| The Urge | |
|---|---|
| Origin | St. Louis, MO, USA |
| Genres | Reggae, Ska Punk |
| Years active | 1987–2001, 2003–2005, 2011 |
| Labels | Epic/Immortal |
| Associated acts | LucaBrasi (formerly Seven), Stevie E (Steve Ewing solo), El Monstero, Joe Dirt, Ulcer Inc |
| Members | |
| Steve Ewing Jerry Jost John Pessoni Karl Grable Matt Kwiatkowski Bill Reiter |
|
| Past members | |
| Pat Malecek Jeff Herschel Todd Painter |
|
The Urge is a St. Louis rock band formed in 1987 by drummer Jeff Herschel, bassist Karl Grable, guitarist Pat Malecek, and singer Steve Ewing. Their music combines multiple styles of music including ska, hardcore punk, thrash metal, funk, reggae, and hip hop.
Contents |
The original Urge lineup debuted in 1989 with the cassette-only "Bust Me Dat Forty", followed a year later by the LP Puttin the Backbone Back. After the addition of trombonist Matt Kwiatkowski, the group released 1992's Magically Delicious. Later the group added trombonist/keyboardist Todd Painter and saxophonist/keyboardist Bill Reiter, and in 1993 recorded the live LP Fat Babies in the Mix. After Herschel and Malecek left the band in 1994, guitarist Jerry Jost and drummer John Pessoni joined the lineup, and subsequent touring with 311 helped The Urge win a number of new fans. The 1995 release of Receiving The Gift of Flavor was so successful that it brought the band to the attention of Epic's Immortal imprint, which reissued the LP in 1996.
After constant touring with the likes of labelmates KoЯn and Incubus, Master of Styles was released in 1998, containing the hit "Jump Right In" which featured singer Nick Hexum of 311, as well as the minor hits "Straight To Hell" and "Divide and Conquer".
Following the release of Too Much Stereo in mid-2000, the band toured for nearly a year before calling it quits. In summer 2001, the band went its separate ways due to musical differences.
Since breaking up in 2001, the band has played several reunion shows. Frontman Steve Ewing has made several solo records under the name Stevie E. and is currently assisting several growing local St. Louis rock bands including Zamudio, The Dead End, and Lojic. Guitarist Jerry Jost was almost chosen as the replacement guitarist for Limp Bizkit after Wes Borland left the band in 2002. The other members still reside in St. Louis and are involved in several musical projects.
Their hit Jump Right In can be heard in an episode of MTV's Daria and MTV's The Real World.
On July 15 2011, The Urge confirmed that they would be reforming to write new music. Their new single "Say Yeah" debuted immediately following the announcement at Pop's live on the radio. Their first show back together was Pointfest 29. During the live radio interview, the band discussed with Donny Fandango that the new music will be entirely new material, and will not be the abandoned album "Escape From Boys Town" from 2001 (which they currently have no plans of resurrecting).[1] They also launched their new website TheUrge.net.
On September 10, 2011 while playing Pointfest the band announced that they will be playing two shows at The Pageant in St. Louis MO on November 11th and 12th. Three weeks later, after quickly selling out the Novermber 11th and 12th shows, the band announce a third show at The Pageant on November 18th and a fourth on November 25th.
Current:
Former:
| Year | Title | Label | Info | Units Sold | Singles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Bust Me Dat Forty | Neat Guy | DNC | ? | No Official Singles |
| 1990 | Putting the Backbone Back | Neat Guy | DNC | ? | No Official Singles |
| 1992 | Magically Delicious | Neat Guy | DNC | ? | No Official Singles |
| 1993 | Fat Babies in the Mix | Neat Guy | DNC | Unknown | No Official Singles |
| 1996 | Receiving The Gift of Flavor | Immortal Records | DNC | 150,000 copies sold | "All Washed Up," "Brainless," "It's Gettin' Hectic" |
| 1998 | Master of Styles | Immortal Records | #134 US | 250,000 copies sold | "Straight to Hell," "Jump Right In" (#10 US Modern Rock), "Closer" |
| 2000 | Too Much Stereo | Immortal Records | #200 US | 125,000 copies sold | "Too Much Stereo" (#20 US Modern Rock), "Four Letters and Two Words" |
| 2000 | Live and Unreleased E.P. | Immortal Records | DNC | ? | No Official Singles |
| 2000 | Rare and Out of Print | Vintage Vinyl | DNC | ? | No Official Singles |
| 2011 | Unknown | Neat Guy | TBD | TBD | "Say Yeah" |