Original Nerves Paul Collins, Peter Case plan 2012 tour together
Written by admin on November 17, 2011
Two members of the band that originated Power Pop as we know it plan to tour the U.S. and Canada in 2012. Before embarking on a string of dates in Germany, Paul Collins announced on his Facebook page that he and fellow Nerves co-founder Peter Case will unite for several concert dates beginning March 1, 2012 in Vancouver, B.C.
Collins, Case and Jack Lee formed The Nerves in 1974 and produced a new, unique sound that would influence many bands to come. With that, they created the Power Pop genre, which continues to have a huge worldwide following. While The Nerves only officially released one EP, one of its tracks was the history-making “Hanging on the Telephone.” That track would later be covered by Blondie and become a mainstream chart hit.
Jason On January 29, 2012 at 5:57 pm
This is great news! Most people dont realize, The Nerves formed the same year as The Ramones, (in 1974), making their own records, booking their own tours and driving in their own customized station wagon, which Paul Collins supplied. Ironically, The Nerves toured with both The Ramones and Eddie Money, who co-wrote Let Me Into Your Life with Paul Collins. These musical friendships later helped Paul Collins and Peter Case when they disbanded The Nerves and The Breakaways to form spinoff groups The Beat (Collins) and The Plimsouls (Case). The Paul Collins Beat were featured on the Caddyshack motion picture soundtrack with Journey and Kenny Loggins, while The Plimsouls were featured as a performing band in the 80s Nicholas Cage film “Valley Girl.”
Fast forward to the present day and you have two separate groups with Peter Case & Band and The Paul Collins Beat. Peter Case has a large adult following in the world of folk music and singer/songwriters. Case has won words of praise from artists such as Bruce Springsteen. With kind words from punk artists such as members of The Ramones, Paul Collins has a large youth fanbase consisting of teens, twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings. Collins owns a partnered booking agency called The Beat Army, which focuses on booking new rock bands and organizing tours. In 2011, Paul Collins performed live as a guest with Green Day. Their frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong is an avid fan of The Nerves and has been covering the song Walking Out On Love as part of the American Idiot Broadway musical production. For many years, fans in the audiences of Peter Case and Paul Collins would request songs from their group The Nerves. Both artists have embraced and accepted the popularity and legendary status of The Nerves. Its hard to categorize The Nerves in one particular genre and further proof would be the cover versions of their songs as done by modern indie rock artists such as Cat Power. With any luck Im hoping Peter Case and Paul Collins will record a live album and film a live concert DVD during their tour tribute to The Nerves.