45 Grave

.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, Rovi