Hello and welcome to REPLY ALT, the only email newsletter about music that is also sometimes a podcast. Today, it’s a podcast. Listen to this episode and others on Spotify or Apple.
You’d think a guy like Mikey Erg would get cynical or jaded about music. After all, the guy has played in a near limitless slew of bands over the last decade, toured through every venue in every city in America, and is practically the glue that holds The Fest’s lineup together every year. And yet, despite all his punk rock bona fides, he maintains a fanboy-like appreciation for music history which I find very endearing. He still has the enthusiasm in him to geek out over the most inconsequential rock ‘n’ roll landmarks wherever he travels. If there’s a spot in the world where The Beatles have ever recorded, been photographed, or taken a leak, Mikey has snapped a selfie in front of it.
I talked to Mikey recently about his journeys as a rock ‘n’ roll tourist, as well as his transition from the end of his beloved pop punk band The Ergs! to his recent venture as a solo artist. He’s got a new, self-titled record out this month, which he calls “a return to form.” It’s a bit looser and more playful than his 2016 solo debut, Tentative Decisions, which should be obvious from the Clash parody album artwork and the Green Day and Pearl Jam covers stuffed into it.
So, enjoy this chat about Mikey’s solo work, meeting celebrities as the former drummer of the house band for The Chris Gethard Show, and being a sponge for rock minutiae. And check out Mikey’s new record! It’s got a cover of one of my favorite Green Day songs. Oh, and speaking of Green Day, did I mention there’s a chapter about them in my forthcoming book? (Oh you thought I’d get through an entire post without plugging my book, SELLOUT by Dan Ozzi in stores 10.26.21 for more info visit sellout.biz?? Nuh uh, think again, yo!! Pre-order now please and thank you.)
Pre-order my forthcoming book, SELLOUT, here: Indiebound | Amazon | Books-A-Million | Goodreads
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