2010 has proven to be a time of musical growth for the Nerds, a period of musical exploration and resolution. We can say with no great uncertainty, that 2010 has absolutely shaped up to be one of our best years as a band.

2009 was insanity. We toured, we released an album (The Span of a Life) and we unbelievably won Creative Loafing’s “Best of” Awards in three different categories. Celebrations were short lived, as Johnny parted ways with us in the Spring, and Abby in the Winter. We almost gave up… Almost.

And then there were three

After Christmas, we were faced with how to continue on as a trio. We came together in practice and just played through the confusion. By the time we had made up our minds to keep being the Nerd Parade, we had 10 songs sketched out. We built a bigger and better studio and got right to recording

Spring of 2010 saw the release of a limited edition version of our third LP Daylight Saving Time and another brief tour. The new music was (and still is) a bit more “muscular” sounding, with a slightly “darker” take on our typical tongue-in-cheek lyrical delivery. We immediately loved (and still love) it to death.

That brings us to the present

It’s been a couple of weeks since Rich was asked to leave the band. We decided not to discuss the personal reasons behind our decision, as we did not want to put any more negativity into the world. However, if you read any of Rich’s (or his wife’s) public posts following our decision — it’s probably not difficult to see why we had to let him go.

We had only one commitment on our schedule, and that was the 2010 Nophest Music Festival. We asked David Tyberg of The Extraordinary Contraptions to fill in. He agreed and set forth in learning a challenging set that touched on our three full-length records. When we finally took the stage, David was playing amazing bass and singing some of Abby’s parts simultaneously — better than it had ever been done before.

Too bad we can’t keep him forever

I suppose the moral of the story is that one should never be afraid of change. One should continue the up-hill struggle until the summit is reached, remembering that some relationships are better left undone and that it’s difficult to miss something that was never really there to begin with.

We have a bassist audition scheduled for this week, and we’ve already hired an old war-buddy back on keyboards. We’re not even remotely interested in giving up, or even looking back. Our job is not to be predictable and boring, but to constantly push ourselves into uncomfortable places. After all, that’s where the best art is made.

So our future looks pretty bright right now…

Here are great photos by Atlanta photographer and music devotee, Ken Lackner. Ken has previously shot the Nerds in both live and ‘studio’ settings. His work is always detailed and rich in color, and he seems to have a knack for catching some great stage moments. We thank Ken for capturing this one-off incarnation of the band and for being a friend and supporter of our ever-changing world of sounds.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kosmicken/sets/72157624581893140/

Dave Siff and the blue Reverend stop in to lend some bass to the new mix of “Saucer Shapes.”

We are what you would consider a ‘discerning’ rock band. We strive for excellence and have been known to be insufferable in our quest. We are certainly not the easiest people to work for, but If you are truly dedicated and loyal, we will be your strongest champions.

We show up on time, we stay till the end and we play every show as if it were to be our last. We are extremely serious about good music, but don’t take ourselves too seriously. We are not pretentious, we have no gimmick, we have no limits on the musical experimentation we are willing to do.

So, If you feel like you are willing to dedicate yourself to a pirate’s life on the high-seas, we ask that you…

• be technical, yet able to present your playing in a supporting role.
• own and maintain professional-level equipment and dependable transportation.
• be available to practice twice weekly in Norcross, GA.
• be available to tour as many as 90 days per year.
• be completely free of drugs.
• not smoke cigarettes and/or marijuana.
• If you drink, be responsible.
• treat your appearance with respect and dignity.
• be intelligent, friendly, well-spoken and have a good sense of humor.
• have a life-long commitment to music over all things.
• not blindly chase fame or industry snake-oil.
• be a citizen of the earth and not your living room.
• have diverse taste in EVERYTHING.
• not have a significant other controlling you.
• feel comfortable with diversity in sexuality, race, religious and political views.

People from all walks of life are encouraged to audition.

If you are interested, email rg4rcia@gmail.com. With some information about yourself and some links to your playing (Myspace/Youtube, etc.) candidates will then be sent a 3 song .zip file along with a date, time and location to audition.

All we can say is that we want to continue making music, regardless of who is in the band. We love you all and thank you for your continued support of our evolving circus of noise.

That being said, we have only made plans to play Nophest & finish the “Director’s Cut” of Daylight Saving Time.We aren’t certain of what capacity we will continue in, what name we will use, and what songs we will play.

For now, David Tyberg of the The Extraordinary Contraptions will fill in for Nophest. We will play 6 or 7 songs and you guys get to pick them.

Friday, June 4, 2010 at 10:00pm
TNS Bar Room
467 Flat Shoals Ave.
Atlanta, GA

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For $10 You can reserve your limited edition copy of our new album.
This is the only way to ensure you will have one of the first 100 printed! As a bonus, you will receive a link to the 320k mp3 digital version of the album complete with artwork and bonus material. The $10 price also includes domestic US shipping. For shipping to another country, please contact us at the information link above.

Track Listing:
3×4
Pictures & Numbers
Pity Party
Beneath the Frequency
Tomato Witch
Saucer Shapes
Tighty Whitey, High & Mighty
Via Dolorosa
Daylight Saving Time
Summer Strays

The CD jackets are made in small batches and hand-assembled using recycled cardstock sleeves. All limited edition pre-order copies will be signed by the band and numbered. We are offering this option exclusively through Paypal.