Truffle at 30

It’s been 30 years since Dave Gerard, Dave Bailey and Ned Chase (along with late drummer Brian Dionne) “officially” started making music as (Savoy) Truffle. The Daves, along with Dionne, had been playing together in some capacity since 1985, but the summer of ’86 is the true marker in what has become one of the most historically significant bands to come out of New Hampshire, ever. Though don’t tell them that, they’re far too humble to admit it.

“We go with 1986 because that’s when Ned joined the band, and things felt right,” said Gerard en route to a gig, with his bandmates along for the ride. “That’s the moment the band felt true.”

“For some reason our guitarist prior to Ned couldn’t make a gig, or was trying to phase himself out of the band and Brian was like, ‘Hey, I have this friend Ned, who I’ve played with in bands before … He’s really good,’” Bailey reminisced. “So he came down to the gig in Portsmouth just to sit in. It was very casual. But in reality, behind the scenes, Brian was teaching him all the songs and getting him prepped for something greater (laughs). So Ned came down and just tore it up. He killed it. What I realize, looking back at it all, is Ned probably didn’t need to be prepped for anything. You could hand him a grocery bag and a ballpoint pen, and he’ll make music with it. He’s that great.”

Dionne parted with Truffle in 1996, opening the door for current drummer Mike Gendron to join. Some 20 years in, the band still refers to him as “the rookie.”

Three-decades of service to anything is quite a haul. The years, they just melt away.

It feels like just yesterday the band was celebrating 20 years in the parking lot of the Stone Church (no, they weren’t tailgating – they were playing to a capacity crowd of about 500 people). This time around, for year 30, they’ll celebrate their 30-year “Bandiversary” at Grill 28 at the Pease Golf Course on the Tradeport in Portsmouth. The party will commence outdoors, but, in the event of rain, there’s plenty of space inside to facilitate the show. 

30 years.

“It makes sense when we think back at all we’ve done and accomplished, but it’s still three decades, which adds a lot of numbers to our actual ages,” said Gerard with a laugh.

“It’s bewildering,” said Chase. “And maybe painful (laughs). But, it feels great. You don’t really think about the time when you’re doing it. It just goes by. Then you wake up one day, and 30 years have flown by. You’re mostly thinking about the next ride, the next gig, and, ‘what?’ – 30 years …”

“It feels awesome,” said Bailey. “Mostly, what I feel personally – and I think we all feel this – is a little bit of awe, and gratitude.”

That gratitude stems from the notion that Truffle has one of the most loyal fanbases of any band, anywhere, ever – affording them the opportunity to continue making the music that they love to play.

“In many ways, this thing has become bigger than any one of us,” said Gerard. “When you see a bunch of people get together for a show, in a place where they’re amongst their peers, old friends, and new, and you have a collective chance to catch up, tell good stories, while being supportive of the new music that we’re making – it’s really cool. It’s not just about us. It’s about a large group of friends enjoying one another’s company. We’re fortunate enough to have provided the soundtrack of a lot of good times they and we’ve shared over the years. And you know what else is cool? If you stay a band long enough, fans that you had at your outset disappear for a while, and then come back around and make appearances at the shows again after they’ve raised their kids and put them in college. It’s a fun, interesting dynamic.”

“For me, it’s about playing the music that you like,” said Chase. "We’re still able to do that, and heck, we even get paid – that’s not something everyone is fortunate enough to claim, and I don’t take it lightly. We’re able to play the tunes that we’ve written, and people still come out to see us. It’s a special thing. There was always a push from management back in the day to sign a big record deal and stuff, but you know, I’m not sure how good that would have been for us. Most of those people were trying to get us to be something that we weren’t – that we aren’t. Everything turned out absolutely perfect in my opinion, with how our families have grown, and have had the ability to grow, while doing what we love – I mean, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

And what has changed and/or stayed the same over the span of 30 years (outside of everyone now having kids/families)?

“Things have stayed the same in our ability to change,” said Bailey. “That’s one of the main things that has gotten us through 30 years, you know. Some bands have a very defined sound, and a very clearly defined set of goals, and I’m not slighting them at all, that’s their vision. Our vision is just to make music together – whatever that might be. We all listen to all different kinds of music, and to some degree, many of those influences have seeped into our playing over the years.”

"Sometimes people ask us what kind of music we play, and it’s a little hard to define. It’s not that clear. We’re a bit amalgamous. And that’s by design.”

“The only different thing is, you know, we’ve been together 30 years,” said Chase.

“For a lot of us, this isn’t our main focus anymore. As much as we love it, we’ve got different things going on in our lives. Another thing that has changed is the actual makeup of the band from an instrumentation standpoint. We started as a very straight-ahead (in a certain way) rock band – you know, two guitars, drums, and bass. But over the years we’ve incorporated a lot of different sounds, from mandolin, steel guitar, dobro – more of Americana and folk influence has found its way in to the sound, as well as world, and afro-pop … and I think we’ve all appreciated and enjoyed that. The music has broadened a lot.”

Success in the music industry isn’t easy to define. For a very select few, it can be defined in monetary terms. For others, it may come in the form of “the first” record deal. For very, very few, success can be defined by way of still being out there doing it, and, ultimately, having fun. The later seems to be what sums up Truffle’s success the best.

 “I think for anyone in anything they do, the healthiest definition of success is what it means to you,” said Bailey. “Otherwise, you’ll never be satisfied. For me, success is the fact that we’re still able to do it. I get to play shows with who I feel are the best musicians on earth. And I get to leave every gig feeling like I’m better friends with all of them than ever before. I gain more and more respect for them with every gig we play. Outside of that, you know, what more could you ask for than to be a part of a community that has come around for 30 years. To have the respect of the fans, and fellow musicians, and for that to be wholeheartedly reciprocated … That is success.”

“It’s weird because, I feel like every night is a highlight in a strangely Zen way. It’s all about going out there and making music. I don’t really care if it’s for five people or 1,000 people. I just want to make music. That’s what I love, and I’m successful in my pursuit of that very thing.”

Intertwined with Truffle’s 30th Bandiversary are plans to release a live record that they’ve loosely titled, “A Tune That I Knew Quite Well,” which will be a collection of archived material of both the band and their fans – containing an assortment of live songs recorded over the span of the last three decades.

That exciting news aside, the Bandiversary will be fun – which is typical of any Truffle show.

“It’s going to be a fun day celebrating our band and our fans and the community that we’ve all built,” said Chase. “I’m just looking forward to seeing all those familiar faces and those that we might not have seen in a little while. I’m excited to see everyone with their families, their kids – you know, it’s going to be like, a Truffle family picnic.”

“We’re just getting people together and plan on putting on a very good show and creating a great experience for everyone there,” said Bailey. “It’s about music and people. We’re excited to just get everyone in one spot, sharing some time together.

This isn’t about "Hey, look at Truffle celebrating 30 years." This is more "Hey, look at all of us – we’re still here …" You know? There will be people there that saw us in 1986. There will be people there that saw us for the first time last week. Basically, we’re going to play a bunch of music and see what happens. That’s sort of how everything unfolds for us, really.”

“I could see us hitting 50 years,” said Gerard. “Seriously. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s savor the moment, and have fun taking a look at the past.”

Go & Do 

What: Truffle’s 30th Bandiversary Celebration with Conor O'Brien; Big Blue World and surprise musical guests …

When: Sunday, Sept. 4, noon to 6 p.m.

Where: Grill 28, Pease Golf Course, Portsmouth

Tickets: $  , adults; kids free

More info: www.gerardtruffle.com