Grinderman

Grinderman formed in 2005 when Nick Cave was writing material for the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds album Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. Featuring Martyn Casey on bass, Warren Ellis on violin and guitar, and Jim Sclavunos on drums, the band crafted songs together. In 2006, they entered a London studio and began a marathon session of songwriting and demo recording. Aiming to recreate the rawer, more primal sound of Cave’s acclaimed post-punk project “The Birthday Party,” Grinderman’s lyrics and music were a significant departure from Nick Cave’s earlier work with The Bad Seeds.

The following April, they recorded the best of these new songs and, with the help of their longtime friend and producer Nick Launay, recorded an album. Their eleven-song debut album, Grinderman, released on March 5, 2007, received critical acclaim and included the singles “No Pussy Blues” and “Get It On.” The quartet reunited in 2009 to record Grinderman 2, released in 2010. In December 2011, Cave announced the band’s dissolution at a music festival in Australia.