the new release and other fun stuff, and here’s what she had to say:

Kind Turkey: So give us the dish about the new single, is it for sure the last Cave Weddings release? How did you get hooked up with Bachelor for it?
Erin Dorbin: Yes, it is. We had planned on releasing a second 7” last Spring after the Hozac single came out, but things got pretty hectic. We never got a chance to finish our last recordings which is a bummer. By Fall of last year we’d split up and moved back to the Midwest. It was originally going to be released on another label, but not being an active band anymore they dropped it. Eric and Elmar had always had a good relationship so we approached him at Bachelor. He said yes! Then we had the difficulty of actually finishing the songs for him.

Because the three of us were spread around the country and couldn’t get everything finished on our own, I called on friends from the Midwest Beat in Milwaukee to add some vocals and a hot “tension-and-release” bass line on the b-side track “Never Never Know.” They saved the day. Chris Capelle is a great designer, too, and he offered to do the artwork. Oh, and we had the songs mastered for the first time! Our recordings were always so quiet so Justin Perkins helped us out a bit. I think it turned out really nice. That green vinyl is somethin’ else, too.

My favorite story about the record involves the image of the women on the back of the record dancin’ and havin’ a real good time. My friend, PJ Chmiel, had passed on to me a perfectly preserved Polaroid photo album of images from a Christmas party in the 1960’s that he’d found at a thrift store. These people were gettin’ wild. I love finding gems like this. Good stuff.

KT: What are your plans musically now that the Cave Weddings are defunct? Where are you living right now and who are you working with? Any old bands that you’re thinking about re-starting?
ED: It’s hard to walk away from one project and start something new when you’ve put so much of yourself into the previous one. I think that’s why I was so persistent about putting out one final release after we’d broken up. I loved the band! I think there was a real chemistry between the three of us and it’s going to be hard to recapture that.

That being said, I have been working on a few things. My friend Kathy, from the incredibly underrated X Offender (7” on Milk n’ Herpes Records!), is a great songwriter and we had a duo started several years ago that has been put on hold as we keep moving around the country. She’s got a few fantastic songs we wanna see recorded soon.

I’m living in Milwaukee now so I feel like I have my pick of great musicians to play with! Well, if they all didn’t have three or four other bands going on already that is! I’ve always thought that Chris (Midwest Beat/Gut Reactions/Elephant Walk) was a great drummer and so we’ve started a little something. Hopefully that will develop into a full-fledged project. Just gonna work on recording some demos right now.

KT: What are the last few shows you’ve been to that have blown yr mind?
ED: I really didn’t get to see much while living in Albany (!) so now that I’m back in the Midwest I feel like I need to catch up on everything I missed out on during that year! As you know, the Box Elders were just in town and played a quick set in Milwaukee prior to heading off to Madison for the night. I felt like I had been chasing them for a year trying to see them and it finally happened! I was NOT disappointed.

The music community is so active in Milwaukee that there is always something going on. Seeing the Gut Reactions and the Midwest Beat frequently has been amazing. I also saw this really great Mariachi band during my dinner at Jalisco’s Restaurant. They ask if you want to hear “slow and sad” or “fast and happy. “Fast and happy” was requested. Mind was blown.

KT: Cats or Dogs? You seem like a Cat person (as am I), but we’d love to know what kind of animals you love!
ED: Cats!!—err, all animals! My brother and dad are crazy cat men and I have two myself. My cat Cliffy is one hell of a creature. I should make some videos or something to share with the world because she is truly something to be witnessed. She is an experience. I should note here that most Cave Weddings lyrics started off about Cliffy until Eric had the good sense to change them. My other cat, Amelia, is my pride and joy—and a total brat. She sheds, she pukes, she whines, she’ll steal your food AND your seat, but somehow I couldn’t imagine being without her. I think it’s a good thing these two found me because no one else would put up with them. Maybe the reverse could be said, too!

This weekend I’m heading out to a petting zoo south of Milwaukee and I’m pretty damn excited. There are also free zoo days that I hear about here in town where you are allowed to bring your own beer?! I’ve yet to fully understand or integrate myself into Wisconsin’s drinking culture, but shit, I’ll spend a day drinking at the zoo! Oh, and they have Mold-a-ramas!

KT: What records are you going to buy on Record Store Day this year (April 17th)?
ED: Maybe I should pay for that copy of Harlem’s new album “Hippies” that I’ve had for the past month or so?? Yup, I should.

Thanks to Erin for doing the interview!
I’ll leave you with another one of those party pictures pictures from the same set Erin talked about above.

Buy the new Cave Weddings Single, “Last Time,” directly from Erin here!

Pick up the Cave Weddings Debut Single, “Bring Your Love,” here!