Wilkes-Barre’s Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen celebrate new single with live concert on May 1
From a press release:
Wilkes-Barre blues rockers Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen are set to release a new single, “Broken,” on Friday, April 30, and soon after, the power trio will celebrate with their first theater show of the year.
Recorded at 8 Days a Week Studios in Northumberland by revered engineer/producer and former Badlees/Cellarbirds bassist Paul Smith, the tune proves once and for all that the blues rock genre is most definitely alive and well.
Accompanying the song will be the release of a music video for “Broken” directed by award-winning director Jonathan Edwards of 570 Drone and shot in the band’s hometown in the historical Irem Temple building. Currently a restoration project, the deteriorating theater was Wilkes-Barre’s primary performing arts venue in the early 1900s and known for its Moorish Revival architecture, towering minarets, and stained-glass dome.
“The fact this beautiful ‘Broken’ theater exists right in our backyard is amazing,” Douglas said.
“There was no doubt this was the perfect location for this new video.”
Releasing on all digital platforms next week, “Broken” has all the signature Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen elements – sexy grooves, infectious rhythm, and Douglas’ soaring guitar work and unmistakable vocals. He is backed by bassist Matt “The Dane” Gabriel and drummer Tommy Smallcomb.
“‘Broken’ is a very good sonic explanation of who we are as a band,” Douglas noted.
“Classic rock with a modern twist. We do our best to carry the torch of our power trio forefathers. The spirit of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Cream, and Mountain runs deep in my veins.”
This will be group’s first new music since their 2018 full-length album “Break It Down,” which found itself on the Roots Music Report’s Top 20 Blues Rock Album charts and the Top 10 Pennsylvania Album charts since its release. It also hit the Blues Album, Blues Singles, and Blues Rock Single charts.
Additionally, DDEG have won numerous Steamtown Music Awards, including Blues Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Guitarist of the Year, Video of the Year, and Live Performer of the Year. They also received an Independent Blues Music Award nomination for Blues/Rock Song of the Year for “Out of My Mind” in 2019.
Douglas released his first solo album, “Black Skies and Starlight,” in 2014 before going back to his power trio roots with the self-titled debut record “Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen” in 2016. They followed up with an EP, “Blues 1,” in 2017, before their sophomore album, “Break It Down,” came out the following year.
Now “Broken” is set to blast Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen’s already soaring trajectory into a whole new level of success.
The song will be one of many they’ll play at the Mauch Chunk Opera House (14 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe) on Saturday, May 1, their first theater concert since the onset of the pandemic last year. Capacity will be limited, and social distancing will be enforced.
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets, which are $20, are on sale now at mcohjt.com.
“As if the new single and video aren’t enough to be excited about, to get back on the stage at such a beautiful theater after such a long break to celebrate this release will be beyond special,” Douglas said.
After that, they’ll play a free show at the Nescopeck Township Fire Hall (589-591 Zenith Rd., Nescopeck) on Friday, May 14 with regional favorites Low Hanging Fruit. Offering indoor and outdoor seating, food sales benefiting the Nescopeck Township Fire Company, and craft beer sales by Berwick Brewing Company, the concert is being presented by the Briggs Farm Blues Festival to thank fans of the long-running event for their continued support over the past year and their eagerness to return on July 8-10. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the music begins at 7 p.m.
“It’s going to be a fun, energetic night of great music, and it’s about time for it!” spokesperson Dena Briggs said.
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen performing with Ed Randazzo at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in 2018 here and listen to all three members of the band talk about blues music, the local music scene, and more in Episode 35 of the NEPA Scene Podcast:
Photo by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene
