Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen ‘Break It Down’ at album release show in Wilkes-Barre on June 2
From a press release:
Northeastern Pennsylvania’s premier blues rock power trio, Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen, are set to debut their new album, “Break It Down,” on Friday, June 1, and will play a release show in their hometown of Wilkes-Barre the following night.
Created by Dustin Douglas (vocals/guitars), Tommy Smallcomb (drums), and Matt “The Dane” Gabriel (bass), “Break It Down” features 12 brand new tracks recorded by Paul Smith at Eight Days a Week Studios in Northumberland, along with “No More Tears to Cry,” which was previously released on the band’s 2017 EP, “Blues 1.”
“Break It Down” will be celebrated with a release show at the F.M. Kirby Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, June 2. Local blues band Teddy Young and The Aces will open the concert.
Doors open at 7 p.m., with an 8 p.m. showtime. Tickets, which are $15 in advance or $20 the day of the show, go on sale this Thursday, May 3 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at the Kirby Center box office (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre) Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins today at 10 a.m.
Following the release of 2016’s self-titled “Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen” and last year’s “Blues 1” EP, the much-anticipated new album will be available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and all other major online distributors, as well as at local Gallery of Sound and Music Go Round stores.
Before this show, the band will bring their critically-acclaimed “Stevie Ray Vaughan Retrospective” back to the River Street Jazz Cafe (667 N. River St., Plains) on Saturday, May 12 at 9:30 p.m. Tickets, which are $10 in advance or $15 at the door, can be purchased online via HoldMyTicket.
With a reputation as one of the area’s hardest working musicians, Dustin Douglas (born Dustin Drevitch) brings an energy to the stage and delivers some hard-rocking blues with an attitude that’s all his own. Since the time he learned to walk, he had a guitar in his hands and a song in his soul. Performing his first show at the age of 13, Douglas has never stopped, first gaining popularity with his original power trio, Lemongelli. Lemongelli released three independent records and shared the stage with Heart, Cheap Trick, Def Leppard, and Eddie Money, to name a few.
Becoming one of the most sought-after live and session guitarists in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Douglas joined the legendary Pennsylvania rock band The Badlees, in which he recorded “Epiphones and Empty Rooms” and supported Bob Seger on his 2013 arena tour.
In 2014, Douglas released “Black Skies and Starlight,” his first solo record, to rave reviews. Self-proclaimed as “a mix of big guitars with pop-laced hooks and an alternative attitude,” “Black Skies and Starlight” propelled him back into the lead role, leaving his sideman days behind.
Beginning to play the drums at the age of 10, Tommy Smallcomb grew up in a drumming family. His father, brother, nephews, and sister all found themselves behind the kit. Playing his first gig at the age of 14, He became one of the region’s premier session and live drummers, working with John Plantania of Van Morrison on his solo material and touring the East Coast with Strawberry Jam, supporting such acts as Steppenwolf and Edgar Winter, among others.
Beginning his career in the college circuit at Bloomburg University, Matt “The Dane” Gabriel has played bass in a wide array of original progressive rock, bluegrass, instrumental post-rock, bluegrass, jam, and folk bands, along with tribute acts of Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, Motown, and Led Zeppelin.
Prior to the Electric Gentlemen, The Dane toured the East Coast and the Midwest with MiZ from Scranton, playing clubs, theaters, and festivals supporting such acts as The Allman Brothers Band, Lukas Nelson, and America.
“Break It Down” tracklist:
1. A Little Bit (4:27)
2. Destiny (3:11)
3. On the Dance Floor (3:58)
4. Turn Around (3:18)
5. Goodbye (3:47)
6. Hold of Me (3:17)
7. My Time Is Precious (4:14)
8. Ain’t No Denyin’ (4:28)
9. Out of My Mind (5:47)
10. Fat Cat (3:20)
11. Your Face Is Stunning (4:12)
12. Tragedy (4:15)
13. No More Tears to Cry (3:42)
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen performing with Ed Randazzo at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe earlier this year here and listen to all three members of the band talk about blues music, the local music scene, their next album, and more in Episode 35 of the NEPA Scene Podcast: