The Unknown Gentlemen

"Aint No Kin of Mine" CD. The alt.country or American genre has become a catchall for all sorts of artists whose style is far from country, folk or roots-oriented, but "Aint No Kin Of Mine", by The Unknown Gentlemen, fits solidly in the center of the catagory. Its dozen tunes could have originated any time in the last 150 years.

Gruff, authentic vocals by Paul Carden are ably backed by Tom Hood on acoustic guitar, harmonica and drums. Hood also adds a sweet harmony, and takes the lead on three songs.

The characters in these tunes (all credited to Carden & Hood) tell their own tales, whether we encounter them in the dusty streets of a western ghost town or on the sidewalks of a rust belt city like "Pittsburgh." The Irish immigrant of "Another Man," the pioneer settler of "Bride of the Wilderness," and the failed prospector of "Fools Gold" sing to us, sad but wise, broken but still proud. One expects both Johnny Cash and Lou Reed to wander along, nodding in recognition.

"Cry in the Dark" and "Tell Me" would not be out of place on an early Marvin Gaye or Smokey Robinson LP, and "Perfectly Bored" echoes the sentiments of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb."

"Desert Sand," written in the wake of the Gulf War, expresses the frustration we all feel over the ongoing Mideast conflicts. "I'm not sure I understand how anyone can calm the desert sand."

The basic chords and simple melodies make sense in the scheme of things - simple folk sharing their stories without artifice. Straightforward lines like, "See a grown man cry into an empty glass/ see my Daddy's soul dying in the grass," are moving enough, and need no underscoring or filigree.

The CD ends with "Hand On The Bible" in which a grubby preacher exhorts his congregation to fill the collection plate if they want to get to Heaven. The characters in this excellent collection have paid dearly, in the coin of lost love and broken dreams, and are assured a place in alt.paradise.

-Hank Stone/Aural Fix Magazine - Hank Stone

Pittsburgh has solid music throughout. Good contrast. These are solid, gritty lyrics almost Springsteenesque at times. I really like it and its makes a strong impression...keep pitching this around - Pittsburgh

Released more or less concurrently, "Aint No Kin Of Mine" and "Way Out" represent the body of work so far of the East End duo The Unknown Gentlemen. They also represent the two different sides of the quirky, talented pair, as "No Kin" demonstrates the acoustic side of the band, while "Way Out" illustrates the Gentlemen's electric side.

"Aint No Kin of Mine" has a rustic, Americana feel to it. Many of the songs are set in America's Wild West during the days of prospecting, homesteading, and gunslinging. Paul Carden sings lead on the majority of the numbers, and handles some of the percussion, while his partner Tom Hood takes care of all the guitars, a bit of the percussion, a few lead and background vocals, and a pretty mean harmonica as well.

The strongest entry is "Bride of the Wilderness." Like many of the songs on the CD, this one tells a story, in this case the tale of a homesteader separated early in life from his love, a woman of many talents who survives being kidnapped by hostile Indians. Other strong numbers include "Desert Sand" sung from the viewpoint of a young soldier in Iraq during the Gulf War and "Gloomytown" which has kind of a Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits feel to it.

"Way Out" features an entirely different atmosphere. The sound is more reminiscent of early 60's rock. Carden sings all the leads on this one while Hood concentrates on electric guitar, harmonica and back-up vocals.

The highlights are "Underneath the Moonlight", "Hold it Inside" and "It's Understood."

The Unknown Gentlemen can be seen every Friday night, hosting an LIMC music series/open mic at The Vision Theater in Riverhead. Samples of their music are available at www.mp3.com/unknown_gentlemen. They're a fun band, and definitely worth a listen.

Richard Hughes
September 24th, 2002 Issue
Goodtimes Magazine
- Rich Hughes