'A musician's heartbeat': Late drummer Nick Iddon to be honored at Providence music fest

When Nick Iddon died of lung cancer on March 15 at age 44, it left a major void in the Providence music scene. Since the late 1990s, the Fairhaven, Massachusetts, native was a local fixture, thanks to his excellent drumming skills for bands such as Kanerko, The Quahogs, Viking Jesus, The Sonce, Ravi Shavi and others.

When Iddon wasn’t playing, he usually was hanging out at Providence venues such as Dusk, Askew and The Parlour, the last of which features Iddon in a mural on its exterior, created by artist Tom West.

Iddon was a friend to many, including me, while also being an incredibly supportive individual and a genuine human being. To celebrate his legacy, a two-day music marathon called Shiza Fest will take place on Sept. 17 and 18 at Dusk, at 301 Harris Ave. Proceeds will go to a charity fund that will benefit music education programs and Iddon’s mother.

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How Shiza Fest was born

The idea for Shiza Fest (named for one of the many unique and colorful “Iddonisms” he was known for among friends) was born when a bunch of Iddon’s bandmates gathered at Nolan’s Corner Pub on Atwells Avenue, and one of them had a date booked for September at Dusk.

“I figured it might take that long to get Viking Jesus going again,” said Kris Hansen, the band's vocalist and rhythm guitarist. “Al Diaz [from Kanerko], Steve Delmonico [from The Quahogs] and Rafay Rashid [from Ravi Shavi] all expressed wanting to do something of a memorial, so we had the date and the idea, and everything else fell into place.

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"It would end up being all the bands he played with and loved on the bill, but it turned out that we would need a week to satisfy the amount of acts that wanted to step up and play for Nick," Hansen said, crediting Dusk with offering the room and staff for the event.

Aside from the event's significance in the Providence music scene, Hansen said, it's also deeply personal for him.

"I first met Nick as a sound man on my first day working at The Living Room," he said. "We bonded immediately, and we became friends ever since. I have laughed, cried, fought and made the best music of my life alongside Nick, and the last 10 years of playing with Nick were fantastic. Ever since he passed in March, the surprise, the shock and grief are still very fresh for us, and it is hard to describe my feelings beyond that.”

Kanerko's Diaz shares that sense of loss.

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“Where do I begin with Nick Iddon? To me he was more than my bandmate for eight years,” Diaz said. “He was my brother, and we always had each other's backs. We were each other's therapists and comedians. Even though on the outside he sometimes had this tough, serious-faced demeanor, once you got to know him he was the sweetest and most humble human being. He would literally give you the shirt off his back, which I now own 20 of, all sleeveless. He was an old soul, and also knowledgeable about jazz greats, music in general, cars, sports and old '70s and '80s movie quotes.”

“When Kanerko started in 2004, the main objective of the band was to make the music that we always wanted,” he said. "... We were truly a band of brothers and wanted to make music that was loud, but not screamy, just some heavy rock 'n' roll with a whole lot of soul."

A low moment becomes a turning point in Iddon's career

When Kanerko broke up in 2012, Diaz recalls one night at The Met in Pawtucket when a dispirited Iddon told him that he was thinking of selling his drums and calling it a day. Diaz gave him a pep talk, urging him to "get out there and play, play, play" with a variety of bands and branch out to other musical styles. Iddon went on to do just that, forging strong bonds with other musicians along the way.

“Nick was a force of nature,” SEXCoffee vocalist Ruth Charbonneau said. “I was always in awe of his strive for perfection and dedication to the music we created together. He recorded every show and would always come to the next practice with a CD labeled with the date and venue. Watching him play drums was mesmerizing. He was the most genuine and humble soul. Having him as a band member and friend was an honor.”

“It's hard to think of Nick as just a drummer,” added SEXCoffee bassist Sharlene DeNardo, who’ll be filling in on bass with Kanerko (which is reuniting for Shiza Fest). “Sure, that's how it started for me. I managed a Daddy's Junky Music store, and he would come in and check out the used drums. He knew I was a bass player for SEXCoffee and I knew he was drumming in Kanerko, but because we never shared a bill in the seven years our bands were active in the same music scene, we never really knew the caliber of each other's musical talents, which changed in 2013. I was asked to join a project called Malyssa and the Liberators, and Nick was the drummer.”

A generous musician who always showcased bandmates

“The moment he and I locked in as the rhythm section it was incredible,” she added. “I had never worked with a drummer who mapped out a song from start to finish with such meticulous detail. He was a machine with tempo and subdivisions, but his energy was organic. You couldn't just cut and paste his drumming, because he accentuated the nuances of the other musicians and brought their parts to life. He recorded every rehearsal, every show, and made notes like he was watching the replay of a football game.”

"Nick wasn't just a drummer. He was a musician's heartbeat," DeNardo said. "Shiza Fest is going to be incredibly cathartic for all of us who have ever played with him or listened to him play. From the clapping parts of Viking Jesus to the monstrous fills of Kanerko, it will feel like he is there with us in spirit.”

Which bands will be performing at Shiza Fest?

Along with paying tribute to Iddon, the music on tap for Shiza Fest is pretty diverse, incorporating garage rock, surf, psychedelic, folk, reggae, hard rock and synthpop, just to name a few styles.

The bill for the first day of Shiza Fest will feature Sonsoma, Helen & The Trash Pandas, Eclectic Electric, Animal Face, Tall Teenagers, The Z-Boys, Kanerko, The Quahogs, SEXCoffee and Viking Jesus, with some acoustic storytelling and tales of Iddon closing out the night.

Day two will have Brown Apples, No Plateau, Tung, Sgt. Baker & The Clones, Nate Cozzolino & The Lost Arts, High Planes, Ravi Shavi, The Sonce, Yugenraa and Artist Jackie & The Wizard.

The organizers of Shiza Fest are planning to make it an annual event to preserve Iddon’s legacy. If you were a friend of the man who went by nicknames “Nick The Pipe” and “Prime,” then chances are you’re already freeing up your schedule to attend at least one of the shows. If you didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Iddon, then come by anyway to check out an abundance of terrific music.

If you go ...

What: Shiza Fest

Where: Dusk, 301 Harris Ave., Providence

When: Sept. 17-18, 1 p.m.-1 a.m.

Tickets: $10

Info: bit.ly/3L1gxQw

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Late drummer Nick Iddon to be honored at Providence music festival