Sleeveless Gentry

• Sleeveless Gentry began in 2002 as a solo act by Chad Konchak (guitar/vocals), a music-minded Computer Science student at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Penn. Chad was eager to share his first eight songs he wrote during this time and formed an acoustic band called Lazy Afternoon, featuring two guitarists, a violin, and cello.

• In the summer of 2004 Chad relocated to Washington, D.C. bringing his music and a desire to expand his acoustic songs into a more robust and textured sound. His first effort formalized by reconnecting with high school classmate Jarrett Perlow (keyboard), and together they began expanding on the original eight songs creating a following through performances at local venues.

• After a year performing together in D.C, they found the sound still lacking and sought to include additional instruments. The addition of violinist/drummer Suvo Sur enhanced the original modern folk feel of the songs but due to obligations with his other band, Brave, Suvo left the group in the winter of 2005. Not wanting to abandon the enhanced sound, Chad asked his friend Brandon Bowen (drums) to join the band. Over the next year, the trio, now called Year of the Dog, performed monthly while continuing to develop their music, which had taken on a delicate blend of modern folk and alternative rock.

• In the summer of 2006, Year of the Dog added an upright/electric bassist, local George Mason University music student Tom Clune, but again due to scheduling conflicts Tom was replaced by his classmate Ted Foster (bass), whose complex bass lines added an eclectic dynamic to the band’s sound. In recognition of finalizing (for now) the band’s membership and sound, the band renamed itself Sleeveless Gentry, reflecting the band’s mixture of classical rock and folk melodies with modern alternative rock rhythms and arrangements. When not performing, Sleeveless Gentry continues to write new music, while considering new members to expand on their already textured sound.