En direct de St. John's University, Jamaica, New York...

THE SMALRUS WEB SITE v. 7.0

Nero: “Three Guys Playing Improvised Music Together”

by Spencer Ross

Recently featured as “On the Verge” in the international jamband publication, Relix, Nero is one of Ottawa’s best live sensations. As the Alouettes had just smoked the Eskimos in the Grey Cup Championship, Nero was preparing to take the stage at Le Swimming, a frequent stop along the band’s Canadian tours.

Nero, like Montreal jamband Tala (who also played a CD release party at Le Swimming last week), derives their style of music from their improvisational abilities. Since their 2001 release, Is it Morning, the band has changed bass players while still managing to maintain the same vibe that has increased their popularity in the Ottawa area.

Nero’s form of jam is seemingly geared more towards an ambient psychedelic groove; headed somewhere along the lines of The New Deal, Disco Biscuits, and Trey Anastasio. Going nonstop for several lengthy jams, Nero played two 1 ½ hr sets, featuring songs both off of the album as well as new ones.

The band is comprised of three members: Chris Buote on bass, Dave Lauzon on guitar, and Jay McConnery on drums. With their swirling guitar loops, pounding bass, and drums a-crashing, it seemed that there could be no end to the energy the three gentlemen could provide. A force not to be reckoned with, its contagion spilt into the audience, with songs like “Condor” and “Oregano Mice” inspiring fans both at the bar and on the floor to dance.

The early origins of the band started back in 1997 when Dave and Jay collaborated with previous bassist Shane Clark. Dave’s father owned a music store in Ottawa, which allowed Dave the opportunity to experiment with different instruments and sounds, thus creating room for the wide soundscape that defines Nero as a band. “With a trio, it’s so hard to make a full sound, especially if you take it down to a low- volume groove. But with Dave putting the loops in the background and then taking a solo, that’s become our thing.”

Nero’s formative shows were at The Whipping Post in Ottawa, where they would play regularly on Sunday and Tuesday nights. At times, the audience would be small, but over time, the group’s fan base grew larger. This past summer, the band’s lineup changed when Clark left the band, paving the way for Buote to make his debut.

Buote, from Prince Edward Island, had been playing there in a band called “Downtime.” Speaking by telephone en route to a gig in Fredericton, Buote commented on his first meeting with Nero at the Evolve 3 jamband festival in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. “We knew what each other was doing musically and liked it,” he said. “Five days later, the guys called me up and asked me if I wanted to tour across Canada with them in October.”

Through repeated practices and a steady stream of shows, Buote has been able to fill into his role in the band rather quickly, with the band having debuted at Le Swimming one of the first new songs co-written by Buote, “Darius.” “Just by playing them live, you start to realize what works and what doesn’t.”

Like many of the Canadian jambands, Nero has been finding increased success through sustained touring in Canada and the U.S. In 2002 alone, Nero has played over 150 shows. This past summer, they had a spot at the Evolve 3 festival alongside such bands like Kid Koala and Bullfrog. Evolve 3, with an audience of almost 5,000 people has been compared to the Bonnaroo Music Festival of Canada. Next month, Nero heads to the Northeastern U.S. for a few tour dates before returning to Ottawa for a New Years Eve show at Café Dekcuf. (Note: Phish fans without tickets should try and catch this show instead!)

Making contacts with other bands, particularly those stateside has been key to the rising success of Nero. “This is what its all about, when the bands get together and help each other out,” Buote reflects. This past summer, Nero had the opportunity to open for well-known American jambands Addison Groove Project and Particle, thus broadening their fan base as well. “In Canada we’ve been playing with Grand Theft Bus and Jimmy Swift Band. They’re the East Coast champions. We definitely have really good working relationships with each other.”

Touring across Canada has even drawn loyal fans that make the trips with the band. Brad was one such fan who brought his taping rig to capture the show live. “Nero has a good relationship with their audience. The fans trust them not to be ripped off and in turn, they sell the band,” he commented.

Bootlegged shows become a commodity as a means for fans to relive shows they’ve seen as well as catch up on shows they’ve missed. “It’s great to have fans like that and it means a lot to us. It makes us step up when its time to play, since we don’t want to let these people down,” Buote added.

With the jamband genre increasing in popularity as an alternative to mainstream radio, look for Nero to return to Montreal in the not too distant future. “Every show in Montreal has gotten a little bit better,” Buote said. Hopefully they’ll be back before the spring, when they hope to release a new album. For CD info and tour dates, check out www.neroland.com.