The Nervous Eaters, one of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

's first

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

bands with Steve Cataldo on vocals and guitar, Robb Skeen on bass, and Jeff Wilkinson on drums. Forming in 1973 they had used the name some years earlier, but had not performed live under it. As the Rhythm Assholes, they had backed local rock legend

Willie Alexander Willie "Loco" Alexander (born January 13, 1943) is an American singer and keyboardist based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He played with the Lost, the Bagatelle and the Grass Menagerie, before becoming a member of the Velvet Underground in lat ...

on his single "Kerouac" and in concert. After a name change, they made their debut at the hub of the city's alternative music scene,

the Rathskeller The Rathskeller (known as The Rat) was a live music venue in Boston that was open from 1974 to 1997. It was considered the "granddaddy" of Boston rock venues. During its heyday, the Rat hosted such acts as the Cars, the Pixies, Metallica, De ...

—known as the Rat—in March 1976. Their first single, "Loretta", appeared later that year on the club's Rat label.Strong (2003), p. 90. Early on, the band experienced problems holding on to a second guitarist, but Alan Hebditch, a childhood friend of Cataldo's, became a regular fixture in early 1978. Along with the

Real Kids The Real Kids were an American rock music, rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, led by guitarist, singer and songwriter John Felice. Career Felice (born 1955) grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, as a neighbor and friend of Jonatha ...

and

DMZ A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or boundary ...

, they were considered among the scene's "punkier" bands. Centered on Cataldo's "great rock & roll voice" and "jangly guitar", in the description of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Joe Viglione, they were the "

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

of Boston...hard-rocking, riff-blasting, tongue-in-cheek". By 1978, they were one of the most popular acts in the city. Their second Rat single, the punk rock styled, "Just Head", appeared in 1979.Thompson (2000), p. 514. After the release of "Just Head", the band brought on a new second guitarist, Jonathan Paley.

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek ( ), was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the primary vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the America ...

of scenemates

the Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

produced a ten-song demo for the band that attracted major-label attention. Their self-titled debut album, produced by Harry Maslin, was released by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

in 1980. ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

''s Ira Robbins retrospectively panned it: "This Boston quartet had long been a local critics' choice; after this major-label record brought them a national hearing, it's hard to understand why. ''Nervous Eaters'' is an awfully tame set of J. Geils–like R&B and

Hall and Oates Daryl Hall & John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, were an American rock duo formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1970. Daryl Hall was generally the lead vocalist, while John Oates primarily supplied electric guitar and backing vocals ...

–style soul." Belying the "R-rated and lovingly sexist" lyrics of "Loretta" and other album tracks such as "Get Stuffed" and "Girl Next Door", Viglione writes that the album's sound falls "somewhere between

the Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of the lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Ta ...

and the Four Seasons". Nonetheless, in his view, "The disc works despite being a slight misrepresentation of the artist." It met with little commercial success, and the Nervous Eaters disbanded in 1981. The band briefly reunited in 1986, with Cataldo, Wilkinson, Hebditch, and Paley. They recorded a six-song EP, ''Hot Steel and Acid'', for the French-based New Rose label; it was subsequently issued as well by Boston's Ace of Hearts Records. In early June 2013, the band went on the road again, supporting

the Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1974. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 20 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the ...

at Brighton Music Hall, though at least one member has moved to California. In 2018, the Nervous Eaters and their old manager James Harold put out ''Live at the Rat 2'' on DVD, and Rick Hearte, owner of Ace of Hearts, issued a CD re-release of ''Hot Steel and Acid'' with more songs added. 2021 The Nervous Eaters signed with WICKED COOL RECORDS. A new LP/CD is expected to follow in 2022. They will be on the road doing gigs in support of those LPs/ CDs through 2021–2022. Steve Berkowitz is executive producer of the project. The band now consists of drummer David Mclean, Brad Hallen on bass, and songwriter Steve Cataldo on lead guitar and lead vocals.

Notes

Sources

* Strong, Martin Charles (2003). ''The Great Indie Discography'', rev. ed. (Edinburgh: Canongate). * Thompson, Dave (2000). ''Alternative Rock'' (San Francisco: Miller Freeman). * Sedaka, Charlie (2013) WZBC Music presenter. {{Authority control American garage punk groups American new wave musical groups Musical groups from Boston Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Punk rock groups from Massachusetts Garage rock groups from Massachusetts