You could say I’m a little insane… and you probably will.

– The Ergs! “Books About Miles Davis”

The Ergs! Final Show, 11/15/08 (Marc Gaertner Photo)

A quick note to say that if any of you are interested in my music writing, I’m contributing a week of entries on The Ergs!, a seminal pop-punk trio from middle New Jersey that conquered a tiny slice of the world between 2000 and 2008, to the site One Week, One Band this week. I chose to write about them because, simply, they were a great band (possibly era-defining) and their accomplishments deserve more attention. Mikey, Joey, and Jeffy Erg represented that ideal (hard-working, down-to-earth) type of band that simply were not built for mainstream popularity. Geographically, their strongest following grew and remains on the East Coast. They had fans all over the country and world, but were The Ergs! one of the last touring bands with such a geographically-isolated fanatical following? Only history will tell, but there’s something to be said for that.

I’m updating OneWeekOneBand over the course of this week with insights into the pop-culture references in their songs, politics buried in their lyrics, the musical evolution that alternately delighted and confused their fans, and various pieces of photo and video evidence of their legacy (like that picture above). I hope you take a look and enjoy it.

In other news, I just got my first email about the SEEDAG Meeting this fall. IT BEGINS!