The Gentlemen (Seattle band)

The Gentlemen was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1998. Formed by Duff McKagan, formerly of Guns N' Roses, the band's first lineup consisted of guitarists Michael Barragan, formerly of Plexi, and Dez Cadena, formerly of Black Flag, as well as drummer Taz Bentley, formerly of The Reverend Horton Heat. The same year, they adopted the Loaded moniker before disbanding.

The Gentlemen
OriginSeattle, Washington, U.S.
GenresAcoustic, pop, rock
Years active1998–1999, 2000–2001
Past membersDuff McKagan
Michael Barragan
Taz Bentley
Dez Cadena
Dave Dederer
Jason Finn

McKagan reformed the band with Dave Dederer and Jason Finn, both of The Presidents of the United States of America. However, McKagan also reformed Loaded, with Dederer becoming the band's bassist, and by 2001, The Gentlemen disbanded.

History

edit

Formation and first lineup (1997–1999)

edit

After leaving Guns N' Roses in 1997,[1] Duff McKagan moved back to Seattle, Washington.[2] He reformed previous group 10 Minute Warning, releasing one self-titled album,[3] before recording his second studio album entitled Beautiful Disease in 1998.[4] McKagan formed The Gentlemen, to be his band on the album's supporting tour, with guitarists Michael Barragan, formerly of Plexi, and Dez Cadena, formerly of Black Flag, as well as drummer Taz Bentley, formerly of The Reverend Horton Heat,[5]

Following the merger between Geffen and Interscope Records,[6][7] he was dropped from the label[4][8] with his album shelved. The Gentlemen continued to tour, playing in the US.[5] However, by 1999, they adopted the name Loaded,[9] releasing the live album Episode 1999: Live[9] and disbanding the same year.

Reformation and disbanding (2000–2001)

edit

McKagan reformed The Gentlemen, in 2000, with Dave Dederer and, initially, Jason Finn, both then former of The Presidents of the United States of America.[5] The lineup would soon only consist of McKagan, on electric guitar, and Dederer, on acoustic guitar,[10][11] with the duo performing live shows in suits.[12][13] They made their official live debut at the Orange showcase,[14] before playing shows locally,[11][15] including NXNW,[12] performing original songs, as well as covers,[10] with their music described as "straightforward, goofy pop songs."[15] They also played at the SXSW with hopes of getting a record deal.[5] Although they did not record any songs, an album was expected to be released in future.[14]

The same year, The Presidents of the United States of America reunited,[16] while McKagan also began working on a new project that later became the second lineup of Loaded.[5] McKagan performed with The Presidents on The Late Late Show[16] while Dederer contributed to the Loaded album Dark Days[17] before joining the band briefly as bassist.[18] By 2001, The Gentlemen disbanded.

Band members

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas; Prato, Greg. "Guns N' Roses Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  2. ^ Torreano, Bradley. "Duff McKagan Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  3. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "10 Minute Warning Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  4. ^ a b W. Valdivia, Victor. "Beautiful Disease Review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Bio: Music – Duff McKagan". The Stranger. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  6. ^ de Sylvia, Dave (September 29, 2008). "Duff McKagan's Loaded Interview". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2012.
  7. ^ Strauss, Neil (December 21, 1998). "A Major Merger Shakes Up the World of Rock". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Slash; Anthony Bozza (2007). Slash. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-725775-1.
  9. ^ a b Oliveira, Daniel (June 1999). "Duff McKagan Interview". Hard Force Magazine.
  10. ^ a b Scanlon, Tom (October 12, 2000). "Big toy by day, EMP is serious club by night". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Blackstock, Peter (October 13, 2000). "Seattle ex-pats back in town for EMP show". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  12. ^ a b MacDonald, Patrick (September 26, 2000). "It's back to basics so let's rock; North by Northwest: Fixation on technology is over". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  13. ^ MacDonald, Patrick (April 17, 2005). "Velvet Revolver shoots down critics". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  14. ^ a b Saidman, Sorelle (August 29, 2000). "Presidents Of The U.S.A. Get Busy In Election Year". MTV. Archived from the original on December 26, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  15. ^ a b Scanlon, Tom (October 20, 2000). "Psychedelia rocks at Sit & Spin tomorrow". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Scanlon, Tom (September 12, 2000). "Presidents back in office". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  17. ^ Dark Days (digipak). Loaded. Locomotive Music. 2002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ Reading, Geoff (December 8, 2010). "WEDNESDAY READING: The Loaded promise". Weekly Volcano. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011.