Watching some of Tampa’s coolest old dudes jamming out to otherworldly covers of Ozzy Osbourne, Chicago, and Led Zeppelin is probably the best way to warm up for a Two Man Gentlemen Band (TMGB) show because no matter what kind of day you might’ve been having, trying to figure out how these guys (who could easily be your next door neighbors) manage to turn classics like “25 Or 6 To 4” and “War Pigs” into hip-shaking, funky, dance tunes was more than enough to crack a smile on anyone’s face.

Still, if listening to Jim Page and Kenny Pullin of Poetry n Lotion, use mandolin and trumpet to turn some of classic rock’s most memorable melodies into sweet mandolin and trumpet lines wasn’t enough to make you forget at least 90 percent of your troubles, then Andy Bean and Fuller Condon of TMGB were waiting in the wings to help you go all in as Friday night’s show at New World Brewery proved that in hard times, a little Poetry ‘n Lotion and some gentle strokin’ from two sharp dressed men is all anyone ever needed to feel better about the situation.

Taking the stage at precisely 11:20, Bean and Fuller played a nearly 20-song set that gave hardcore fans (who came dressed to the nines) exactly what they came for and TMGB virgins a deflowering they’ll never forget. They set the tone by using their pitch-perfect barbershop harmonies to pay homage to a certain green herb and never looked back. Nearly every song of the set showcased Bean’s domination of the tenor guitar, and spirited takes of “My Baby’s Off The Market” and “Fancy Beer” featured revival-esque crowd participation. Bean recently told REAX that the band would stop performing if the crowd stopped yelling “Fancy Beer!” during the song, but watching the fervor of the crowd toast to the beauty of investing in seven dollar pints of brewski suggests that the duo aren’t taking their show off the road anytime soon.

They asked the crowd if they were “ready to get uncomfortable” before launching into “There’s Something In My Trousers,” but they must’ve underestimated the Bay area’s perverted nature. A quick look into faces of the thick crowd gathered on the hardwood revealed ear-to-ear grins instead of twisted looks of disgust.

They relied heavily on tracks from their latest album – Dos Amigos, Una Fiesta – but the crowd didn’t seam to mind the abundance of new tunes. New tracks like “Chocolate Milk” and “Going Into Business” elicited as much applause as classic TMGB cuts like “Prime Numbers” and “Minivan,” which found bean playfully accosting the audience after they chuckled during an instrumental passage. “What the fuck are they laughing at?” asked Bean, “They’re laughing at jazz!”

But for all the punch lines and one-liners, Condon and Bean summed up the evening’s laid-back, carefree aura during “Leisure Class.” The slacker anthem allowed Condon to show off his dexterity on the stand up bass and found Bean singing “My heart is free of malice’s/it’s so easy now.” One look into the hip-swinging crowd and it was easy to tell that they echoed the sentiment, even if they couldn’t take part in the second part of the lyric that says, “I ain’t goin’ into work tomorrow, I’m joinin’ the leisure class.”

Two Man Gentleman Band


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Poetry n Lotion


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Two Man Gentlemen Band Setlist

01. Me, I Get High On Reefer
02. Prime Numbers
03. The Big Strong Man
04. Chocolate Milk
05. William Howard Taft
06. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
07. Drip Dryin’
08. I Like To Party With Girls
09. Going Into Business
10. There’s Something In My Trousers
11. A Gentle Stomp
12. Into My Minivan
13. Unknown (Wine, Oh Wine?)
14. The Leisure Class
15. My Baby’s Off the Market
16. Franklin Pierce
17. Fancy Beer
18. Ghostbuster’s Theme (Encore)