It has been six long years since the gentlemen of the Santa Barbara pop punk group Nerf Herder last released a full length album, as fans of this delightfully dorky outfit have had the faint sounds Nerf Herder IV echoing in their heads. At the same time, the 20th anniversary of Nerf Herder’s self-titled debut album is right around the corner, so it’s definitely time to get something new on our iTunes playlists so some of us will have more to choose from when it’s time to write a retrospective on December 3, 2016. You know, if the world hasn’t blown up from nuclear MERS by then.
Sensing this longing from his band’s devoted followers, lead singer Parry Gripp, he of the “Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Cute, Cute” and “That Skunk is Mad,” Tweeted a new video this evening, asking for people to help fund Nerf Herder’s new album in exchange for a wealth of prizes, each one as ridiculous as the band’s songs that we love all these years later.
Pledges begin at $10, as the basic amount gets you a digital download of the new album, while an extra $5 gets the actual CD version of the album (didn’t know they still made those) in addition to the digital copy. Climb the ladder a little to the $70 mark and fans can get their hands on a signed CD and poster, as well as a t-shirt for the aging hipster in all of us, and $100 gets you a handwritten lyric sheet for any Nerf Herder song you’d like, with the exception of the Buffy the Vampire Hunter theme. That’s fine, because the only choice there is “Van Halen.”
Got a huge wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket? $500 gets you dinner and ice cream with Nerf Herder, but $1,000 is where things get really interesting. For a cool G-spot, you can play on the record, hang out in the studio while the band records, or have your name mentioned in a song. And for $5,000, you get a whole song about you. While all of that sounds pretty awesome, I still think the $1,500 “Down on Haley” package sounds the coolest to any longtime fan of the band (read: ageless dork), as it includes:
Tour Santa Barbara with Parry and Steve.
You and a friend will visit:
-Haley Street
-Nerf Herder’s original practice space at Parry’s house where he grew up.
-Apartment where Annalee, Diana, and the French Girl used to live.
-Restaurant where Diana served veal parmesan.
-Nosering Girl’s cousin’s mom’s house (we’ll leave rice cakes in her mailbox).
-Location of studio where all the Nerf Herder albums were recorded.
-Mexican restaurant (now bike shop) where Steve & Parry saw Weezer play.
-Dinner at Harry’s Restaurant where Nerf Herder eats after practice.
-Drinks at the famous SPORTSMAN Bar on Figueroa Street!
The only thing better than all of that would be an entire day of meals that consist only of candy. That would be pretty neat.
