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The whereabouts of the Urge Overkill brain trust is finally known and it turns out it's right back where it all started -- in Chicago.| After the Windy City trio quietly disbanded but never officially broke up two years ago, bassist/singer Eddie "King" Roeser joined forces with his brother John to form the group Electric Airlines, guitarist/singer Nash Kato holed up in his Chicago abode demoing solo material, and drummer Blackie Onassis completely vanished.
Now, Roeser, who sang lead on most Urge Overkill tunes, has turned
his attention to the Kimball Roeser Effect, a grunge-pop duo that
includes former Jesus Lizard drummer Jim Kimball. "We're leaving
the experimental rock to others at this point," says Roeser. The
unsigned group, which began playing last October under the name
L.I.M.E. (an acronym for nothing in particular), has started
playing sporadic club dates. Early demos on songs like "The Wait"
and "Go On" feature a balance of the Urge Overkill garage sound and
guttural power-pop, though Roeser says "it doesn't have as much of
a pop element" as their newer, not yet recorded material.
Elsewhere among the Urge debris, Nash Kato, famed for singing lead
on the Neil Diamond cover "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," off the
Pulp Fiction soundtrack, is preparing to sign a record
deal with Loosegroove Records, which is headed by Pearl Jam
guitarist Stone Gossard. Currently Kato is in a Chicago studio
recording new material with producer Eric Ross (Tori Amos,
Tuatara). Josh Freese, drummer for Guns n' Roses and the Vandals,
has already recorded drums for the album. Leroy Bach, who tours
with Wilco, is on bass and Nils St. Cyr, along with Kato, plays
guitar. The album should be finished some time in June or July,
with no release date in site.
BLAIR R. FISCHER(May 19, 1999)