When Steven Van Zandt comes calling, it’s best to pick up the phone. The most recent revival of Boston garage-punk legends Nervous Eaters has been made possible thanks in part to the longtime Bruce Springsteen collaborator. He released the band’s 2022 studio return Monsters and Angels and latest album Rock ‘n Roll Your Heart Away via his label Wicked Cool Records.
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Steve Cataldo, who formed the band in 1973, is thankful for his contribution.
“Stevie Van Zandt was the executive producer and he hit on [our song] ‘Rock ‘n Roll Your Heart Away’ right off the bat, plus ‘Just for You’ and ‘New Face,’” he says during a recent email interview. “I never met anyone like Steven before, he is a whirlwind of inventive activity. He has to be doing something every minute. So, if he digs your trip, he will bring a lot of energy to the project so you better catch that SVZ lighting and harbor it for as long as you can.”
While Nervous Eaters haven’t experienced the commercial success some of their contemporaries have – Cataldo feels Elektra Records’ mismanaged the release of their 1980 self-titled debut album – they’ve enjoyed a cult following and dedicated fans such as Zandt and The Cars’ Ric Ocasek (who produced the band’s original demos that got the band signed to Elektra).
The band, which shaped the Boston underground garage/punk rock scene of the late 70s, funneled rock, blues and R&B influences to create their own distinctive sound. The original version of the group also featured Stanley Clarke on vocals and rhythm guitar, Rob Skeen on vocals and bass guitar and Jeff Wilkinson on drums. The group’s name comes from Wilkinson’s mother.
“His mother, Florence, was a great lady and she fed the band a lot,” Cataldo explains via the press release for Rock ‘n Roll Your Heart Away. “We’d come up from the basement at different times to grab something to eat and she said, ‘Why don’t you all come up and sit down and have a meal? You’re such a bunch of nervous eaters.’”
Highlights for the group’s early days include becoming the house band for the legendary Boston punk rock club The Rat. It was there that they cut their teeth and fed their appetite for rock and roll and enjoyed playing with a who’s who of punk and new wave luminaries, including The Police, The Ramones, The Cars, Patti Smith, Dead Boys, Iggy Pop, The Stranglers, and Go-Go’s.
After disbanding in 1981, the band was revived in the mid-80s and has made returns over the years with various lineups. The current version of the Nervous Eaters formed in 2018 and includes three other Boston rock vets, bassist Carissa Johnson (Winner of New Act of the Year Award, Boston Music Awards and Boston’s legendary Rock n Roll Rumble), drummer David McLean (Willie Alexander’s Boom Boom Band) and guitarist/vocalist Adam Sherman (Private Lightning).
“It doesn’t matter what vein of rock ‘n’ roll you’re in,” says Cataldo via the album’s press release. “If you’re creating art, it’s just in your system and that’s what you do.”
Scummy Water Tower recently caught up with Cataldo about the band’s new music and why he still enjoys creating music under the Nervous Eaters name.
What are some of your favorite tour stories of late? How about a story from the old days?
Most of the crazy stuff happened from ‘74 to ‘79…when we had two vans, first one had a couch and a cooler which held the whole band and then some. The second van, sometimes a truck, had our “in a world of their own making” mindless but loyal road crew…We, here in the present, pack then fly or drive to the gig. Yup… So…
We were on the road [on] college tours, all the musicians were in one car and all the gear was in the large truck driven by the road crew. We got separated and only had sheets printed out by management, no cell phones in those days. So, the truck went to the correct college, they had the sheet with all the directions of course. We had the sheet with the name of the town. We pulled over after driving 3 plus hours to another state, that’s the one minus the correct college in it. Upon arriving in the wrong town with the same name but the wrong state, we finally got through on a pay phone to management, they exclaimed, holy crap you boneheads are 4 hours away from the correct college you numb skulls. Tell us something we don’t know, duh.
Only thing to do, get stoned right away, which we promptly did, then bong! Everything became much clearer. Flash to 3.5 hours later, we arrived at the correct college to the cheers and jeers from a seriously blasted crowd. We didn’t even change clothes, just jumped on stage and tore it up. After the first song, the kids went nuts, we were forgiven, a good night was had by all. We successfully finished the show and were ceremoniously asked to continue at one of the nearby frat houses. We of course said, “hell yeah”, [and] continued to play until the beer ran out. Months later we saw the movie, “Animal House” dudes, “been there done that” …nothing new to any college or band of that time.
The band came up through the Boston scene through an important period of rock music. What lessons really helped you and the band early on?
In the early days the fans let you know straight away if you sucked. We never played clubs with chicken wire covering the front of the stage but came damn close in a beer joint in western MA. Shouts like “play something good dickheads” and “You guys suck ass” come to mind. These pieces of encouragement tend to sharpen your game. But in all seriousness, when we were managed by The Rat, Jimmie Harold, owner of the club, booked us everywhere. Plus, there was a steady competition between The Real Kids, The Neighborhoods and us. If you missed some of the other group’s gigs for a few weeks, then finally caught up with them, they most likely had another great song. That burst your bubble pretty quick, making you bolt back to the garage for a quick rewrite. Your next tune had to be just as good if not better than what just blew your fuse.
Also, our dissatisfactory Elektra LP was a lesson learned big time. “Be true to your school”, No shit Sherlock. Never stray too far from the farm. Which we did and I learned a valuable lesson on “how to suck the easy way”. Long story but the short version is if we had used the money from Elektra not on making an LP out west but building our own studio and recording our next record at home in Boston, we would have been way ahead of the game. Actually, it was my fault, but I can see by my wording here, that I am taking everyone else under the bus with me and that’s not true. Remember that guys, no matter what your band is. If things are starting to go south then you’re better off telling fancy pants, everything sucks to his face.
The band played with a lot of well-known musicians. What are a couple of your favorite early memories?
Hanging out with Lou Reed. Partying it up with Hubert Sumlin and James Cotton. Playing with all the great bands Jim Harold booked us with. All the great young bands like The Police, Blondie, Ramones, Iggy, Patti Smith, Cyndi Lauper, The Pretenders, J. Geils, the list is endless. Certainly, one of the best times of my life. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.
How do you think you’ve grown most as a musician through this band?
You’re always learning. My writing was getting to a pretty good level of decent consistency before we started “Monsters & Angels.” I had been thinking about making another record for a while. So, as I put together the new band, I had half of the LP already in “demo-land”. In fact, I wish I could talk Wicked Cool into putting out an LP of my home demos. Longtime fans, radio DJ’s and record collectors usually bring that up. I don’t think you can constantly be playing and creating and not grow as a musician.
The band’s new album is its second since getting back together. How did the band’s goals compare making this one? Did you feel more confident?
I continue to write constantly, especially when I am contacted from the “great beyond”. When that happens the gist of the song displays itself fairly quickly. Other compositions come through by jamming to a rhythm track or playing acoustic guitar or piano for a couple of hours or so to my dog. We are always learning newer material for a better set as well as the next record.
Hopefully the writing got better in anticipation of upcoming studio sessions, as well as making a live set that entertains new and older fans.
Yes, I would say we felt more confident. We continued to use the same studio and an engineer we recorded with on the first album. Jack Gauthier of Lakewood studios has lots of experience. Jack has done numerous acclaimed Blues albums, like [for] John Hammond Jr, who I really dig, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Duke Robillard. The band felt more confident because Jack and the studio were familiar to us, making us feel more at ease in taking everything about the project a little further.
The band has gone through several lineup changes over the years. What about this version of the band is special?
The combination of Carissa Johnson and Adam Sherman has been fun. They are both a powerhouse of talent. Carissa is a fantastic singer-songwriter and photographer. She did all our photos during “Monsters & Angels”, she has released numerous CD’s, LP’s and videos plus tours with her own Band, “The Cure-All’s”. So, she is very busy as her career continues to climb. Adam Sherman is another super talent from Boston. He has at least 20 CDs circling the planet as we speak. Adam has a new solo LP out which he will be showcasing for the rest of this year. Jim Sullivan of “The Peach Eaters” fame has joined up for a while. Jim is killer on the 88″s, B3 and synths. He is one of those super talented musicians who can hear a tune once then nail it on the first take. Working with all these clever personalities is a trip and a half. As a band leader playing with this level of talent, I am grateful for every gig I get to do with them. That’s the kick of every new version of the Nervous Eaters. There is no way these days that you can hold onto extremely busy musicians for years. If you can get their help and originality for even one LP, then you’re very lucky. That’s the creative spirit, it would be very boring otherwise.
What about the band’s sound do you feel is special?
I would say that is reflective of the material I am aiming to play out and ultimately record at that time. For these last two records, plus added gigs, solid backup vocals, plus great keyboards were the special sauce. David Mclean the group’s drummer is one of the hardest working percussionists I have ever played with. Even though he is on top of his game, he never stops learning, trying to improve his approach. Like the others, Dave plays every day as much as he can.
What elements are essential for a Nervous Eaters song?
The best drum track you can get. To me, a drummer is like a car engine. Great engine [equals] great car. Ergo, Great drummer [equals] great band. Plus, the bass has to be way up in an Eaters mix. The Eaters are a bass driven band. If we don’t have those two elements driving the band, then we might as well join a GB band. No disrespect for all those hard-working general business bands out there.
Why does it still feel fitting to use the Nervous Eaters name?
Well, I started the band, I write and sing all the songs. That way our sound and style has mostly stayed familiar. I didn’t start out to be Johnny Rock the star of stage and screen, but no one else was writing so I just picked up the ball and ran with it. I’m still running and will stay that way until I cramp up. No offense to the Cramps, whom I dig.
What were some of your favorite moments recording the album?
We were attacked by a “horde of hornets.” Everything came to a stop as this had to be dealt with. Like you want to lay down a great vocal track while simultaneously making sure you’re not going to get nailed in the neck by a pissed off hornet. Ingenious devices were created and the hunt began. If you unsuccessfully try to kill them, then duck & cover, because straight away they will make a beeline (no pun intended) right to your face. I got hit on the nose as Brad maneuvered the giant bugger out the door. I have to say we were constantly on guard for those suckers.
Also, working with keyboardist Brooks Milgate was fantastic. He has a great sense of musical decision when laying down his part. His overdubs were absolutely mesmerizing and very much to our elation he ended up playing on both albums.
What were some of the biggest surprises while making the album?
That we didn’t kill each other. The 2nd LP went much smoother than the first one. I think we felt some pressure to be freaking “outta sight” so some of the session’s got a little testy. By the time we got rolling on “RnR” we knew the lay of the land. No deaths occurred.
What are you most looking forward to in the months ahead?
The release of “Rock n Roll Your Heart Away” of course. Plus, the video that is coming out to support the record’s release. It’s very different than any video we have done in the past. With the help of Vid-AI and the vision of film maker Vincent Straggas, I’m pretty sure fans will get a freaking kick out of it. Plus, the next Nervous Eaters LP – 2025.
You can follow Nervous Eaters on Facebook and Instagram and check out their music on YouTube.
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
