Casey Elliott, Brad Robins and Bradley Quinn were performing together in an early 2014 production of “Les Miserables” when they decided to combine their musical talents and create “The Gentlemen Trio.”
Elliott said his wife came home from seeing another men’s group perform and told her husband and his friends they should form their own group. “We laughed because we had just been thinking, ‘You know, we should start a boy band,'” he said. The three vocalists teamed up with producer Stephen Nelson, and GENTRI was born.
GENTRI is defined by its unique style, which the members have titled cinematic pop. “We define (cinematic pop) as cinematic orchestral elements that you find in your favorite film, combined with base vocal styles,” Elliott said.
“Picking a band name is way harder than naming a child,” Elliott said when asked about the group’s name choice. “We wanted a name that reflected the ideals we were going for with the group.” Elliott explained that the group stands for what it means to be men: respecting women and being courteous, among other things. Ultimately, the group stuck with the name GENTRI because it is a catchy, shortened version of the phrase “The Gentlemen Trio.”
Robins is the only member of the band who still has a day job. “Physically it’s exhausting, but when you love what you do, you find a way to make it work. It’s like having two full-time jobs,” he said. He works in digital marketing at Adobe in addition to his work with GENTRI. He added that he loves the way both jobs allow him to be innovative.
Robins also said GENTRI works to understand and identify with each audience and builds the show around that audience. “The No. 1 priority is to make your audience experience something.”
Elaine Jarvie, associate ticket manager for BYU, said this is the first time GENTRI has performed at Education Week. “It is the closest to selling out,” Jarvie said. She added that the performance is open to everyone ages 6 and older, not just those participating in Education Week.
Elliott mentioned GENTRI’s overall goals, include creating timeless music, filling theaters and growing the GENTRI brand. “Ultimately we want to be selling out international tours,” Elliott said. He added that the GENTRI brand will hopefully include an entire clothing line at some point in the future. “More and more it’s becoming a full-time gig,” he said.
Tickets are sold out online, but Jarvie mentioned that anyone without a ticket who is still interested in going to the show should check out the lobby of the Harris Fine Arts Center. “They have a bulletin board where people will pin extra tickets or post notes asking others for tickets,” Jarvie said.
The group is scheduled to perform Tuesday – Friday at 8:15 p.m. in the Harris Fine Arts Center Madsen Recital Hall. To learn more about GENTRI, visit gentrimusic.com.
