Boston punk rock pioneers Nervous Eaters have released a new video for ‘Where’s Johnny Now’, pairing their snarling garage rock ’n’ roll with footage from the 1949 crime film Johnny Stool Pigeon. Created by Vincent J. Straggas, the video offers a first taste of ‘Eat or Be Eaten’, out January 15th via Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records.
Already part of the band’s live sets by 1979, the song revisits their early Boston roots with a message about reaching a friend before they slip away. As frontman Steve Cataldo puts it: “Everybody has a Johnny in their life.”
Led by singer, guitarist and songwriter Cataldo, Nervous Eaters emerged in 1976 and became a cornerstone of Boston’s early punk and rock ’n’ roll community. Their history is closely tied to the legendary Rat nightclub, whose owner, Jimmy Harold, managed the band at its debut. Drawing on Link Wray, Chicago blues and British guitar greats, the Eaters developed a sound that paired punk attitude with deep rock ’n’ roll roots.
That foundation remains central to ‘Eat or Be Eaten’. The album also includes ‘C.A.L.F.L.A.,’ released by Nervous Eaters in 2025, bringing a recent chapter of the band’s work into a collection rooted in its long history.
Nearly five decades after ‘Where’s Johnny Now’ first entered their sets, Nervous Eaters are bringing it forward again—and setting the tone for an album that reconnects with the sound and spirit that started it all: raw, loud, unapologetic Boston punk rock ’n’ roll.