I've loved their music. I have seen them perform. I have spent time in each of their homes. I have heard their story. Now I am ready to tell all.
This is a story of friendship, and a story of an adventure. Join me on an expedition into the lives of 4 men and 3 women, how they met, and how they became masters of their craft and changed the world of music forever.
CHAPTER 1
in the early naughts, two men stood in a room together for the first time. two men of extraordinary wit and imagination. at the time it was too soon to know their full capabilities, too soon to know the depth of the path which lay before them. heck, they didn't even know there was a path in front of them. all they knew was the music. there weren't words to be spoken. only gestures to be made. they were hearing the same song. all they had to do was let it out.
"sweet" willy jive, was raised on the front porch. an observer, a listener. he taught himself guitar. he studied the songs from his father's era, and steadily looked backward to his grandfather's and great grandfather's music. he perfected it. made it his own. it came naturally. he learned to sing. he sang to the masses. he wore his heart on his sleeve. quiet, introspective, but always armed with a quip or a joke because hey, you never know.
e-beats on the other hand had his own special charm. a child of an architect, he learned to build with sound. he saw the future. he memorized it, manipulated it and hung it on the shelf. ever the innovator, he blurred the lines of dreams and reality by creating "revery bridges", a means to transport sound from ones subconscious dream state into the waking world. don't believe me? i got the tapes to prove it!
needless to say the two young men hit it off. they formed a band, hit the road and picked up a few friends along the way.
the first to hitch a ride on the Beast* was Nailah Daaj, a soul singer from rural florida. She had heard rumors of the duo, booked a one way plane ticket to New York City, and camped out in front of the boys' studio. Willy and E were awoken the next morning by a voice rising up from the street below which pierced the dense city air. the song they heard was of an old soul reflecting on summers past, becoming engulfed with nostalgia, and finally seeing through the eyes of the children whom she was surrounded by. talk about an audition. She was hired immediately.
the next to touch the hearts of the gentlemen was MC Sara Goose. An old friend whose talents were nearly overlooked. one night, determined to make her presence known, Goose made her way into one of the bands performances, ducked past security, jumped up on stage, grabbed a mic during an instrumental break, and began to freestyle about the origins of her friendship with Willy and E. After the number was over Willy leaned over to Goose and said, "How come you never told me you could rap?" She just smiled and said, " You never asked."
Now they were four.
A few months later, while driving east on I-84 the troop spotted a lone hitchhiker on the roadside. always willing to lend a helping hand, The Beast opened its doors to one Leslie DiNicola. she traveled light. they could tell she'd been drinking and she had the bottle to prove it. after serenading her new acquaintances with a few old time country ballads, the boys knew they had found the last of their back-up singers. the PG 3's were born.
now all they needed was a rhythm section.
Luca Caius Bartoccolli was a local guitar maker. An italian immigrant, still new to american life. he spoke crudely and was always ready to fight. his favorite topics were women and america. both of which he loved to hate. PG found him during a chance meeting at the bands local watering hole. After a long night of debauchery, it was revealed that Luca could play the bass. Willy, who was way beyond the point of rational thought asked, "You wanna be in our band?" Luca raised one eyebrow, smirked and replied, "you know, you're gonna wanna." not one of the groups finest moments, but a happy accident none the less.
Soon after on an autumn afternoon, E-Beats went to pay his grandmother a visit at her retirement home. A quaint establishment, tucked away in a suburban new york town. After lunch E escorted his granny to the gazebo in the courtyard where a local jazz band had volunteered to play. E, always susceptive to syncopation, pricked up his ears. Absorbed in the poly-rhythmic beats and seamlessly versatile stylings of the bands drummer, E-Beats knew who he was listening to. He had introduced himself as Steve Bryant, but E's finely tuned ears could not be fooled. He was sure it was Cru-Jones, the ghost, the enigma, the legend. Cru finally came around and revealed his true identity after realizing E-Beats' astute knowledge and modesty. Cru-Jones had heard of Peculiar Gentlemen before and was more than willing to take part in what would soon become the experience of a lifetime.
Stay tuned for Chapter 2...
Love,
willy "shakes" peer
*The Beast is Peculiar Gentlemen's tour van; also known as the Gladiator
