November 15th, 2008; a date that will live in pop-punk infamy. The Ergs played their final show on that day, to a sweaty and extremely packed in crowd at New Jersey’s Asbury Lanes. Personally, I can’t think of a better way to bow out. I had a chance to ask bassist Joe Keller (aka Joey Erg) a few questions about the last shows and what he wants the band to be remembered for. And, of course, the cleanliness of supermarket bathrooms.

How did the last shows go?
Joe: The last shows were good. By all accounts, everyone had a great time. I’m glad we did the shows in a somewhat smaller venue that we are familiar and friendly with, rather than go with a big room with terrible sound. It may have been a bit of a problem for some people to get tickets but the show experience itself was a tad more intimate as a result.

Was there a particular moment from that weekend that really sticks out in your mind?
J: When I got to Asbury Lanes the morning of the final shows, I really had to take a shit. Now, the Lanes’ mens room is really not suited for projects of this nature, so I had to go elsewhere. But where? Then it dawned on me - Wegmans! Years of touring has taught me which establishments have the cleanest bathrooms and you’ll find no finer in any upscale supermarket. So I drove up to Wegmans on Rt. 35 and the rest of the day went smoothly after that.

Read more after the jump.

A particular memory that stands out from last year was a show you guys played at The Knitting Factory with The Explosion and Modern Life Is War. Now, about a year later, all three of those bands are done. Looking back, do you have any thoughts on the significance of that show? I feel like it’s going to be one that people will look back at for quite some time.
J: Well, I remember it being a good show. Everyone on the bill delivered if my memory serves me correctly. The Knitting Factory has probably the best sound system in New York from what I’ve experienced. Man, I am really hung up on the sound system in venues, aren’t I? [The show] was way more significant in The Explosion’s history than it was ours. We were just warming ‘em up. I was flattered Dave Explosion asked us to play.

You said at The Fest 7 that The Ergs were a band “of the Bush era.” Now, as his time slowly and painfully inches towards the finish line, what do you want The Ergs era to be remembered for?
J: To our benefit, and sometimes our detriment, we were always completely in control of what we did as a band. We were always completely democratic. We always played what we wanted to play, regardless of how it may not have been what people came to expect from us or how “inconsistent” it made our records sound. We also wanted people [to have] the best time [when] they came to see us live. If the records don’t hold up over the years, hopefully people remember that we were pretty exciting and entertaining to see live. In summary, we may not have played exactly the songs you wanted to hear, but we played those songs as best as we possibly could.

I know Mikey is working with The Measure [SA], but are you planning on working on anything in the not-too-distant future? Anything coming from Jeff [Schroeck, guitarist] as well?
J: I don’t know about anything specifically, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if you see Jeff doing a new project in the not-too-distant future. My own plans are a stickier set of wickets. I don’t think I could really start a band because I don’t have the songwriting ability to completely sustain a band on my own like Jeff or Mike can. So, I’m just sticking my thumb out until a good gig comes along. Hopefully, Ted Leo or The Reigning Sound needs a new bass player soon. C’mon, I can dream right?

It seems like with some bands that breakup, there is this desire to retire and come back after a few years in the wings. Is this something that the band discussed before announcing that the breakup was definite? Do you have an opinion on bands that make that comeback and do you see your former band as something that would ever do that?
J: Never say never, but at this point, I think it is very unlikely we’ll ever reunite as an active band again. Maybe a few years from now, someone might convince us to play a one-off fest show, but that’s about it. I can go either way on the comeback thing. Some bands have done it well (e.g. Mission of Burma, Lifetime) and some bands do it terribly.

Looking back over the last eight years, is there a particular memory or story involving the band that you’ll always remember fondly?
J: Oh geez, there are way too many, but they are way too insular or blue for anyone who is not a band member or roadie. OK, here’s one: So The Ergs were on tour with MC Chris. We were playing this club in Salt Lake City. The club was actually two clubs - a big room and a small room - that were connected by a kitchen in between. So we’re playing the smaller room of course. We get there early to soundcheck and we find out that 30 Seconds to Mars is player the larger room. Now, at the time The Ergs were really into modern country. We were quite fond of even playing the current hits ourselves as a soundcheck, or, on a particularly bad night crowd-wise, putting them in our actual set. So for our soundcheck this evening in question, we played a song called “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” by Trace Adkins, which sounds exactly as you would expect it would. Right in the middle of soundcheck, none other than Jared Leto walks through the room we’re in, stops dead in his tracks halfway across, looks at us, and then gives us the most disgusted, dirty look I’ve ever seen. We were of course ecstatic to disappoint the heartthrob whom every girl we ever knew wanted to bone when we were in high school.

Anything else you want to say to your fans out there that might be reading this?
J: Thanks for listening. It’s simple, but really, can you ask for anything more out of an audience?

Tags: Interview, The Ergs //