Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League Comes to Drink DC Beer

Catch the Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League at Door County Brewing Co., 8099 Hwy 57 in Baileys Harbor, on Feb. 8, 7 pm. Photo by Jeffrey Noble.

And play music, of course

Did you know there was such a thing as electro-swing, meaning electronic and swing music combined? Neither did I, but that’s how Daniel Rosen became interested in swing music, and further, it inspired him to start a jazz and swing band – what he calls “Prohibition swing” – with his mates in Minneapolis.

The group is called the Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League (GATL), featuring Rosen on rhythm guitar and vocals, Alan Peterson on lead guitar and vocals, Jonathan Halquist on violin and vocals, and Matthew Blake on bass and vocals.

The group also had a female vocalist who returned to school in September and a bass player who joined another band, Buffalo Galaxy.

Three of the four band members grew up together in Duluth, Minnesota, where they encountered a vibrant, yet somewhat dark music scene. Rosen said much of it was cerebral and brooding, and they’ve carried a lot of that influence into their own music.

Though their writing process is very democratic, it’s Rosen who often takes a skeleton of a song – or sometimes just a fragment of chords and lyrics – to the group. The process also changes with the lineup.

He’s been mystified by the social oddities and nuances of human nature, incorporating that darkness from Duluth into the music, and he’s been particularly interested in themes of fake positivity.

“People’s weird tendency to be super positive – I find the fake positivity thing really freaks me out,” Rosen said, “so I’ve definitely written about that a few times – not that I’m particularly cynical myself.”

Much of the music is also driven by a narrative of some sort, occasionally taking on influences from Rosen’s speculative-fiction background. Having the tools of a fiction writer lends itself to the songwriting, he said.

“They’re songs that are sort of concrete stories rather than being more vague,” he said, “like missing someone or things that are more broad emotionally. Sometimes I feel like I’m inclined to get a little more specific.”

Sometimes the music is simply about life on the road, or perhaps the anti-temperance the group has adopted for its name.

“We’ll take a weekend off from touring and just go get a cabin somewhere, and go hole up for a while with a bunch of beer and pot roast and just write for a couple days,” Rosen said, “and sometimes that means writing something completely new together or doing the rearranging process.”

The band’s bio says, “Hundreds of shows and four albums have honed GATL into a finely tuned machine – greased with whiskey, regular exercise and a taste for wheels on pavement.”

But are they actually drinking whiskey? Rosen confirmed that he has a taste for fancy cocktails such as Saveracs, Negronis and Manhattans, but he also likes creating chemistry-inspired cocktails with “wacky” ingredients, such as his Milk Punch. Everyone else in the band is currently into whiskey, Rosen said, and bass player Blake has an especially well-developed palate for scotch.

But there’s a fine line to be toed when performing on stage. A lot of whiskey and string instruments don’t always go well together, so that’s why the band ends up drinking mostly beer instead.

GATL has an extensive tour planned. On the day of our interview, Rosen had returned home at 4 am after opening for the Squirrel Nut Zippers in Davenport, Iowa, the night before, and the band is looking forward to a three-day tour in Canada and a March trip to Chicago and New Orleans. 

Rosen loves traveling to new places. He grew up with the idea that the Midwest might not be all that exciting, but touring has changed his mind. Take Iowa, for instance: He said he used to think it would be boring, but now he’s discovered it to be super cool.

“[Touring] opens up my eyes to how exciting and diverse this country is and how true that is of neighboring states that I’ve never thought of,” Rosen said.

GATL is eager to return to Door County. This time the group members won’t be able to take advantage of summer camping, but their visit to the Door County Brewing Co. will be just what they needed all the same.

“I’m really excited to have some beer,” Rosen said. “That beer is really good.”

If you can’t catch GATL in Door County this time, wait in happy anticipation for the group’s upcoming album, to be released in August.

Catch the Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League at Door County Brewing Co., 8099 Hwy 57 in Baileys Harbor, on Feb. 8, 7 pm.