Jennifer Gentle
Encyclopedia
History
Jennifer Gentle was formed by Marco Fasolo and Alessio Gastaldello in early 2000, after the breakup of Marco’s previous band, Carcers. Later, these two young men teamed up with guitarist Isacco Maretto and bassist Nick Crivellari, which would complete the early stage of this Northern Italian rock group.Jennifer Gentle imitated the influence of 60s psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
icon Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
(Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
), and recorded their first album I Am You Are in their own basement (Silly Boy Entertainment 2001). However, it wasn’t until their second basement-recording, Funny Creatures Lane (2002), that they began to gain attention from radio stations across the US and Britain. They began touring with Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest...
’s Kawabata Makoto
Kawabata Makoto
Kawabata Makoto is a Japanese musician and founding member of the band and "soul collective" Acid Mothers Temple.- Band history :Kawabata is chiefly famous for his leadership of Acid Mothers Temple and its variants; however, he has also played in many other bands since the start of his career in...
and cut a session with WFMU, releasing the tour on a live album, The Wrong Cage in 2002. When Crivellari left Jennifer Gentle, Paolo Mioni (bass and guitar) and Liviano Mos (keyboards) were welcomed into the band as live stage members.
In February 2004, Jennifer Gentle became the first Italian band to be signed to Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
records. They released their third studio album, Valende, which was recorded in the same basement on the outskirts of Padova, Italy, in 2004. Marco and Alessio are responsible for all instrumentation and vocals on their albums.
This Italian duo is known to have incorporated instruments such as kazoos, cow bells, toy glockenspiel, bowed guitars, old Bontempi air organs, plastic flutes, chains and clocks, and deflating balloons ("I Do Dream You", Valende).
Discography
| Date of Release | Title | Label |
| 2001 | I Am You Are | Silly Boy Entertainment |
| 2002 | Funny Creatures Lane | Silly Boy Entertainment |
| 2002 | The Wrong Cage (With Kawabata Makoto) | Silly Boy Entertainment |
| 2004 | Valende | Sub Pop Records |
| 2007 | The Midnight Room | Sub Pop Records |
| 2008 | Evanescent Land | Heron Recordings Heron Recordings Heron Recordings is an independent record label based in London, England. Bands on the label include The Beep Seals, Goldheart Assembly, Jennifer Gentle, The See See and Mossy Pine.... |
Appearances
- Jennifer Gentle made an appearance at the May Day Music Festival at Hamilton College on April 30, 2005. Other featured artists they shared the stage with included Dead MeadowDead MeadowDead Meadow is an American hard rock band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1998. Currently comprising vocalist and guitarist Jason Simon, bassist Steve Kille and drummer Mark Laughlin, the band has released five studio albums and one live album.-Biography:...
, Rainer MariaRainer MariaRainer Maria was an indie rock/emo band originally from Madison, Wisconsin, later residing in Brooklyn, New York. Named after the German-language poet Rainer Maria Rilke, they formed in the late summer of 1995 and released five full length albums, a live DVD, numerous live recordings, and EPs...
, Tim ReynoldsTim ReynoldsTim Reynolds is a Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as the lead guitarist for Dave Matthews Band...
, Virginia CoalitionVirginia CoalitionVirginia Coalition is a rock band from Alexandria, Virginia, who met in the early 1990s through their music class at T. C. Williams High School. Referred to as VACO by fans, the band released their first album, The Colors of The Sound in 1998...
, and The PharcydeThe PharcydeThe Pharcyde are an alternative hip hop group based in South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani , Slimkid3 , Bootie Brown and Fatlip . DJ Mark Luv was the group's first DJ, followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla...
. - At the South by Southwest festivals and conference in Texas, Jennifer Gentle shared the stage with fellow Sub Pop records bands, Robyn HitchcockRobyn HitchcockRobyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
, The ThermalsThe ThermalsThe Thermals are an American indie punk band based in Portland, Oregon. The group was formed in 2002. With influences heavily rooted in both lo-fi punk, as well as more standard rock, the band's songs are also known for their political and religious imagery.- History :The Thermals came together in...
, and Sleater-KinneySleater-KinneySleater-Kinney was an alternative rock band from Portland, Oregon that formed in 1994. Originally formed in Olympia, Washington, the group's name is derived from Sleater-Kinney Road, Interstate 5 off ramp #108 in Lacey, Washington, the location of one of their early practice spaces. They were a...
(2005).