A long time ago, or so it would seem, Dave Gershman and Mick Ruzich, friends since childhood, in their final year of college at Cornell University, entered the home recording den of friend Rick Miller to lay down the tracks for what would become their debut album, What It Is!!  With over 20 original songs in hand, Dave and Mick settled on the band name "Nuclear Forehead" (overheard as an offhand remark describing someone's, you guessed it, forehead) and recorded the tracks over a 3-day period. With lyrics co-written by the duo, music written and played by Dave, and most lead vocals handily handled by Mick, the ensuing (very limited, cassette-only) release received an enthusiastic response from friends and acquaintances alike. "Spontaneous Human Combustion" and "Traffic Jam" were among the favorites.

Following graduation, however, the two went their separate ways to pursue other paths. Nuclear Forehead was on indefinite hiatus, and What It Is!! was out of print -- in the hands of only a lucky few (and whoever those folks may have chosen to dub it for). How many copies of that cassette may now be out there is impossible to say.

But that all changed in February 2005, when What It Is!! returned, pared down to 14 songs, remastered on CD in all its 4-track, lo-fi glory, to be heard and enjoyed anew. And Nuclear Forehead sound as relevant and fresh now as they did then, given the lo-fi explosion of the '90s that has impacted so much of indie rock since. Nuclear Forehead are all about D.I.Y., and D.I.Y. is what indie rock is all about. Draw your own conclusions as to whether that means that indie rock is what Nuclear Forehead is all about or that Nuclear Forehead is what indie rock is all about (it's fun to dream). "Something is what something else is all about" -- that much we can say with certainty.

In the years since recording What It Is!!, there have been other collaborations, including a number of songs that form the nucleus of the newly released Next Flight. Listeners can now enjoy Nuclear Forehead with even fuller instrumentation, as if one guitar and a drum machine weren't enough, as well as greatly improved audio quality!

If you get a kick from listening to What It Is!! or Next Flight, as much as Dave and Mick did making them (or if you just want to kick Dave and Mick) be sure to keep your eyes peeled for future releases (and above all, keep your forehead nuclear!).