When the members of a rock band decide to take some time apart to work on separate projects or just hang at home with the kids, they often employ that catchall term "hiatus." Some even go the extra mile and punctuate the word with a preceding "indefinite" — leading one to believe that the group has been put on ice for good. But characterizing a band's current status as "on hiatus" doesn't always spell total collapse. Stephen Brodsky is hoping Cave In's imposed lull will ultimately strengthen the ambitious rock outfit's future material.

"Cave In is on a hiatus, primarily because we all live in different parts of the world," he explained, adding that there's no tension between Cave In's members, and the break was not inspired by Cave In's major-label woes (see "Cave In Survive Major-Label Divorce, Want To Revive The Cassingle"). "Until we're all in the same geographical spot with one another, I don't think anything could really happen. The best moments of the band, creatively, were when we were locked in together, geographically, and of course, that affects everything above and beyond that. The other guys have some other things going on as well."

For his part, Brodsky has released two solo projects, and the two-years-in-the-works self-titled debut LP from Stephen Brodsky's Octave Museum hit record store shelves Tuesday (November 7). He'd also like to release the latest studio offering from his other band, New Idea Society, soon; that album has been recorded for more than a year, and Brodsky is still trying to find a label home for the disc. Meanwhile, Cave In bassist Caleb Scofield is working with Zozobra, which will release Harmonic Tremors soon. Former Cave In drummer John-Robert Connors has been busy with his band Doomriders, while his replacement, kitman Ben Koller, has been touring with Converge. Guitarist Adam McGrath has also started a new band called Clouds, which will release a record in February.

"It's exciting because between all of us, there's still very much a musical pulse. And I think the great thing about Cave In is that, as time goes on, it's like we can exist outside of this one realm known as Cave In," Brodsky said; Cave In's most recent album, Perfect Pitch Black, was released more than a year ago. "I think we all would love to make a record in the future, and one can only hope that all these separate experiences can have us come back into making a new Cave In record with a ton of new tricks, personalities, and musical explorations that maybe weren't there before we started working on music on our own."

So while Cave In are on vacation, Brodsky doubts it will be permanent. Until the band regroups, he'll be working on his own material — which he said has an uncharacteristically positive feel to it.

"The lyrics, I'd say, have a positive tone overall — maybe more so than stuff I'd written in the past," he explained of Stephen Brodsky's Octave Museum, which features 10 tracks, including "Sentimental Case," "Prove Myself" and "Red Headed Butterflies." "The bulk of the songs came out in a songwriting spurt that happened around the same time I had started a pleasant romantic relationship. But I also experimented with taking prescription medications for depression and anxiety in the past. With both of those relationships, there was a honeymoon period. Most of these songs were spawned out of a very positive honeymoon period between a drug relationship and also a romantic one, with a lady."

The album was recorded in bits and pieces, using a Pro Tools rig Brodsky purchased from Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou. "I just recorded things and doubled and tripled every little detail I put in there," he said. "That kind of madness morphed into two years of no boundaries and no limits. It wasn't until I got some other people involved" — like Scissorfight drummer Kevin J. Strongbow, and Thee Electric Bastards mastermind Johnny Northrup — "to play the stuff and engineer it, and then the whole project saw the light at the end of the tunnel."

Brodsky anticipates that Octave Museum will embark on a U.S. tour this spring and will also play a limited number of gigs in the U.K. this fall. As for what the future holds for him and the Octave Museum, Brodsky said he's not sure. He's just happy to be working.

"I'm sort of a musical swinger," he said. "I like to jump around from situation to situation, and see what kind of concoction comes out of that. And this album's one of many concoctions I hope to brew up, for as long as I can use my hands and my vocal cords. I'm hoping to have nothing but a work ethic from here on in when it comes to music. It's always going to be in my mind to have [Guided by Voices'] Robert Pollard as one of my unsung heroes, and I don't think I can accept the challenge to match his output, but I would certainly like to keep barking out songs, in any shape or form that I can. I just want to make sure that my songs are out there for anyone who wants to listen to them."