City Newspaper Then again you could check with Eddie Nebula and The Plague, who, despite its talent and sneaking self-doubt, has a fear of overexposure.
"We have a really loyal fan base for some reason," says guitarist Karl Hungus. "We love our crowd but we don't want to go more than once every three months."
"It's an event every time we play," says frontman Eddie Nebula. "But what kills us is we really seriously talk every time we're about to have a show, 'I don't know if anyone's going to show up this time.' We only play like five times a year. I think that nobody's going to show up if we play more than that."
Then the self-doubt really kicks in --- only to be squashed by the band's obvious popularity.
"Maybe now we're underexposing," Nebula wonders. "But then everyone shows up. It's like 'Holy crap, somebody gives a shit.'"
Catch the band and it's like watching a 3-D TV with the vertical hold gone haywire. Nebula's feet rarely touch the ground between his aerial splits, Bruce Lee scissor kicks, and NBA hang time.
"I'm afraid I'm going to slip and fall if I put my feet down," Nebula says, even though he's more likely to crack his head on the ceiling.
Eddie Nebula and The Plague is a powerful four-piece band from Rochester. There's rock energy, metal riffs, punk insanity, and plenty of stinging sarcastic wit, both lyrically and in the way the whole fiasco is dished out. If you've ever wondered why "poor me" replaced "fuck you" in rock 'n' roll, you might want to dig The Plague.
"That sums it up right there," Nebula says. "That's exactly where I'm at. When are we gonna get back to bitchin' and having strength and having something to laugh about?"
Hungus openly taunts bands that don't adhere to that mantra.
"Emo," he says, looking like he just sucked a lemon, "yeah, have some self esteem. You're on stage, fuckin' like yourself a little bit."
The Plague packs 'em in. And it's not just the free, personalized, mini bottles of bourbon they hand out either.
"I think it's the songs," Hungus says. "Ed's a great songwriter. When you come to our shows, the first few rows of people know all the words to the songs we wrote. And that's awesome."
This leaves Nebula somewhat pleased. Someone bought the record.
"Basically it means that somebody actually listened to it," he says. "And I don't have to print the lyrics every time." But again the doubt: "Or maybe I should."
Still, he's somewhat mystified with the attention. Who are these people?
"It's more of a cultish following," he says. "I know half of the people that go to the shows. The other people, I don't recognize some of them, and I don't see them at other shows. So I don't know where the hell they're coming from."
Maybe it's the band's vibe that draws them.
"Ed has a ton of charisma," says Hungus. "And we just give off a fun vibe as well. We don't take ourselves seriously."
"But the joke is... The Plague was supposed to be Rochester," Nebula says. "The word plague meant where I am, where I'm at in Rochester. I always thought of it as like Mordor or Gotham City. I'm stuck in it. It's a love-hate thing."
Nebula's love is for what he dubs "the Rochester sound."
"Although all the bands in Rochester don't sound the same, there's a little bit of an area sound," he says. "I think we all have this sort of ongoing feel. I think it's a little sarcastic, lyrically. I think there's a dark tone to a lot of the bands, even the more upbeat bands, even the Hi-Risers. I'm set up to write silly heavy music and there's still a darkness to it. It just comes out that way because, I think, of where we are. The weather's kind of crappy."
Nebula's darkness doesn't seem as barometrically centered on the third and new CD, Sub Bourbon Nights. He's still pissed, but his lyrical gripes fit well with a band that's obviously maturing.
On the new disc, the band capably corrals classic metal tones, punk speed, and melodic hooks. Even when the band blasts through a number like "Sons Of Bitches," Nebula's vocal timing and timbre are penetrating. The cut "Rochester Girls" starts out with a lonesome Southwest ghost rider tinge, only to careen into a rock chorus on how much local girls suck.
"We tried to mix it up and put in some different tempos and different feels," Hungus says. "I think we're just going forward 'cause you gotta evolve. And it was a logical progression 'cause we were listening to more and more weird stuff and less and less punk rock."
"To me there is a value in trying to write quality songs even if they're ridiculous tunes like some of the stuff we do," Nebula says. "But also people who show up to your show, they don't care how successful you are outside of what you're doing that night. They know it's Saturday night, it's you, and it's them."
Bitchin’ and laughin’ with Eddie Nebula and The Plague
by Frank DeBlase
January 5, 2005
Down in the night-life trenches where the real bands slug it out, exposure is the filthy lucre doled out by club owners in lieu of cash --- or respect. If you've ever ventured into a nightclub clutching an instrument, with a song in your heart, stars in your eyes, and nothing in your pockets, then you've heard it before. It's the old song and dance: "C'mon, it'll be good exposure." Just ask the Eskimos about exposure.
FreeTime Magazine
by Michelle Picardo
December, 2004
"...'Tis the season to rock, at least according to Eddie Nebula & the Plague, who will be releasing their new CD, Sub Bourbon Nights (love the title!) at the Bug Jar on Saturday, December 18th, along with The Blastoffs
(also releasing a new CD) and The Scarlets. We had a listen to Eddie Nebula, whose punk rock sound is augmented with irreverent punk rock humor. These guys have a song for everyone, usually done at breakneck
speed and certain to bring a grin to your face. Check out the western-punk ode, "Rochester Girls," (with the excellent line, "Rochester girls make me drink!") or the angry-metal-toned "Piss on the Roses." If you need to let off some steam during this
stressful time of year, Eddie Nebula & The Plague is your band!..."
Democrat and Chronicle
by Jeff Spevak
December 17, 2004
"Two CD releases in one night! The Blastoffs and Eddie Nebula and the Plague each celebrate a new release with a 9 p.m.
show Saturday at the Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Ave. . . Eddie Nebula and the Plague's release is the band's third, after 2001's Soul Deflector and 2003's Punk the Enemy.
We haven't heard the whole thing yet, but based some mp3s on the band's website (www.eddienebula.com), it appears to be more potty-
mouthed irreverence."
FreeTime Magazine
by Michelle Picardo
November, 2003
"...Punk-rock rebels, Eddie Nebula & the Plague, are back with their new CD, Punk The Enemy, which they'll celebrate with a release party at the Bug Jar on Saturday, November 22nd, with guests Piehole and Goblet. The Plague's humor is still beyond containment on tracks like "
F**ck If I Care" and "Wee Wee Wee", but the title track shoots out of the box like an early Guns 'N' Roses dirty rocker. (All other Axl references end there!) As an added bonus, Punk The Enemy features some very cool artwork on its cover, created by legendary comic book artist Herb Trimpe
(known for his work on the Incredible Hulk & Spiderman comics), definitely worth checking out..."
City Newspaper
by Jon Popick
November, 2003
"The first thing you notice when you pick up Punk the Enemy - the latest slab of fury from Eddie Nebula and the Plague - is the cover art, which was drawn by Marvel Comics legend Herb Trimpe
(of Incredible Hulk and Fantastic Four fame).