Urge overkill saturation
Then came the explosion of alternative rock in the mainstream marketplace, spearheaded by the passionate neo-punk of Seattle ’s multiplatinum group Nirvana. “We were convinced that there was no demand for rock anymore, ” Kato recalled in CMJ. With 1991 ’s Supersonic Storybook, Urge truly arrived, according to many critics and fans yet, the group had yet to find its audience. ” Blackie Onassis toured with the band repeatedly and finally joined as a permanent member, at which point the group really found its focus. When we put on those suits, we get into this Urge mode, and it just works. I still don ’t know what style of music we ’re playing or what audience we appeal to. Kato agreed, calling the gigs “nuts ” and adding that they invariably “ended up with all of our gear broken. All the other bands in Chicago dismissed them as a cruel hoax. Rowan -who would later adopt the stage moniker Blackie Hollywood (later amended to Blackie Onassis) and join the band as its permanent drummer-described the rush of the early UO shows in Rolling Stone: “They were so visual. As such, they were largely a cult phenomenon one of their earliest fans was John Rowan, a student at Loyola University. With their matching outfits and homemade “UO ” medallions, Urge represented the alternative to alternative. “We invented a million-dollar look on a shoestring. “We ’ve been touted as these fashion horses, but we ’re just blessed that we live in Chicago, ” Kato told Spin, explaining that they would simply shop at thrift stores to find attire for photo shoots. Melding the sartorial inclinations of the martini-swilling doyens of Las Vegas lounges and the cheesy glamour of the disco era, Kato and Roeser concocted a look that tweaked the solemnity of the T-shirted post-punk era. Signing on with the Chicago indie label Touch & Go, the band pursued a mix of ballsy guitar rock and funky grooves on such recordings as Jesus Urge Superstar and Americruiser. Though the hard-edged punk sound of Big Black infiltrated the early Urge recordings, the band soon found its own sonic and stylistic niche. Albini lent them Big Black drummer Pat Byrne and Urge recorded its debut, the EP Strange, I …, for Ruthless. The pair made a strong impression on future indie-rock mogul Steve Albini, who was then a journalism student, leader of the band Big Black, and owner of the Ruthless Records label. Took the band ’s name from a line in a song by the extravagant 70s “P-Funk ” band Parliament and played adrenalized riff-rock. Record Company -Geffen Records, 9130 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90069. 1986, at Northwestern University, Illinois released debut EP on Ruthless Records, 1987 released debut album Jesus Urge Superstar on Touch & Go Records, 1989 signed with Geffen Records and released Saturation, 1993 contributed song “Take a Walk ” to No Alternative compilation, 1993 song “Girl, You ’ll Be a Woman Soon ” appeared on soundtrack to film Pulp Fiction, 1994.Īddresses: Fan Club -U.R.G.E. 1963 in Minneapolis, MN), vocals, guitars, keyboards Blackie Onassis (born John Rowan), drums, vocals Eddie “King ” Roeser (born Litchfield, MN) various replacement drummers.īand formed c. Members include Nash Kato (born Nathan Katruud c. He traveled to the Chicago area to attend Northwestern University in the early 1980s, and there formed the first version of Urge with Ed Roeser, a bassist-guitarist who also hailed from Minnesota.
Nash Kato is a stage name for Urge frontman Nathan Katruud, a Minneapolis-born minister ’s son who grew up loving soul music.
However, Urge has yet to reach the kind of stardom their image might suggest. Combining over-the-top glitz and lounge-lizard suavity, the band gathered a cult following with a string of indie releases before scoring with their major-label debut a subsequent hit on the Pulp Fiction film soundtrack moved them even further into the limelight. ”Though this claim is delivered with the same nonchalance that defines nearly everything about the band, Urge Overkill ’s desire to rock -in the manner of megastar bands of the past, not the shoegazing angstmongers of the 1990s -is essential to their appeal. We were united by rock, “goes a standard pronouncement by Urge Overkill singer-guitarist Nash Kato, as cited by Rolling Stone.