Written by: Suzette Coquette
Photos by: Miles Kerr
Edited by: Jo Ann L. B. Duggins
Full Names: “Sweet” Willy Jive = lead vocals/guitar, eBeats=lead vocals/piano, Sara “Goose” Auster, Leslie Dinicola, Nailah Daaj aka the PG3’s = background vocals
Currently Residing: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan
Currently Listening to: Allen Toussaint, Shuggie Otis, George Harrison, Camera Obscura, Phoenix, the Raconteurs
Current Release: The Difference
Some of my crew and I had the distinct pleasure of performing recently with the Peculiar Gentlemen at the International Film Festival in Bermuda. When Jon Legere from Volcanic Productions booked us for the event, I had no idea I was going to fall in love with each and every one of them.
I had had the honor of performing with them before at our regularly occurring stellar productions at the Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn (www.jalopy.biz) Those shows have always been among some of my favorites and believe me, ladies and gentlemen, they just seem to keep getting better. You catch the band and the dancing girls of Sugar Shack Burlesque there on Sept. 19th.
My first real introduction to the band came one night when the piano player, Eric Maltz, was invited over to my apartment for dinner. I knew I liked him instantly. I just didn't know if it was because of his charm or the bottle of whiskey he brought with him.
Their music is what I listen to when I'm feeling a little blue and want to feel better. Their music is what I listen to when I'm feeling very much alive and want to dance. Hell, their music is what I listen to on repeat when i've got a 15 hour drive in front of me. Do yourself a favor and tune in.
Where did you gentlemen come from? How did you meet and when did you start working together?
We came from two different musical planets. eBeats came from the planet of the Break, and “Sweet” Willy Jive came form the planet of Soul. We met somewhere in the middle, a place where anything goes, a place where dreams become reality. Really strange things started to happen. We turned it into music, and we called ourselves Peculiar Gentlemen.
What was the transition like down from Purchase to NYC?
We went to college at SUNY Purchase, and were surrounded by incredible teachers and musicians. Many of whom we still work with. It wasn’t really a transition, a few are in our band now, and if they’re not we’re sharing the stage with them.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Women, Music, The Bottom of a Bottle, Nature, Summer Days, Winter Nights, Happy Dogs, Sad Friends…
As a performer who works in a field where one person creates one number - it's hard to wrap my mind around the collaboration process. How do you begin to create new pieces and how do you resolve any conflicts that arise?
It’s always different, sometimes it’s one of us who will bring a song to the table, and we work together to bring it to life. Other times we’ll sit down and say “lets write a song” and we work together from start to finish. We’ve always been on the same page in terms of the bands direction. With a name like Peculiar Gentlemen you can get away with just about anything.
What exactly makes you Peculiar?
Well, if there’s a “main stream”, we do not swim in it, we trot alongside, upon two white ponies, and a retinue of French street performers who have no particular need for arriving on time…anywhere.
Not a lot of bands have back up singers. How lucky for you! Where did the lovely PG3s come from and where do they fit in the collaboration process?
First we put out an ad on the internet, Nailah was our first response and she immediately fit. Sara is an old friend of ours from college, who showed up for an audition with an amazing rap for Nearly Lost. We met Leslie at a bar. She told us she could sing, so we gave her an audition and it turned out she was telling the truth. In terms of collaboration, it’s practically like reading one another’s minds, plus they always bring snacks.
What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing live music?
We don’t think there’s any challenge facing live music. If anything it’s blossoming. The fact that income isn’t generated from records sales is causing bands to look elsewhere for revenue. Live shows are a huge part of the answer. Plus, in this digital age, people are craving a real tangible experience. That’s something YouTube (www.youtube.com/pecgents) can’t provide.
There has been an amazing amount of development in electronic music. How do you two, a piano player and a guitarist, feel about electronic music? We started off as a duet, with a laptop, synth, and acoustic guitar. We love electronic music. There will always be an element of it in our music.
Tell us how your music and mission progressed from your last album to your current album.
The synth turned into a piano, the laptop turned into 3 backup singers, a drummer and a bass player. We had a proper studio to record in, instead of a garage and an apartment. Willy’s voice got better!
Do you feel that musicians - or artists in general, have a social responsibility to their community? Or do you believe "Art for the sake of Art" is just as valid?
Everybody on the planet has a responsibility to their community.
If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring three things each, what would they be and why?
E: Suntan lotion, shades and an endless supply of booze.
SWJ: Suntan lotion, shades and a sweet sound system for blasting all our favorite tunes. Shit…we forgot women!
As musicians, how do you feel about the proposed laws to charge radio stations royalties for the music they play?
We think it’s amazing! But it will make it very hard for small local stations to stay in business. Is internet radio included? We don’t know…..
Where can our readers find you? Where can we buy your cds?
You can find us at our next show! You can also find our music and t-shirts and stickers and friends there as well. If you can’t make it out, our music is online at iTunes and other like minded internet venders. You can check us out online at these sites:
Do you have a favorite joke?
A cocker spaniel goes to the telegram office, takes out a blank form and writes, “Woof woof woof. Woof woof. Woof. Woof woof. Woof.”
The clerk examines the paper and politely tells the dog: “There are only nine words here. You could send another ‘Woof’ for the same price.”
“But,” the dog replies, “that would make no sense at all.”
For more on Peculiar Gentlemen:
Check out one of PG's performances at Jalopy:
Back to Sounds
Photos by: Miles Kerr
Edited by: Jo Ann L. B. Duggins
Full Names: “Sweet” Willy Jive = lead vocals/guitar, eBeats=lead vocals/piano, Sara “Goose” Auster, Leslie Dinicola, Nailah Daaj aka the PG3’s = background vocals
Currently Residing: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan
Currently Listening to: Allen Toussaint, Shuggie Otis, George Harrison, Camera Obscura, Phoenix, the Raconteurs
Current Release: The Difference
Some of my crew and I had the distinct pleasure of performing recently with the Peculiar Gentlemen at the International Film Festival in Bermuda. When Jon Legere from Volcanic Productions booked us for the event, I had no idea I was going to fall in love with each and every one of them.
I had had the honor of performing with them before at our regularly occurring stellar productions at the Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn (www.jalopy.biz) Those shows have always been among some of my favorites and believe me, ladies and gentlemen, they just seem to keep getting better. You catch the band and the dancing girls of Sugar Shack Burlesque there on Sept. 19th.
My first real introduction to the band came one night when the piano player, Eric Maltz, was invited over to my apartment for dinner. I knew I liked him instantly. I just didn't know if it was because of his charm or the bottle of whiskey he brought with him.
Their music is what I listen to when I'm feeling a little blue and want to feel better. Their music is what I listen to when I'm feeling very much alive and want to dance. Hell, their music is what I listen to on repeat when i've got a 15 hour drive in front of me. Do yourself a favor and tune in.
Where did you gentlemen come from? How did you meet and when did you start working together?
We came from two different musical planets. eBeats came from the planet of the Break, and “Sweet” Willy Jive came form the planet of Soul. We met somewhere in the middle, a place where anything goes, a place where dreams become reality. Really strange things started to happen. We turned it into music, and we called ourselves Peculiar Gentlemen.
What was the transition like down from Purchase to NYC?
We went to college at SUNY Purchase, and were surrounded by incredible teachers and musicians. Many of whom we still work with. It wasn’t really a transition, a few are in our band now, and if they’re not we’re sharing the stage with them.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Women, Music, The Bottom of a Bottle, Nature, Summer Days, Winter Nights, Happy Dogs, Sad Friends…
As a performer who works in a field where one person creates one number - it's hard to wrap my mind around the collaboration process. How do you begin to create new pieces and how do you resolve any conflicts that arise?
It’s always different, sometimes it’s one of us who will bring a song to the table, and we work together to bring it to life. Other times we’ll sit down and say “lets write a song” and we work together from start to finish. We’ve always been on the same page in terms of the bands direction. With a name like Peculiar Gentlemen you can get away with just about anything.
What exactly makes you Peculiar?
Well, if there’s a “main stream”, we do not swim in it, we trot alongside, upon two white ponies, and a retinue of French street performers who have no particular need for arriving on time…anywhere.
Not a lot of bands have back up singers. How lucky for you! Where did the lovely PG3s come from and where do they fit in the collaboration process?First we put out an ad on the internet, Nailah was our first response and she immediately fit. Sara is an old friend of ours from college, who showed up for an audition with an amazing rap for Nearly Lost. We met Leslie at a bar. She told us she could sing, so we gave her an audition and it turned out she was telling the truth. In terms of collaboration, it’s practically like reading one another’s minds, plus they always bring snacks.
What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing live music?
We don’t think there’s any challenge facing live music. If anything it’s blossoming. The fact that income isn’t generated from records sales is causing bands to look elsewhere for revenue. Live shows are a huge part of the answer. Plus, in this digital age, people are craving a real tangible experience. That’s something YouTube (www.youtube.com/pecgents) can’t provide.
There has been an amazing amount of development in electronic music. How do you two, a piano player and a guitarist, feel about electronic music? We started off as a duet, with a laptop, synth, and acoustic guitar. We love electronic music. There will always be an element of it in our music.
Tell us how your music and mission progressed from your last album to your current album.
The synth turned into a piano, the laptop turned into 3 backup singers, a drummer and a bass player. We had a proper studio to record in, instead of a garage and an apartment. Willy’s voice got better!
Do you feel that musicians - or artists in general, have a social responsibility to their community? Or do you believe "Art for the sake of Art" is just as valid?
Everybody on the planet has a responsibility to their community.
If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring three things each, what would they be and why?
E: Suntan lotion, shades and an endless supply of booze.
SWJ: Suntan lotion, shades and a sweet sound system for blasting all our favorite tunes. Shit…we forgot women!
As musicians, how do you feel about the proposed laws to charge radio stations royalties for the music they play?
We think it’s amazing! But it will make it very hard for small local stations to stay in business. Is internet radio included? We don’t know…..
Where can our readers find you? Where can we buy your cds?
You can find us at our next show! You can also find our music and t-shirts and stickers and friends there as well. If you can’t make it out, our music is online at iTunes and other like minded internet venders. You can check us out online at these sites:
Do you have a favorite joke?
A cocker spaniel goes to the telegram office, takes out a blank form and writes, “Woof woof woof. Woof woof. Woof. Woof woof. Woof.”
The clerk examines the paper and politely tells the dog: “There are only nine words here. You could send another ‘Woof’ for the same price.”
“But,” the dog replies, “that would make no sense at all.”
For more on Peculiar Gentlemen:
Check out one of PG's performances at Jalopy:
Back to Sounds