Last Tuesday, Gentlemen Hall, a six-piece synth-rock band out of Boston, prompted a few fans to abandon their seats – and their napkins full of free pizza.
The band with their “psychedelic synth flute-rock, two vocals and a mohawk (aka base player Ro Richard)” was formed in 2008. Since then, they have released two local demos and one official EP titled When We All Disappear (2011). Their tour, which kicked off early March in Texas, led them to Milwaukee for the first time.
“Got here today … ahh,” says flutist Seth Hachen laughing awkwardly and admitting defeat to the chaotic schedule that is the road. They spend roughly 12 hours in each destination but feel Milwaukee has “tons of cool vibes.”
Singer and guitarist Jacob Michael, aka Cobi Mike, interrupted saying: “Every now and then you’ll get a day off and get to hang out in the city for a minute.” But Hachen, quick to chime in again, pointed out that there is not one of those days until the end of the tour.
Both guys – excited and pumped up on preshow adrenaline –talked over one another. Hachen conversed while eating oversized cookies and drinking a PBR, and Cobi Mike curled up into his chair carrying on with the flow. But when it came time to perform, they were polished gentlemen.
The sextet opened with their single “Gravity Will Break Our Bones,” and Hachen’s flute solo summoned fans to the dance floor. The down-to-Earth persona of each “gentleman” witnessed behind the scenes was well transmitted on stage. With clear vocals, a pounding base and psychedelic lighting, the guys twisted the stage into their own playground.
“Our art is our voice to the world,” says Cobi Mike confirming the deep meanings behind lyrics in the band’s cover “All Our Love,” scheduled to hit radio stations this summer. The single “Close to me” notes the band’s playful stage presence.
The band currently has nine “home cooked” songs, a cover song and new songs currently titled “Golden Age,” “Makes Me Feel Alive” and “Every Morning When I Wake Up.” Gentlemen Hall is working on another album.
Cobi Mike emphasizes that each song will be quite diverse in meaning and presentation identifying with the individuality of each band member. As seen on stage, the “common thread is the individuality of all the members getting in there to create together.”
Before the show, Hachen attempted to describe the group in ten words or less using his fingers to count out a complete sentence. And unsurprisingly, what he came up with summed up the entire night: “Psychedelic friends making psychedelic pop songs for the world now.”
