Heartland Punks Mike & The Nerve Release New Album and Music Video for “A Drunkard’s Lifetime”
Heartland punk band Mike & The Nerve have released their sophomore album Watershed Drive, featuring the single “A Drunkard’s Lifetime.” The upbeat, blue-collar track kicks off with stomping drums and a hip-swaying guitar lick before swelling into a full on barn-mosher.
“A Drunkard’s Lifetime” is about the long amount of time (seemingly “a lifetime’s worth”) that it can sometimes take to work through a negative chapter in someone’s life. “While the lyrics refer to this in a more post-relationship/break-up context, the song title refers to a long-term alcoholic and the long journey they undergo toward sobriety,” says frontman Mike Llerena.
The song was engineered/co-produced by Jared Pennock who also directed the music video, most of which was filmed in a barn in his backyard. This is the first video to feature the band’s new lineup. “I think that fostered a further level of camaraderie behind the scenes. We had a great time making the video,” says Llerena.
Mike & The Nerve began as a solo project for Llerena before morphing into a full-fledged band, which now includes drummer Josh Napier, backing vocalist Garret Pogue, guitarist/backing vocalist Eli Garland and bassist James Conlin. Llerena explains “The name ‘The Nerve’ refers to both the idea of nervous energy and having ‘the nerve’ to go and do things that seem personally insurmountable, both of which are topics referenced in a lot of the band’s lyrics.”