North River Company

Mark Allender - double bass, percussion
Matt Coffman - guitar, double bass
Scott Cole - mountain dulcimer, electric bass, mbira
Erin Nekervis - violin
Ted Pearcy - percussion, double bass

stoic
Mark Allender, Erin Nekervis, Ted Pearcy, Matt Coffman, Scott Cole

This group was a lot of fun. Scott had just bought this dulcimer and he wanted to get together with Matt and Mark at his house in Copley, Ohio to do some folk music. Mark, who didn't have a car, needed a ride and Ted said he'd be happy to drive him over. This was January 29, 1992. Over the course of the evening, Mark, Matt, and Scott started bugging Ted to add some percussion. The sounds we were making were very exciting and fresh and we decided that day to call ourselves North River Company. Mark, ever the zealot, then proceeded to go out and try to get some gigs for the group and was able to land one three weeks later. We were all very excited, but needed to have some music to play...

And thus began the reckless educational experience that was North River Company. We were ambitious with our writing but at times a bit shoddy in the execution. For an instrumental, pop-folk, orchestral, modern ensemble, we were able to make some damn fine tunes, however. If we had been more dedicated to rehearsal and perfecting, we could have held our own anywhere. If only... if only... if only... A little more ambition and a little less concern with boring, unimportant things -- like getting an education, planning for the future, or paying the bills -- and this group could have gone a long way.

After about a year and a half, we employed the services of this young violinist named Rob Swango. Rob added a little extra something that the group kinda needed -- a smooth, gentle melody over the top. But after a year with the group, Rob up and got married, joined the United States Air Force and shoved off with his new wife to a base in the Southern U.S. and we hear from him from time to time (Hi Rob!).

What the hell is this?! You can't even their faces!!
clockwise from left: Scott Cole, Ted Pearcy, Erin Nekervis, Mark Allender, Matt Coffman
In the meantime we got to know this really amazing violinist named Erin Nekervis. Like, she had (like) a real music education and everything! She joined the group in September of '94 just as we started pulling ourselves apart. Basically, we all had very different ideas for what we wanted to do with the group. Matt, with his multi-chorused twelve-string acoustic guitar, was just getting louder and louder which led the rest of us to refer to him as the drummer. Scott was looking more and more ardently for a shinier, more clean-cut image for the group and was rather unwilling to perform in some of the more seedy dives a band often must play to get exposure. Mark, on the other hand, had just discovered avant garde improvisation and was just getting fucking weird on everybody. Ted, meanwhile, was just trying to make the peace and keep out of the line of fire. And Erin, more shocked at everyone's unprofessional behavior with each passing day, was just wishing we would all shut up and rehearse for once.

Roundabout June of '95 Mark, Erin, and Ted left the group leaving Matt and Scott with one more gig to fill on their own. Mark, Ted and Erin made a couple of attempts at starting a new band, one with Jeff Rogers and Bethany Edwards and another with Megan Insalaco and Chad Mossholder. Nothing really panned out however.

The group got together for a reunion on December 1 of 1995 for a show at Kent State University which, sad to say, was a bit of a disaster.

Scott and Matt have put together another group called North River, performing many of NRC's tunes and taking the music to a more modern-sounding place -- often incorporating jazz and other elements into the music.

We had some of the coolest song titles in the genre, it must be said. To wit:
Bird Tracks / The Bread and the Wine / Celeste / Fourth Day At Sea / The Great Returning / Groutenspacke / Jack Szechuan / Jugsadaisy / Kicking Flowers / Kingsfield Downs / Monkey Paw / Morning Glory / Music Box / Nyx / Oil On Canvas / Poopsicle / Sleighride / Spice / Terpsichore / Verna / View Of the Valley / The Vikings Of Olspice (horse piss) / Wood Spirits / Wild Goose / The Yam Jam

... and from time to time we did a couple of covers: Roxy Music's "Love Is the Drug" and The Swirling Eddies' "I Had a Bad Experience With the CIA and Now I Have To Show You My Feminine Side".

Now what?
Mark went on to be an active collaborator with Pointless Orchestra, an avant-garde intercultural world music ensemble.

Matt has sort of resurrected the group in a new formation called North River along with Scott and a guy named Ben.

Scott, in addition to working with North River, has been a regular collaborator with Searchlight Ensemble.

Erin up and skeedaddled out to Chicago - and we hope she's doing well.

and Ted scooted out to Vermont with his wife - still plays his drums and creates stained glass at every opportunity.

And I'm afraid that is the end!
NRC, RIP.

(photos by John Bryson)