Truffle

Originally named after the Beatles track "Savoy Truffle," the group Truffle assembled in 1986 among students at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Fusing neo-hippie flair with American trad rock, the band built a following through extended three-hour performances that established Savoy Truffle as the leading college act on the northern East Coast and one of the era's most sought-after campus outfits.

The lineup included frontman/guitarist Dave Gerard, multi-instrumentalist Ned Chase, bassist David Bailey, and drummer Brian Dionne. Operating still as Savoy Truffle in 1991, the band signed with indie label Apogee Records and issued Talking With Ghosts that year. The following year brought an official shift to the name Truffle along with a contract from November Records, the Sony-affiliated imprint, which put out Nervous Laughter in 1993. National radio exposure and critical praise followed, though sales stayed limited. Worn down by nonstop touring and disappointing returns, Dionne left the group. Truffle suspended activities in 1994 and returned to New Hampshire, after which the remaining members separated and each pursued other music projects.

Gerard and Bailey formed an acoustic duo in 1995, and Chase appeared on Gerard's 1997 solo debut. The band's chemistry resurfaced during those sessions, prompting the addition of a new drummer and a return to high-energy performances, now under Gerard's solo banner that included his 1999 release Losing the Boy. In 2000 Truffle issued Out Loud, their first album in seven years.