Truffle celebrates 25 years of rocking the Seacoast

Local rock and R&B band Truffle played its first live show in 1986 during a festival at the University of New Hampshire’s Mini Dorms, where front man Dave Gerard and bassist Dave Bailey lived. Gerard remembers the show well. Truffle took the stage with an arsenal of old soul songs, along with some Grateful Dead and Little Feat covers.

Twenty-five years later, Truffle is still grooving. They’ve released four full-length studio albums and a few live compilations, and they’ve toured the nation repeatedly.

“For 10 years it was our life. We lost girlfriends, we didn’t have wives,” Gerard said. “But later on you realize you’ve got to balance out life a little bit.”

The band will play a 25th anniversary show on Friday, Sept. 9, at Three Chimneys Inn in Durham.

After dabbling with trumpet as a youngster, Gerard picked up electric guitar at age 15. He played in several high school bands before enrolling at UNH, where he entered a rich musical community. He met Bailey during his sophomore year, and the two soon connected with guitarist Ned Chase and drummer Brian Dionne.

Up until then, the four musicians had mostly played cover songs. But their newfound ensemble quickly produced a collection of original compositions.

“When Truffle started, we just knew it was a whole different thing,” Gerard said. “That led us to writing our own material and finding our own voices as a band, and the rest is history from there.”

The group found a welcoming audience for its energetic brand of New Orleans-style rock and vintage R&B. By the time they released their first album, “Dish Me In,” in 1989, they were performing heavily around the region. For an entire decade, Truffle spent nine months out of the year touring the nation, playing as many as 275 shows in a single year. They’ve now played in at least 40 states. 

The band’s second album, “Talking with Ghosts,” came out in 1991, followed by their November/Sony release “Nervous Laughter” in 1994. Truffle went through its only lineup change in ’96, when drummer Mike Gendron replaced Dionne (who passed away about five years ago). “We still jokingly call (Gendron) the rookie, but he’s been playing with us for a long time,” Gerard said.

The group’s most recent album, “That’s Right,” came out in 2005. Gerard has also released four solo records, all of which feature members of Truffle and other area musicians. His latest, “The Zoomy Trail,” was released in 2009.

Truffle’s sound has shifted over the years, incorporating more acoustic songwriting and bluegrass flavor. But their soul roots are still evident.

“We’re probably a little less rocky and a little bit more eclectic in our styles,” Gerard said. “Hopefully, it’s all still Truffle music.”

The band has scaled back its touring schedule in recent years, making time for family life. Now 45, Gerard has a daughter who is about to turn 2. The group still plays annual shows on the Virgin Islands, but most of their gigs are now closer to home and farther between.

Looking back, Gerard said his fondest memories are of traveling the country on tour and playing with bands he idolized growing up, such as Little Feat and The Band. Truffle has also shared stages with Phish, Dave Matthews Band and Blues Traveler.

But there are more memories to come, including the upcoming anniversary show on the tented terrace of Three Chimneys Inn. The concert will also feature local quartet Bliss and The Nightlifes, featuring Lex Romane and Joe Riillo. Formed a couple of years before Truffle, The Nightlifes were an early inspiration for Gerard and his mates.

“It’s really cool, because when we were coming up and playing a lot, those guys were our idols,” he said. “They were playing a ton and they were doing great energetic shows, and that’s kind of what we emulated on the local level before we took off and started playing a lot.”

Asked what the future holds in store for Truffle, Gerard quoted the band’s late sound man, Andy Merrill: “Let’s just bang it out and see what happens.”

“We don’t have a big master plan at this point,” Gerard said. “But I think we will continue to see how music works for us in our lives. We will always be performing live and I think we will continue writing new music.” 

The Seacoast music scene has changed dramatically since 1986. Gerard believes the local crop of talent is as strong as ever, but it’s increasingly difficult to convince people to leave their home entertainment systems and cough up $10 for a cover charge. And regulatory agencies like ASCAP and BMI have made it harder for businesses to host live music.

“I think the talent is huge, and I think the venues are doing the absolute best they can in the climate that we have to work with,” he said.

Regardless, the Truffle crew is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

“I definitely still see us doing it. There’s no reason to stop. We’ve got to at least try to make 30,” Gerard said with a laugh.

The anniversary show begins at 6 p.m. on Sept. 9 at Three Chimneys Inn, 17 Newmarket Road, Durham, 603-868-7800. For more information, visit www.gerardtruffle.com.