Nerf Herder
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1994 in Santa Barbara, California, United States |
| Founder | Parry Gripp, Charlie Dennis, Steve Sherlock |
| Headquarters | Santa Barbara , United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Nerf Herder is a rock group originating from Santa Barbara, California, established in 1994 by Parry Gripp (vocals, guitar), Charlie Dennis (bass), and Steve Sherlock (drums). They categorize themselves within the "geek rock" genre, recognized for straightforward punk-influenced tracks that incorporate witty, youthful, and pop-culture-themed lyrics.
Their band name is inspired by a phrase from Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. The 1997 single "Van Halen," honoring the iconic rock band, received considerable radio attention and helped them secure their initial major label contract with Arista Records. Additionally, they created and performed the theme song for the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
History
Nerf Herder was founded in Santa Barbara in 1994 by Parry Gripp (vocals, guitar), Charlie Dennis (bass), and Steve Sherlock (drums). After their debut self-titled album, Dennis departed and was replaced by Pete Newbury on bass, while Dave Ehrlich joined as an additional guitarist. Newbury’s time touring was short-lived; he was succeeded in 1999 by Marko 72 on bass, followed by Justin Fisher, who contributed bass and keyboards on two albums (How To Meet Girls & American Cheese).
In 1999, Nerf Herder parted ways with Arista and released How to Meet Girls through Honest Don's Records, a label affiliated with Fat Wreck Chords. They followed up with My EP in 2001 under My Records and then released American Cheese in 2002.
The band gained significant visibility by composing and performing the theme for the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer starting in 1997. In April 2003, they appeared as musical guests on the show's final season episode "Empty Places", marking them as the last band to perform at The Bronze. Their involvement with the series was further acknowledged through dialogue mentioning their appearance.
Following touring for American Cheese in 2003, Ben Pringle replaced Fisher, who amicably left to focus on his own project, Psoma. Subsequently, the band disbanded without an official announcement; Gripp later explained that most members transitioned into conventional careers. He turned his attention toward jingle writing, culminating in his 2005 solo concept album For Those About to Shop, We Salute You, featuring 51 tracks centered around commercial products.
In late 2006, Nerf Herder declared their reunion with the original members. By May 2007, recording was finished on their fourth album, ultimately titled Nerf Herder IV, which was released via Oglio Records on April 29, 2008. Pringle rejoined the lineup, and Linus of Hollywood came aboard for live shows including performances along the West Coast and a tour in Japan.
Work commenced on their fifth album, Rockingham, in 2014 with its release following on March 11, 2016.
As of 2025, Nerf Herder continues to perform actively and has UK tour dates planned for July.
Band members
Current members
- Parry Gripp – vocals, guitar (1994–2003, 2005–present)
- Steve Sherlock – drums, vocals (1994–2003, 2005–present)
- Ben Pringle – bass, vocals (2002–2003, 2009–present)
- Linus of Hollywood – guitar, keyboards (2008–present)
Former members
- Charlie Dennis – bass, vocals (1994–1998, 2005–2009)
- Dave Ehrlich – guitar (1997–2003)
- Pete Newbury – bass, vocals (1998–1999)
- Justin Fisher – bass, vocals, keyboards (1999–2002)
Timeline
<timeline> ImageSize = width:750 height:250 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1994 till:11/14/2026 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_albums
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:01/01/1994 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1994
LineData =
at:11/01/1996 color:black layer:back at:06/01/2000 color:black layer:back at:08/13/2002 color:black layer:back at:03/01/2008 color:black layer:back at:03/11/2016 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:Gripp text:"Parry Gripp" bar:Ehrlich text:"Dave Ehrlich" bar:Linus text:"Linus of Hollywood" bar:Dennis text:"Charlie Dennis" bar:Newbury text:"Pete Newbury" bar:Fisher text:"Justin Fisher" bar:Pringle text:"Ben Pringle" bar:Sherlock text:"Steve Sherlock"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Gripp from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/2003 color:Vocals bar:Gripp from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/2003 color:Guitar width:3 bar:Gripp from:06/01/2005 till:end color:Vocals bar:Gripp from:06/01/2005 till:end color:Guitar width:3 bar:Sherlock from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/2003 color:Drums bar:Sherlock from:01/01/1994 till:06/01/2003 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Sherlock from:06/01/2005 till:end color:Drums bar:Sherlock from:06/01/2005 till:end color:Vocals width:3 bar:Dennis from:01/01/1994 till:03/01/1998 color:Bass bar:Dennis from:01/01/1994 till:03/01/1998 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Dennis from:06/01/2005 till:10/01/2009 color:Bass bar:Dennis from:06/01/2005 till:10/01/2009 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Ehrlich from:06/01/1997 till:06/01/2003 color:Guitar bar:Linus from:06/01/2008 till:end color:Guitar bar:Linus from:06/01/2008 till:end color:Keys width:3 bar:Newbury from:03/01/1998 till:06/01/1999 color:Bass bar:Newbury from:03/01/1998 till:06/01/1999 color:Vocals width:3 bar:Fisher from:10/01/1999 till:09/01/2002 color:Bass bar:Fisher from:10/01/1999 till:09/01/2002 color:Keys width=7 bar:Fisher from_:10_/_0_1_/_1_9_9_9_ till_:09_/_0_1_/_2_0_0_2_ color_:Vocals width_:3_ bar_:Pringle from_:09_/_0_1_/_2_0_0_2_ till_:06_/_0_1_/_2_0_0_3_ color_:Bass_ bar_:Pringle from_:09_/_0_1_/_2_0_0_2_ till_:06_/_0_1_/_2_0_0_3_ color_:Vocals width_:3_ bar_:Pringle from_:10_/_0_1_/_2_0_0_9_ till_:end color_:Bass_ bar_:Pringle from_:10_/_0_1_/_2_0_0_9_ till_:end color_:Vocals width_:3_
</timeline>
Discography
- Studio albums
- Nerf Herder (1996) released via My Records and Arista Records
- How to Meet Girls (2000) under Honest Don's Records
- American Cheese (2002) also on Honest Don's Records
- IV (2008) distributed by Oglio Records
- Rockingham (2016) through Golfshirt Records
- Extended plays
- My E.P. (2001) issued by My Records
- High Voltage Christmas Rock (2002) independently released
- Singles
| Year | Title | US Alt |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Van Halen" | 35 | Nerf Herder |
| 1997 | "Sorry" | — | |
| 2000 | "Courtney" | — | How To Meet Girls |
| 2002 | "Mr. Spock" | — | American Cheese |
| 2007 | "Led Zeppelin Rules" | — | IV |
| 2016 | "At The Con" | — | Rockingham |
| 2016 | "Ghostbusters III" | — | Rockingham |
| 2016 | "Doctor Who" | — | Rockingham |
| 2022 | "Born Weird" | — | Born Weird |
- Compilation album contributions
Tracks featured on various compilations beyond the band's own albums or EPs:
- Happy Meals - A Smorgasbord of My Fav Songs (1996) My Records – alternate version of "Sorry"
- BASEketball soundtrack (1998) Mojo / Universal – "Don't Hate Me (Because I'm Beautiful)"
- Short Music For Short People (1999) Fat Wreck Chords – track titled "Doin' Laundry"
- Metal Rules - Tribute to Bad Hair Days (1999) Priority Records – cover of "Kiss Me Deadly"
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Album (1999) TVT Records – rendition of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme"
- Happy Meals Vol. 2 - The Perfect Marriage (2001) My Records – song "Hospital"
- Happy Meals Volume 3 (2002) My Records – track "Jacket"
- That Darn Punk Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2002) Kung Fu Records – song "Siegfried and Roy"
- Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault - Jawbreaker Tribute (2003) Dying Wish Records – cover of "Chesterfield King"
- Wrecktrospective (2009) Fat Wreck Chords – demo version of "5000 Ways to Die"
- Have a Crappy Summer (2012) Crappy Records – track titled "I'm the Droid You're Looking For"
- Dog Songs (2017) – song named "Gary and the Princess"