The Urge was a new wave cover band from Youngstown, Ohio, which included Michael Baranski, Matt Carmichael, Steve Jaworski, and Trent Reznor on keyboards and guitar. This was Reznor's first band after moving to Cleveland, and his time in it was preceded by a stint in Option 30 and followed by a stint in The Innocent. After leaving the Innocent, Reznor rejoined the Urge in October 1985 for a short period of time before moving on to the Exotic Birds.
The Urge were very good at imitating bands like ZZ Top, Van Halen, Styx, and Journey. They had steady work in Ohio's bars, sometimes playing to hundreds of patrons.