Getting their start as Central Park street performers, Andy Bean and Fuller Condon have been entertaining anyone who’ll watch them for over a decade. The duo – better known as Two Man Gentlemen Band – are touring behind their fifth album, Dos Amigos Una Fiesta, and will hit the deck at New World Brewery on September 30.

On the surface, TMGB may come off as a spirited novelty act, but just a few minutes of careful observation reveals two musical virtuosos using tenor guitar, banjo, and stand up bass to spin tales about topics like our fattest president ever, chocolate milk drinking, and cooking small game. Their brand of 1930s jazz and bepop is a complete throwback to the sounds of some of the country’s most authentic old time folk music and is reminiscent of acts like Slim Gaillard and Homer & Jethro.

REAX caught up with Andy Bean during a break from driving across the country in their minivan. While you can almost see his grin as he gives responses, its clear that Bean is most enthusiastic – and grateful – to be able to play music for attentive audience every night. We talked prohibition, dry cleaning, and sharing single beds. Poetry n Lotion opens up the show and tickets are only $7.

REAX: How often do you wash your stage uniforms? Can we expect clean or sweaty get ups when you hit Ybor on September 30?
Andy Bean of Two Man Gentlemen Band: Dry cleaning is hard to come by on the road. So we travel with at least one fresh suit for each engagement. As people will see on September 30, we begin every show in clean, well-pressed suits and end the show in rumpled, sweaty ones. Such is the ferocity of our on-stage efforts!

REAX: You guys started playing in Central Park and are now touring behind your fifth album. You obviously work hard as hell. Besides your efforts, what else do you feel attributes to you guys being able to be full time touring musicians?
AB: The beauty of a two-man band is that there are only two of us. We fit in a minivan, a single hotel room, and even a single bed when necessary (though this is not preferred). But most importantly, we only have to split our earnings two ways. We've always said that we need only be half as good as the best quartet to get by.

REAX: How long do you foresee you and Fuller being able to be Two Man Gentlemen Band?
AB: We’ll keep going ‘til people stop shouting “FANCY BEER” when we sing “Fancy Beer.”

REAX: You guys have a thing on stage with the costumes and your demeanor in general. How much of that carries into your non-performing/musical lives? Is it a relief to get away from the audience and not have to fulfill all of the expectations of what TMGB is to fans?
AB: How we behave on stage is only a mild exaggeration of how we are off stage. The Councilman (Fuller Condon) and I are both horrible actors. It would be positively dreadful to watch us attempt to be anything other than ourselves. Were you to sit in the back of our minivan for a bit and observe us in our natural habitat, you'd see something very much like a Two Man Gentlemen Band show, but with less singing and longer pauses between quips. As for our onstage attire (we shutter at the dreaded c-word, (costumes), they're just a slightly tidier version of our everyday wear. You might see us on the street with a loosened tie or some such thing, but never in shorts or an untucked shirt.

REAX: There’s no kazoo on Dos Amigos, Una Fiesta. Please tell us you still bring them on tour. Is the instrument blowing out your hearing really?
AB: There is, in fact, no kazoo at all on our new record, which is something we're immensely proud of. The Councilman still plays his kazoo a bit on stage. But, I've retired mine. Having put in three full years of nightly kazoo solos, I think I've done enough. And yes, my ears hurt.

REAX: So no kazoos on the new record, but will you bring them on tour to hand out?
AB: Alas, there will be no free gifts on this tour, except for hugs and high-fives.

REAX: As far as Heavy Petting goes, the sexual nature of the album was kept somewhat subtle in a way. It kind of reminded me of a lot of Chuck Berry’s songs. Does he influence lyrically? More generally, what’s the goal when you’re putting lyrics together?
AB: Mr. Berry isn't a specific influence. But we admire how well he enunciates his lyrics. We find clear diction to be essential when singing. When writing our own lyrics, we just try to sing about things we enjoy in a way that we might enjoy hearing. The song "Chocolate Milk" from our new record is a good example. It's a hot jazz number about chocolate milk. Perfect!

REAX: You were asked in another interview to talk about some things that bother you about our great country. Fuller talked about music, but being that you’re playing seven dates in Florida, what’s your take on the whole Qur’an burning party that was supposed to go down in Gainesville, Fla.?
AB: The only political issue we take a stance on is prohibition, which we are firmly against. Generally, with the exception of the traffic exiting and entering New York City at the beginning and end of every tour, I, for one, don't have anything to complain about. We get to make a living (albeit a meager one) playing a weird brand music for people who like weird brands of music. That's pretty great.

REAX: Will you comment on the prohibition of Marijuana?
AB: We choose to express ourselves through song on that matter.

REAX: Your touring itinerary looks like it keeps you pretty busy. What do you do with free time?
AB: Alas, there is little free time to be had outside of playing shows, driving to shows, and trying to convince people to come to those shows. But occasionally we find a few moments to shop for bow ties together.

REAX: Do you guys try to catch burlesque shows in your free time on tour? What city in the U.S. has the best?
AB: We, unfortunately, have less opportunity for this than we might like.

REAX: Why is it so important to keep old-time folk music in the minds and ears of today’s music fan?
AB: For us it's of dire importance, because we've gotta pay our rent. But generally, it's fine that not everyone likes or ever will like old-sounding music. Our only hope is that folks keep an open mind to it. Our favorite people are those who don't dismiss something just because it's out of fashion.

REAX: You’ve mentioned Slim and Slam and Homer and Jethro as influences, but if you could name three albums someone had to have in order to understand where your sound comes from, what would they be?
AB: Folks didn't really make albums back then, just singles. But here are some bands we recommend: The Sunshine Boys, The Cats & The Fiddle, and Jimmy Lunceford.

REAX: You guys once talked about being polite, not cursing around girls etc. What’s the worst kind of behavior you’ve seen on tour?
AB: Most folks who attend Two Man Gentlemen Band concerts are exceedingly pleasant to be around. But we have encountered some inconsiderate drivers on our nation's highways. Nobody seems to want to merge with our minivan in an orderly fashion.

REAX: What’s the difference between etiquette and manners?
AB: Uh, I don't think I know. And it would display poor etiquette to make something up.

REAX: How do you write the proper thank you letter?
AB: Since thank you letters are so rare these days, I'd say any thank you letter that takes more than ninety seconds of thought to slap together qualifies as proper.