Danny Dunlap, guitarist for Austin-based power-pop band Gentlemen Rogues, met Jonathan Gill of End Sounds Records through a friend, Eric Larson, bassist for Dangerbird Records band Ume.
The trio was at the same bar when Larson suggested Gill would dig their sound. Dunlap and Gill got along famously. “The next day, I received an email that was like, ‘Hey, you guys are really good,’” reports Dunlap. As time passed, Gill spied a number of the group’s performances. Once they were set to return to the studio, Dunlap inquired as to whether or not interest remained. The quartet’s debut was released on Shifting Sounds, an indie label serving the U.K. and Australia. A verbal arrangement with that label meant there was no paperwork binding them further. Although they’d sent packages to other outlets, none responded, making it an easy decision to ink with End Sounds, a choice made even more comfortable by Gill’s enthusiasm. Joining the same home as the Last, an act Dunlap reveres, was icing on the cake.
“We all were on the same page. Everyone just kind of agreed it was a good stepping stone.”
Contract negotiations were painless. Gill and Dunlap discussed the budget over dinner and paperwork soon arrived via email. While each of Gentlemen Rogues’ members debated the decision, the process unfolded organically. “We all were on the same page,” adds Dunlap. “Everyone just kind of agreed it was a good stepping stone.” The deal comes attached to a gentlemen’s agreement that Gill maintains dibs on their subsequent offering.
While he has never officially been signed before, Dunlap almost wound up on Mojo Records with his previous band, Jill. “We broke up right before it happened,” discloses Dunlap. “I don’t regret it, either. It had run its course.”
A History So Repeating arrived on April 7.
-Andy Kaufmann
