Kato and Roeser met at Northwestern University in 1985. They formed Urge Overkill (getting the name from a phrase in the lyrics of the Parliament song "Funkentelechy") in Chicago, with drummer Pat Byrne, and released an EP, Strange, I..., on Ruthless Records. The EP was recorded by Kato\'s friend, Steve Albini. A full-length album, Jesus Urge Superstar, soon followed, again produced by Albini, and with Kriss Bataille taking over the drums. These two releases showcased a noise-rock sound common to other independent rock acts of the period.\n', '

Their next effort, Americruiser, saw a drastic change in style. Jack "Jaguar" Watt (of the band Baron Lesh) was the new drummer and their sound from then on has been described as a "Stonesy fusion of arena rock and punk". Produced by Butch Vig, Americruiser was widely praised, and scored a college radio hit with the lead single, "Ticket to L.A." Watt returned to Baron Lesh and was replaced by Blackie Onassis (real name: John Rowan) on the next album The Supersonic Storybook, released in 1991.\n', '

After opening for Nirvana on the American Nevermind tour and Pearl Jam on the Vs. Tour, Urge Overkill returned to the studio to record another EP, Stull, in 1992 which featured the tracks, "Girl, You\'ll Be a Woman Soon" (produced & mixed by Kramer) and "Goodbye to Guyville". Having a strong following by this time, they jumped from their indie label, Touch & Go, to a major label, Geffen Records. Despite some criticism for the label switch, Urge Overkill\'s major-label debut, Saturation, received strong reviews upon release in 1993. The single "Sister Havana" finally gave the band a hit record and broad recognition.\n', '

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