Two Man Gentleman Band
For The Press
Biographies
The Two Man Gentlemen Band’s original brand of raucous, retro vaudevillian swing is fast becoming an underground sensation. Three short years ago, The Gentlemen were playing marathon sets for tips in New York City’s parks and subways. These days, they traverse the country incessantly, playing hundreds of shows per year for legions of dedicated fans and even catching the attention of big-names like Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson, for whom The Gents opened a handful of shows last summer.
The Gentlemen’s memorable, pithy compositions combine the sounds of hot jazz, vintage rhythm & blues, and tin-pan alley with boundless energy and enthusiasm. Andy Bean pounds out intricate, rapid-fire chord changes and melodies on an assortment of antique 4-string guitars and banjos. Bassist Fuller Condon dances around the fingerboard with a punchy, driving style that renders a drummer unnecessary. Their “keen vocal harmonies” (The New Yorker) recall 20s and 30s groups like the Mills Brothers and The Cats & The Fiddle while their lyrics are “so off the beaten path as to be virtually cliche free.” (Bluegrass Journal) Few other songwriters so deftly address such a wide range of topics; from the familiar - love, fancy beer, reefer - to the utterly peculiar - William Howard Taft, mathematics, rabbit meat.
The Two Man Gentlemen Band’s live show - honed by three years of barnstorming from coast to coast - is an absolute must-see. Some reviews: “Terrifically entertaining!” (Mountain Xpress - Asheville, NC) “An unparalleled experiment in controlled chaos!” (Seven Days - Burlington, VT) “This kind of good time is rarely seen anymore!” (Valley Advocate - Northampton, MA). “Romping, outstanding fun!” (About.com)
Consummate entertainers, The Gents match their instrumental prowess with enough charisma to woo even the most skeptical listener. They very simply command your 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. “I don’t like much old-fashioned music,” The Gentlemen hear often from concertgoers, “but I love you guys!”
The Two Man Gentlemen Band has released four albums on New York City’s Serious Business Records. Two more - a live recording and a studio release - will be available in early 2010.
Instrumentation
- Andy Bean - Vocals, 4-string Guitars & Banjos
- Fuller Condon - Vocals, Upright Bass
Discography
- Live in NEW YORK (Available Feb 2010, Serious Business Records)
- Drip Dryin’ (2009, Serious Business Records)
- Heavy Petting (2008, Serious Business Records)
- Great Calamities (2006, Serious Business Records)
- Two Man Gentlemen Band (2005, Serious Business Records)
Press Quotes
“They’ve got charisma, energy, and kazoos, and they definitely have fun up there, with compositions that are little bit dorky and a little bit dirty.” - AM New York
“Think of them as a mix between Squirrel Nut Zippers and They Might be Giants. I played their new CD while cleaning the house last weekend, and it was spotless in record time.” - USA Today
“Smart and amiable, the music makes for a fun listen.” - Denver Post
“Creating a buzz… the vaudevillian, comic, banjo, and kazoo playing duo [is] not as innocent as it might seem.” - The Boston Globe
“The Two Man Gentlemen Band is one of the best new groups coming out of the East Coast old timey scene. Heavy Petting is romping, outstanding fun. It plays like a party.” - About.com
“One of the funniest albums I’ve listened to in a long time. Andy Bean writes lyrics so off the beaten path, they are virtually cliche free. The Two Man Gentlemen Band should go down as the duo who made kazoo hip again.” - Bluegrass JournalBiography
Lynx
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