.45 Grave was a Los Angeles-based death rock band whose macabre, morose, and sometimes amusing music helped get American goth-rock off to its shambling start. In 1985, after gaining a fair deal of attention via gloom-ridden gigs and several depressing releases, the band split up, with
Paul B. Cutler and
Dinah Cancer (real name Mary Sims) going on to other projects, including
Dream Syndicate, while drummer
Don Bolles and bassist Rob Graves formed Silver Chalice with guitarist
Geza X. In 1988, a sporadic series of reunion gigs led to a new live album in
Only the Good Die Young and a revitalized career for the band, which came to a second and more final end with the overdose death of
Graves in 1991.
Don Bolles went on to lead
Celebrity Skin, while Sims was a member of
Penis Flytrap. ~ Steven McDonald