Diane and the Gentle Men

Diane Gentile has played with a variety of New York's prestigious and talented musicians. Her first foray was recording at New York's indie circuit studio Stratosphere with Todd Youth (Danzig/Jesse Malin Band) on guitar and Jesse Malin as producer of 2 songs. They can be heard on her album Caught in a Wave, produced by Don Dilego, himself a recipient of an Independent Songwriter Award. Don Dilego brought in Derek Cruz (Jesse Malin Band) to help on piano and guitar and while this record was being pieced together out at the Velvet Elk Studio, Diane began playing live shows in NYC with Colin Brooks (Hurricane Bells/Dan Zane/Sam I Am) and Matt Basile (ex-Mother Feather and a singer-songwriter in his own right).

Onward, guitarist Jason Victor enters the picture, after Diane saw the Miracle 3 perform (Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon). The band recorded a full album, The White Sea, and several singles were released over a period of 2 years prior to the full release. "Motorcycle", the band's first hit single chosen by Little Steven as "Coolest Song in the World", was produced by Steve Wynn and mixed by Grammy-winning producer Clif Norell. The second single "Perfect People" from the Little Things EP garnered the same enthusiasm from Sirius. That song was mixed by engineer and mixer Geoff Sanoff, whom Diane had first met at Stratosphere studios and produced by Jesse Malin. AAA radio embraced "Motorcycle", and RollingStone.com came on board for the Little Things EP, claiming "Little Things" is a propulsive pop-rocker built for open roads and unbroken horizons.”

The revolving door of The Gentle Men continued, for upon the pandemic, Diane had to substitute players. She worked with Derek Cruz and Dave Immagluck (The Counting Crows), Joseph Arthur (live on guitar at Bowery Elecric for online performances covering a Hold Steady tune), James Cruz, Randy Schrager and Rob Clores. She performed on Jesse Malin's holiday shows filmed at the Bowery Electric and The Cabin Down Below. She performed at the City Winery a few times for their "Incidental Music Series". During this time, Diane wrote about 30 new songs.

Fast forward to here and now. Diane has regrouped with the original Gentle Men, Jason Victor, Colin Brooks, and Matt Basile, who together will begin performing some of those 30 new songs in addition to songs from The White Sea and Caught in a Wave, on Velvet Elk Records/OneRPM.

Diane Gentile has played on bills with James Maddock, Laura Cantrell, Alejandro Escovedo, Chuck Prophet, Kevn Kinney, Richard Lloyd, Steve Wynn and others. She has both performed and participated as a Producer for the online Virtual Concert: Adam Schlesinger (The Fountains of Wayne) Music Celebration with a host of others. The show was sprinkled with superstar performers that included Courtney Love, Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional, Glenn Tilbrook, Jody Porter (FOW), Mathew Caws (Nada Surf), Sean Lennon, etc. Diane filmed a full Live Diane and the Gentle Men virtual concert in April 2021. She performed and produced the online Virtual Concert: New York Doll Sylvain Sylvain, A Musical Tribute. This gathering included David Johansen, Debbie Harry, Henry Rollins, Michael Monroe, Michael Des Barres, Kathy Valentine, more. She’s appeared at The Bowery Ballroom on the Jesse Malin Holiday Strummerville Shows, Goats Head Soup Benefit Show for Natalie Beaverstock, The Roxy in Los Angeles for Strummerville, and toured the country in support for Joseph Arthur and Jesse Malin in 2019.

“The World is a Goner” is the newest single from the newest album hopefully releasing in December 2021. Written at home during a pandemic, she says “the song came about from looking for alternate ideas for creativity, dancing around my house by myself in an effort to feel alive and well. Like the cover art, the crooked, dilapidated house not wanting to fall, I found Influence from old films like King Kong, Mad Max, American Graffiti and songs by Diana Ross and the Supremes, Otis Redding, and of course, The Kinks." Featured in American Songwriter, the single also received airplay on Delphine Blue's show The Whole Wide World on WFUV. https://americansongwriter.com/diane-and-the-gentle-men-make-peace-with-isolation-on-theworld-is-goner/ . The video was filmed by Photographer/Artist Dina Regine in an afternoon in an apartment in NYC and edited by Dave Stekert, with whom Diane has often collaborated. The World is a Goner: SMARTLINK: https:// ps.onerpm.com/TheWorldIsAGoner.

Radio has embraced her and other artists have supported her creative efforts, while she continues to do what artists do. "We write, we play, we frustrate, we regroup, we re-write, we record, we re-record, and we go out there and hit the stages, hoping that our efforts bring in like-minded people or people who are moved by our music. For me, there are few things as exhilarating as communing with people with music. Maybe sex. Maybe jumping in cold water on a really hot day."

additional photo attached - photo credit attached to Paul Storey.