It’s always intriguing to see Cleveland bands and musicians develop an often passionate following outside the area, usually among a tiny group of music business insiders (often music journalists), who latch onto an artist that barely made an impression here.
One of those is the short-lived post-punk band Grain, which existed for less than three years in 1993-1995, a time when Cleveland was teeming with such bands playing venues such as the Euclid Tavern, Speak in Tongues and lesser-known underground spaces. They released a handful of recordings but did a fair amount of touring, including playing with such noted underground acts as Avail and Archers of Loaf.
Now a Los Angeles label called Solid Brass Records has released We’ll Hide Away: Complete Recordings 1993-1995, collecting everything the band left behind: a total of ten tracks, with another four available for download only. The vinyl-only release also features a booklet with photos, show flyers and memories from friends and fans.
The label connects Grain, which they call “a punishingly loud post-hardcore band who left their mark everywhere they played,” to such 1990s Cleveland hardcore bands as Integrity, Confront and Face Value, all of which were much better known and longer-lived.
“In the mid 90s there was another musical shift happening in the underground community around the country and Northeast Ohio was no exception,” says Solid Brass’s press release. “Across basements, VFW halls, and other DIY music spaces a new crop of bands was emerging. These new bands, often born from the ashes of more traditional hardcore bands just a few years prior, had broadened their musical influences and their respective sounds were often more polished, dynamic, and lyrically diverse.”
For more information and to get the record, go to solidbrassrecords.com/artists/grain.