The Gentlemen

Comprising vocalist-guitarist Mike Gent from the Figgs, guitarist-vocalist Lucky Jackson, bassist-vocalist Ed Valauskas, and drummer Pete Caldes from Gravel Pit, The Gentlemen unleash a hard rock force that moves between the sturdy pop-rock approach of 1970s Graham Parker and Elvis Costello and the boisterous barroom style associated with the Faces. At moments the quartet evokes a version of the Replacements stripped of heavier drinking habits, though their primary focus stays on high-spirited clamor while the guitar figures remain locked in place with precision.

During spring 1999, Mike Gent worked as road manager and opening performer on the Gravel Pit’s western U.S. tour, frequently joining the band onstage and thereby planting the idea for a side project. Once the four players formed The Gentlemen and ignited their New England and New York territory through intense, high-energy concerts, they chose to formalize the partnership by cutting a complete album. Issued in 2000 on Hearbox Records, their debut Ladies and Gentlemen...the Gentlemen was captured live in the studio across four days at Q-Division in Boston before undergoing a continuous 22-hour mix at Fort Apache in Cambridge, MA. The twelve-song set contains nine compositions from Gent together with the first songwriting efforts from both Jackson and Valauskas.