Smooth Money Gesture is infectious groove funk with ear twitching space jams, face melting solos and tight rhythmic changes. Since the new millennium, the band has been honing in on their sound, bringing their music from the East Coast to Alaska; finally landing in Nederland, Colorado where the band permanently resides. The sextet's sound is rooted in rock and roll with elements of funk, bluegrass, metal, and electronica producing a jam based high energy psychedelic creation all their own. With a variety of musical influences feeding the improvisational groove, and the majority of members contributing vocals and to songwriting, Smooth Money Gesture takes one on an adrenaline rich celebratory journey that never runs out of fuel. The band has just released their debut CD "The Grand Scubian: Evolution" and with their ever expanding tour schedule, are making forays beyond their homebase of Colorado. This next year will see them traverse the Western states and cross the great Mississippi.
At the core of Smooth Money Gesture are the Diminico brothers and lifelong friend and fellow musician Josh Gitlin-Rich. Doug Diminico plays lead guitar and sings alongside his brother Dan Diminico (bass guitar and vocals). Josh Gitlin-Rich adds his own brand of guitar riffs to compliment Smooth Money's ethereal jams. On keys is Pete Goldberg, contributing a whole new dimension to Smooth Money's music with his energetic playing and gritty vocals. Scott Llewellyn on drums and Nathaniel Haas on percussion and vocals, keep the band driving while adding a touch of polyrhythmic flare. Guy Erickson, of Colorado Music Buzz recently remarked "Smooth Money Gesture is the very Wiki of a happy jam band.Helixes of ebullient guitar.cerebral texture from the organ and keys provides that rare, full, Psychedelic-Funk expansion augmenting the complex interplay as two drummers / percussionists mesh in ever-evolving labyrinths of rhythm.Uplifting and a reason to smile!"
Sprinkling in the occasional and unexpected covers or teases from bands such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, or Phish: SMG is constantly twisting and taking the jams to new heights. Integral to the SMG expansive experience, is the job of Bryce on lights and effects. Bryce has been working with SMG, adding a light show that's as over the top as the music, furthering the planetary excursion into vast and grand, Scubian worlds.
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Meet Smooth Money Gesture
Doug Diminico's early start in music began when his parents first pushed his playpen up against a piano. His dad taught Doug some chords, but he soon scrambled down the stairs, and discovered the drum set his musical father kept in the basement. When a local band needed a bass player, Doug put down the sticks in favor of strings, and then moved onto guitar, where he's been hanging out ever since. Spending his teens in numerous bands and gigging in bars in his hometown of Boston, he fell in love with hard rock, grunge and classic rock like Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Band, Traffic, Zappa and Pink Floyd. Then Doug's world changed forever when he heard Phish for the first time, and began to delve into the Grateful Dead. Along with his brother Dan and longtime friend Josh Gitlin, Doug is a founding member of SMG. He contributes guitar and vocals, incorporating his musical influences into the bands jam orientated sound.
Dan Diminico adds vocals and plays bass for Smooth Money Gesture. As early as eighth grade he was playing and making music with his brother Doug, and childhood friend and core SMG founding member Josh Gitlin. Throughout his youth, Dan immersed himself in music, playing in the jazz band, studying music theory and forming the band "Slough" with Josh. When Doug and Josh moved to Alaska, Dan soon followed and joined them in the local bar and campfire jams. A weekly bar gig playing covers soon led to the development of an original repertoire and Smooth Money Gesture began to take root. Dan's love of funk to bluegrass, Motown to Classic Rock, live electronic and Prog- Rock and everything in-between contributes to his holding down the bottom end for the band.
Josh Giltin, contributes guitar and vocals, and is part of the early roots of SMG, growing up with the Diminico brothers in Arlington, MA. After high school Josh left the East Coast with one half of the Diminico brothers; Dan, for the wilds of Alaska. In Alaska, Smooth Money Gesture began to take shape, as well as a desire to share SMG's music with the lower 48. After a summer of touring in the great state of Alaska, the Diminico brothers and Josh headed to Colorado. Josh's musical influences are diverse and are incorporated into his jam and groove laced guitar riffs. His influences include the Grateful Dead, Beatles, Hendrix, and Phish, as well as Motown Classical, and Hip-hop and Gangster Rap.
Scott Llewellyn's early youthful musical forays in his native New Hampshire were on piano and guitar. When Scott hit his late teens he started to play drums and soon realized that was where his primary passion lay. This led him to McNally Smith College of Music, where he took up the study of percussion, and began playing in several ensembles and bands that varied in musical style. A trip to Colorado, introduced him to SMG and he eventually made a move to the Front Range and joined the band. He's had a blast laying down the grooves for SMG ever since. Scott calls upon a range of influences to keep the beat going for SMG including Steve Gadd, Dennis Chambers, Steve Smith, Dave Stanoch, Tower Of Power, Phish, Grateful Dead, Clapton, Umphreys, Radiohead, MMW, Lettuce, Soulive, Van Morrison, James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Chic Corea, Max Roach, and John Scofield.
Nathaniel Haas plays percussion for Smooth Money Gesture. He started with snare in the school band, and made the leap to a kit soon after. Well entrenched in the Colorado music scene for the past 10 years, Nathaniel has played in a variety of bands from diverse genres including most recently, Mountain Standard Time. He has sat in with the likes of Jeff Austin (Yonder Mountain Stringband) and Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon, Great American Taxi) and continues to lend his percussive skills to local bluegrass band The Mile Markers. Influenced by his love of the Grateful Dead, Folk, Bluegrass and Jazz, in SMG, Nathaniel enjoys adding vocals and blending percussive elements in with Scott's steady drumming, creating a solid and dynamic rhythm section.
Pete Goldberg plays keys and contributes vocals to Smooth Money Gesture. His textured playing is influenced by his love of Phish, Zappa, Beatles, Ben Folds, and Herbie Hancock. He's shared the stage with local Colorado bands Srant farm f/ Keith Moseley, Hot Soup, Holden Young Trio, Pete Kartasounes band, Dr. Phil Good, Mountain Standard Time, and Jet Edison.
www.SmoothMoneyGesture.com
Booking and Management: Phil Einsohn | Only The Best Booking | phil@onlythebestbooking.com, 707-616-3903
Publicity and Radio Contact: Sue DuMond | Sue DuMond Music Publicity and Media Services | (360) 468-2753 | sue@suedumond.com | www.suedumond.com
Smooth Money Gesture is the culmination of years of musical experimentation, travel and friendship. Over the years the band has seen a few different lineups and has been honing in on their sound, bringing their music from the east coast to Alaska to Nederland, Colorado where the band permenantly resides. The core of the group has always been the Dominico brothers and lifelong friend and fellow musician Josh Gitlin-Rich. Doug Diminico plays lead guitar and sings alongside his brother Dan Diminico (bass guitar and vocals). Josh Gitlin-Rich adds his own brand of guitar and synth sounds to compliment Smooth Money's ethereal jams. Pete Goldberg, on keys and vocals (formerly of the band Gold Hill)adds a whole new dimension to Smooth Money's music with his energetic playing and gritty vocals. Scott Llewellyn on drums and Nathaniel Haas (formerly of Mountain Standard Time) on percussion and vocals keep the band driving while adding a touch of polyrhythmic flare to their unique brand of music.
The quintet's sound is rooted in rock and roll with elements of funk, bluegrass, metal, and electronica. Smooth Money Gesture's music has taken these influences and twisted them around with the individual band member's influences and musical presences, and evolved their own sound into a high energy psychedelic creation of their own which grabs the crowd and won't let go!
A Smooth Money Gesture performance consists of creative and unique originals, rich with vocal harmonies that always keep the crowd going. With the majority of the band members singing vocal and backup harmonies and a variety in song writing, instrumetation, and influences, SMG is able to take a jam anywhere at any point and if they feel like it, right back to where it came from! Taking the SMG experience to another planet is the job of Bryce on lights and effects. Bryce has been working with SMG, adding a light show that's as over the top as the music, and is an integral part of the Smooth Money experience. Sprinkle in the occasional unexpected cover or teases from bands such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, and Phish, and you'll have a night to remember!
Smooth Money Gesture can be seen all over their home state of Colorado where they have graced the stage of many venues including Boulder's legendary Fox Theater. Included in their ever expanding touring schedule are the great states of Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
