Are You Receiving Me? Post-Ergs Recovery Act Pt. I & II

Night Birds
4-song demo (CD-R)
Self-released

Psyched to Die
Sterile Walls 7” EP
Grave Mistake/Firestarter

Questions Frequently Asked About the Post-Ergs Recovery Act Parts I and II

1. How best to deal with the demise of the Ergs?

It's been nearly a year since the news of the late Jersey trio's demise and many of us are still grappling with what to do, recognizing the need to move on yet uncertain of the proper steps. We suggest focusing on the quantitative, the numbers. Convince yourself that a post-Ergs world has the potential for more Ergs-related records (given that all three members are in new bands). It's kind of like when Husker Du split up and there were records from Bob and Grant. Big windows to let in the sun. Again, focus on the quantitative.

2. Do either of the bands featured in the first two parts of the Post-Ergs Recovery Act sound like the Ergs?

No, but the Night Birds and Psyched to Die do sound similar to each other.

3. Are either of the bands any good?

Yes. Quite good. Let's start with the Night Birds, a.k.a. Joe Erg's new band. Their 4-song demo draws a lot on 80s punk like the first Dead Kennedys album or Agent Orange. There is also a hint, just a hint I say, of '60s garage rock (especially the "I'm ready to go go go" chorus on "Send Me Home" and the "ahh ahh" backing vocals on "Can't Get Clean"). It's like the middle ground between the Monkees and Minor Threat versions of "Steppin' Stone," only the guitar leads sound surfy now and again so throw Dick Dale in the mix. Knowing, of course, that the Night Birds are mostly punk—fast, intense, earnest, catchy but not poppy. Next: Psyched to Die, a.k.a. Mikey Erg’s new band.He’s still singing (some of the leads, not all) and he’s on guitar rather than drums.Gone are songs about girls.Now it’s songs about dying, swift and imminent.And tongue in cheek. Sonically Psyched to Die draw heavily on Minor Threat (and like minded 80s hardcore bands)—the fast tempos, the hoarse vocals, the Jeff Nelson fills across the toms.The songs are catchy and witty (“New Hampshire Man’s Quandry” is a great title if you’re in the “songs about dying” racket) and pretty similar until the last song, “Sterile Walls,” which breaks in a different direction and suggests that Psyched to Die are going to rise about the trappings of concept band status.

Night Birds: myspace.com/NGHTBRDS, joey_erg@hotmail.com