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The Gentlemen formed back in 1999 when Mike Gent of The Figgs joined forces with 3/4 of Boston's The Gravel Pit. They released their debut CD, "Ladies and Gentlemen...The Gentlemen" (Hearbox/ Q Division Records) in March of 2000. Recorded in just four days and mixed in one marathon 22-hour session by Scott Riebling (Letters to Cleo), the record sounds like a band playing live in a room because, well, it is.
Entertainment Weekly gave the record an (A-), stating,"One minute they're crushing hearts with the catchiest skinny-tie songs Graham Parker never wrote; the next they're stumbling around like Johnny Thunders fronting the Stones. But therein lies the genius: No tribute act, these guys just revel in the sounds they love---and make you love them, too."
Their sophomore slump effort, "Blondes Prefer The Gentlemen" (The Gentlemen's Recording Co./Sodapop Records) was released in March of 2002. The record was made in six days or so over the course of a year by a varied cast of characters at the helm including Dave Minehan (x-Neighborhoods), Dan McLoughlin (Push Stars), Tom Polce (Senor Happy, Loveless) and Mr. Riebling. The record features 6 new gems by Gent as well as three songs apiece from Jackson and Valauskas. Also, there are guest appearances by Kay Hanley (x-Letters to Cleo) and Jon Brion (Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright).
Entertainment Weekly gave the record an (A-) as well: "The Gentlemen party like it's 1979 - channeling Elvis Costello, The Jam, and KISS, while delivering enough hooks to suspend a naked Pavarotti in a modern-primitive ritual."
After releasing "Blondes", The Gents went on to win the WBCN Rock and Roll Rumble and became cursed forever. Not that they weren't cursed prior. With free studio time from winning the Rumble, the band recorded their latest CD. Due to band members touring schedules with other bands - Mike tours constantly with The Figgs and Graham Parker (The Figgs are GP's live band) and Ed and Pete are Juliana Hatfield's rhythm section - this record took even longer than the previous - 2.5 years. What are these guys Boston?
Brass City Band (The Gentlemen's Recording Co.) released in February 2005 and is garnering critical acclaim. Zeth Lundy of Popmatters.com writes, "They deliver everything you could ask for from a rock 'n' roll band: Jagger struts, cataclysmic guitar rumblings, a wickedly tight rhythm section, and inexhaustible wit....Following two records of raw, juiced-up rock (2000's Ladies and Gentlemen... and 2002's Blondes Prefer the Gentlemen), the just-released Brass City Band finds the band branching out in thrilling evolution: horns, keyboards, and a democratic collection of airtight songs from Gent, Jackson, and Valauskas help make it their best album yet."
The band is continuing to play live when they can. Most recently, they opened a few dates on Juliana Hatfield's most recent tour, played at Fenway Park as part of Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons's charity concert - "Hot Stove, Cool Music" and backed up Graham Parker at the Orpheum in Boston.
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