Gentlemen and Scholars (Indie)

Gentlemen and Scholars
Posted Apr 11, 2007.


Pat Brady: Guitar
Matt Mitchell: Drums
Mike White: Vocals/guitar
Jeremiah Galey: Bass/Vocals
Ryan Hills: Guitar/Vocals
Mike Brady: Keyboards

What is your website?
our website is currently under construction, so we honestly do not have one right now. Sorry!

What is your myspace?
Oh, the myspace! Haha, our link is www.myspace.com/gentlemenscholars

Any other websites?
Our good friend and clothing provider's website is www.evolutionstopshere.com you should definitely check them out

Do you have any upcomming shows?
We always have upcoming shows, but we are mostly working on booking our north eastern tour with friends A Promise Worth Dying For.

What gave you the idea for your band name?
Well, we thought for a while about a suitable name. We wanted something out of the ordinary, and something that could really fit the music we were trying to create. We want our music to be about who we are, so we were hoping that the name could kind of reflect that. Literature and art and history and all kinds of things pull into our influences, so the name seemed appropriate.

Have any of you been in other bands, why did they end or how are they going?
Jeremiah, Mike Brady, and I (Pat Brady) were the original and founding members of the band Always Tomorrow. We broke apart when our singer quit, so we added a new guitarist (Ryan) and a new singer (Mike White). Later our drummer left, and we replaced him with Matt who we went to school with and we played shows with his other band.


If you had to pick the best venue to play at, what would it be?
Well, like any other band, we always love our home venue, The Wired Coffee House. We are also partial to Bull Dog Cafe in Louisville, Kentucky. Honestly, we havent had much bad luck with venues. They have all been pretty good.

Was that your best show of all time?
the best show of all time? Thats a tough one, but in my opinion, I would have to say the first show we played as Gentlemen and Scholars. We already had a fan base in our hometown from the other bands we were in, so when we came out on stage for the first time as this band, it was wild because our music was so different from what any of us used to play, no one was expecting it.

When, Where and How was your first show?
Gentlemen and Scholars first show was at Wired Coffee house in Evansville, Indiana. I don't remember the exact date off the top of my head, but it was a great show! The place was packed.

How have you seen yourselves get better since then?
Well, the biggest part is learning to play well together. We had to learn how each person in the band plays their instrument before we could hope to accomplish anything. Each person in the band always pushes everyone else to become better, so in other words, we feed off of each other and learn to become better.

No matter who you are, there is always a band that you look up to and would love to open for, who would that be?
Haha, those bands are all different for every member of the band, but I can answer it for everyone. Mike White would say Bare Naked Ladies, Ryan would definitely say The Mars Volta, Mike Brady would say AFI, Matt would say something metal, most likely Norma Jean, and I would have to say the Receiving end of Sirens.

What inspires most of your lyrics?
We kind of try to make our lyrics clever. Most of them are something someone in the band has experienced or feels, but we kind of polish the words up to tell a story, something interesting that you can relate to. Honestly, sometimes you have to do a little digging to understand the lyrics.

How did your band get together, and when were you guys formed?
We formed in September or October of 2006 in Evansville, Indiana.

Where do you think that your band will be in 5 years?
Hopefully the band will be wherever everyone is happiest in five years. For me personally, I hope I am still playing the music I love to make with these guys.

What do you think its going to take to get there?
It won't take much, dreams I suppose.

Where have you been playing lately and how has your response been?
We've been playing the midwest lately, and honestly we havent had a bad response. Nothing but good words have come so far!

Do you have any advice to starting bands?
Yeah, I do. Don't give up after one show just because it might not have gone the way you planned. Keep playing, and keep practicing. It takes a ton of time.

What is the best thing about music?
Music to me, can be anything you want it to be. It can mean anything, or it can mean nothing. No matter what, I dont think the world could function without some form of music.

Is their anything you want to see happen thru/to music in the future?
Too many bands today all sound alike. People need to stop conforming to what is cool to play, and play what you love. Don't be afraid to try new things, or to experiment. Trust me, you'll have a lot more fun with your music that way.

Are you doing anthing to make those ides happen?
We try. We incorporate anything that we like or think sounds good into our music. Our pianist is very classically trained, so we don't do all of the synth and everything other bands are doing. We use a real piano player playing wonderful piano parts in our songs.

What other instruments can you play?
Haha, we mix and match. Jeremiah can play bass and guitar, Ryan can play anything imaginable. I wish I could play saxaphone better...

Any funny/interesting stories?
Way too many inside jokes and travel stories.

What do you think about UFOs?
UFOs are cool. What about them? Are they real? I don't know if UFOs are real, but I bet aliens are.

What do you guys do for work right now, other than playing music?
Mike and Mike do not work. Ryan manages a grocery store in Evansville, Jeremiah works at an upscale restaurant and I am a technology sales associate at Office Depot.

What were some of your favorite bands growing up?
I think everyone can honestly say Blink 182 and for Mike White Bare Naked Ladies. A lot of classic rock too.

Do any of the members of the band play in any other bands?
Not anymore.

Have you lost any fans for doing something drastic? (like moving to a bigger label, changing your sound, ect)
I honestly don't think so. Maybe one or two for changing sound, but mostly no.

Every bands music changes over the years, but do you like playing and the style of the old stuff?
Of course. We are a pretty new band, so we don't exactly have old material, but you will always have the fans at shows that want to hear something older on occasion. We don't mind playing them if it makes the crowd happy.

Anything you would like to say to your fans reading this interview?
Fans are a lot of the reason we do this. If you guys like us and support us then we feel better about what we are doing. We need you guys, so thank you for all of your love and support. Also, we have a new EP coming out this summer, its called Perpetuating a Stereotype.

Have you ever been on tour, how many and how did they go?
Yes, we have been on tour. In 2005 we toured the West Coast. A lot of the shows got canceled or fell through, but we still played some! That summer we also played a stop on The Vans Warped Tour. This summer is dedicated to touring! Check our myspace page for locations and dates

How does it feel to tour with the band members?
Everybody in the band is like a big family, so its great. We are all best friends, and we all have a lot in common. We may argue from time to time, but everyone does.

What do you guys do on the road to keep busy?
haha we play a ton of Mario Kart for N64.

Do you have any advice to bands about to go on their first tour?
Don't try to stray away from home too much, because you've got to get a loyal following in areas close to you before you attempt something big.

What is the craziest thing a fan has done?
Well, we've had granny panties and old women bras thrown on stage as jokes, later we were asked to sign them and the fans took them home. I'm sure that came from an earlier joke from an earlier show we told or something, who knows.

What will the title of your new EP going to be called?
Perpetuating A Stereotype.

What do you guys think about it so far?
its an EP, but it wont feel like one when you listen to it. We decided to make a nice introduction track, strictly instruments. The songs are all kind of tied together to flow really well. We are still recording it, but I honestly love it. It just flows so well, and its kind of long for an EP, so you get a bang for your buck when you purchase it.

Where can we get it when it's out?
It'll be out later this summer. It can be purchased through iTunes, on our myspace page, or local stores in Evansville.

What do you want people to get out of listening to "Perpetuating A Stereotype"?
Something different. hopefully this Ep will make you broaden your horizons and open your eyes to some new ideas.

What did your fans say about it?
We have one demo track from it up at our myspace page, and we have had nothing but good reviews from that.

Any advice for anyone thinking about making a CD?
Do it right the first time, don't pay for something and do it cheap, you won't like it later on.

What do you think of Big Smile?
This is my first interaction with Big Smile, and I am really impressed with your interview. I hope to work some more with you guys in the future!