Nerve Tonic
Clifton, New Jersey, United States
Music
Press
The first time I heard Nerve Tonic they were full of piss & vinegar (and originality), and literally ate up the stage that night with some of the coolest glammy/ garagey punk rock this side of The Cramps!
Their new album Face the Galactic Undead” isn’t a one trick pony. The band (I love their names), including Dr. Void on vox and washboard, Hot Tony the Lady Killer on guitar, Evan the Destroyer on bass, Evil Jim on lead guitar and ice pick, and Senor El Fuhrer on drums, aren’t afraid to try different ideas. From primitive punk which features ominous Vox organ effects, through dense, and sometimes dorky (but cool), lyrics, to neo-industrial noisy punk. The lurking bass and damnation drumming come to the forefront like lead instruments. A feverish disc indeed!
Anthemic rockers like “Ms. Anne,” “Teen 13,” or “The Thing From Outer Space,” are effectively sparse, and musical. Nerve Tonic waste no time onpleasantries, they dive head-first into a song. Lost-in-space guitars cascade in every direction, as the rhythm section gives you an other-worldly, out-of-body experience! These seven songs probe new depths into the rockabilly genre. You don’t so much as listen to it as absorb it into your blood stream from start to finish!
by Phil Rainone - Jersey Beat
New Jersey gets a bad rap. The Garden State is known more for its factories and chemical spills than its greenery. But it's also a place with a long tradition of good bands — and Nerve Tonic is one of them.
Their new CD Pig Iron contains seven tracks of heavy reverb, 50s rockabilly licks and echoes three decades of musical twists and turns, starting with 80s hardcore. The pace is quick, and the band puts together sounds that never stray too far from basic rock and roll. Titles include Necrobitch, Roadkill Baby and Nervous.
Having known each other since high school, band members Dr. Void (Vox,Washboard) Hot Tony the Lady Killer (Guitar) Evan the Destroyer (Bass)Evil Jim (Lead Guitar, Ice Pick) Señor El Führer (Drums) had been in local hardcore punk bands (Subliminal Slaughter, Apathy, Radon-NJ and Draino) back in the day. However, riding the vagaries of time and public taste, they rediscovered 1950s rock and roll and began blending it with punk rock and the metallic rock of the 1970s and early 80s. It was either that or put on jogging suits, display thick gold necklaces and spin on their heads.
The band keeps things simple, never straying too far from their punk days,things are just slowed down a bit and there's a distinct twang. Most worth a listen to are The Fury and the Sun, Nervous (need tonic) and Her Gun.
-Richard Davis - Car Kulture Deluxe
Discography
EP- Pig Iron EP (all tracks have recieved radio airplay)
EP- Nerve Tonic Face the Galactic Undead (all tracks have received radio airplay)
LP- Kat-a-tonic (scheduled for release summer 2010)
Photos
Bio
Nerve Tonic blends the rock-n-roll and rockabilly of the 1950s with punk rock from its 1977 heyday. It’s greaser punk. The band has torn its way out of the guts of NJ to carryout but one mission: to make no-nonsense rock-n-roll...original, honest, and properly dangerous. Nerve Tonic are a group of friends who have known each other since high school. In 1994 they formed under the name Funch. The band has since changed their name to Nerve Tonic to commemorate their first CD release. They have played New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, including bars such as The Knitting Factory, Maxwells, L'Amour, The Court Tavern, The Clash Bar, The Bank Street Café, and many others. They have played with bands from a wide variety of genres, including Dale Watson, Electric Frankenstein, The Ergs, The Hudson Falcons, The Wretched Ones, Sasquatch and the Sickobillies and others. The group continues to receive high critical acclaim from a variety of radio, internet, and print sources. Their latest release, “Nerve Tonic Face the Galactic Undead” landed them the #7 album for the year 2008 according to Blowupradio.com. In 2009 we toured the NE USA.
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