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Slow Nerve Action boys a bunch of fruits

Musical nympho Chris Berry fronts new Vancouver band Jackfruit
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Sexy front man takes time for family.

Whistler’s ambassadors of sexual funk Slow Nerve Action took a long-term hiatus last fall after band members scattered across Canada for a family-time break.

However, Whistler’s most notorious sexaholic rocker, Slow Nerve Action frontman Chris Berry, and original keyboardist Ian Lamont have surfaced again as a pair of fruits for Vancouver’s newest funk-rock band, Jackfruit.

"Last summer, we got messing around a bit with Slow Nerve Action’s old keyboard player, making up tunes," said Berry from his new Vancouver home.

"Things got more serious when Slow Nerve Action ended."

Jackfruit is made up of Berry and Lamont as well as Blue Quarter bassist Stephane Fortin and Trip drummer Drew Vendetti.

After less than a year of working together, the group is already releasing their first album, Check Ca (translation Check This Out), this Friday, June 9 at the Fairview Pub in Vancouver. Berry says once Fortin returns from the Blue Quarter European tour in late August, Whistlerites can expect a Jackfruit Whistler debut soon after.

Jackfruit steers away from the shameless fun of Slow Nerve Action’s rated R lyrics that spanned topics from lubricants to sexual couplings – basically everything the average male thinks about 99 per cent of the time.

The Vancouver band is more of a PG-13 sort – however Berry is pulling no punches and packing plenty of humour.

One of the Jackfruit songs, Jesii, pokes fun at religion, suggesting followers look at the motivations behind organized faith: get to "Know your jesii and (of course) the 40 tooth fairies."

"The humour is all still there," Berry said. "It’s the way I live – even when it comes down to politics. Roller Rink gets political at some points, but I can’t get too in-depth. I don’t want to know too much and I don’t know anything at the same time."

Sentimental tunes also work their way in with Mon La Lune. Berry’s favourite song shares the headspace of an expectant father. Berry’s son Téo Lalune Benjamin was born April 4.

"Switching from the porn-funk stuff was a nice break," Berry said. "It’s fun and great, but I think at the back of my head, I wanted to move into different styles and write about different things. I wanted to broaden my horizon. Do something different. Jackfruit allowed me to write differently."

Jackfruit boasts the dance-worthy groove Slow Nerve Action was famous for, but further explores other music styles.

"It kind of gets into Frank Zappa with drum base," Berry said of Jackfruit’s music. "We all come from different styles of music. We get into crazy country, jazz, hard rock, funk. In one song we’ll start out in this funny kind of country, mad funk then go to jazz blues. It all kind of fits into each other at one point."

Jackfruit will also be joining forces with Slow Nerve Action’s DJ Buddah Saturday, June 10 on Cortes Island.

Check out tracks from Jackfruit’s new music at myspace.com/jackfruit or later this week at jackfruitmusic.com.