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 The Two Man Gentlemen Band's brand of hot, raucous, retro swing is fast becoming an
underground sensation. Just a few years ago, The Gentlemen were busking in New York City's
parks and subways. These days, they traverse the world incessantly, playing hundreds of
shows per year for ever-expanding crowds of dedicated fans who can't get enough.
The TMGB sound is a high-energy blend of the vintage and the modern. Their style – musically
& visually – incorporates elements of hot jazz, rhythm & blues, tin-pan alley, and western
swing, and their "keen vocal harmonies" (The New Yorker) recall 20s and 30s groups like The
Mills Brothers. But their pithy, irreverent original tunes are full of lyrics "so off the
beaten path as to be virtually cliché free" (Bluegrass Journal).
On their breakout sixth release, Dos Amigos Una Fiesta, The Gents consistently "prove that
making old-fashioned music needn't be polite or predictable" (Time Out New York). They
deftly balance light-hearted and often hysterical romps about reefers, wine, boy/girl
parties, and chocolate milk with tender ballads of loneliness and fidelity. And with their
cautionary, gospel-tinged stomp about the forgotten, alcoholic President Franklin Pierce
they once again "take smart song-writing to a whole new level." (Mental Floss). It is a party
record, and a dance record, yes. But it's also a musical portrait of the thrills, troubles,
and temptations of a life spent barnstorming from coast to coast.
Consummate entertainers, The Gents (Andy Bean – tenor guitar/vocals & Fuller Condon – string
bass/vocals) match their instrumental prowess with enough charisma to woo even the most
sceptical listener. They simply command complete attention. Their improvised banter, with
each other and the audience, is as entertaining as the music. And the stomping shout-alongs
that pepper their shows whip crowds into a sort of frenzy not typically associated with
acoustics duos. Their showmanship and panache transcend whatever niche their musical style
suggests.
'Terrifically entertaining!' - Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
'This kind of good time is rarely seen anymore!' - Valley Advocate (Northampton, MA). |
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