The Nerds

The cover band the Nerds, is still going strong after 24 years. These guys are like the Rolling Stones of cover bands. Founded in 1985 by Jim “Spaz” Garcia (of Hoboken), Ed “Felix the Guy” Casanovas, Jack “Biff” Yocum and Peter “Stretch” Oltmanns, the foursome are famous for being able to play from any genre – rock, soul, pop, punk, even TV tunes. Casanovas – who grew up in Union City – died in 1995; he’s been replaced on keyboards by Mike “Mongo” Spiro. You can’t help but have fun when you spend an evening with them. They cover Weezer, Def Leppard, Janice Joplin, the Safety Dance, Bon Jovi, and Guns N’ Roses. And one of the members lives in Ridgewood!