Urge makes overdue return

If Vegas casinos took bets on the next big rock band, the smart money in the mid-’90s would have been on Urge Overkill.

By 1995, the band had opened for Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and its cover of Neil Diamond’s “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon” was featured in the blockbuster movie “Pulp Fiction.”

But things didn’t work out as planned.

While the band had a few minor hits, it never took off, and a few years later, Urge split up.

Now, original members Eddie “King” Roeser and Nash Kato are back with “Rock & Roll Submarine,” their first album in 15 years.

amNewYork spoke with Roeser.

Why did you decide to reunite?
Nash and I had been living in Chicago, and people would ask what the problem between us was. We never had a great answer. We decided to play a show and see how it goes. It turned out to be a glorious show.

How is playing together different now than it was in the ‘90s?
Back then, we were doing our victory lap before we had really broken through. When it looked like we would explode worldwide, we had a week to prepare for our tour and we weren’t ready to nail it. We’re a more consistent band now.

How do you feel about being known for “Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon”?
We recorded that long before we had any idea it would be in a movie. It’s an interesting, cool song, but it was an afterthought. If someone were to say, “What’s your best-known song going to be?,” I’d prefer it be a rock song we had written. But I can’t complain about it.

Urge Overkill is also known as the inspiration for Liz Phair’s “Exile in Guyville” album. What’s the story there?
The guy in “Guyville” is Nash Kato. Liz was incredibly enamored with Nash, but he’s just not into short girls. She’s an attractive, smart woman, but a guy has a type. There was nothing she could do. She took her dejection and ran with it, and it became a phenomenon.

If you go: Urge Overkill is at the Bowery Ballroom tonight at 9 p.m., 6 Delancey St., 212-533-2111. $20.