Nick Mentillo Music

Established early 2012 in Portland OR, mostly calling the St. John's neighborhood home, Gerald Love and long time friend Duncan Ros auditioned for drummers. Nick Mentillo just having moved to Portland, OR met and joined Gerald and Duncan for the first Darwins lineup. They played shows around the Portland area, won a battle of the bands and released their first album -- Leave the Light On (LP 2012) all before the fall of 2012. 

Duncan moved on to other projects and on a chance meeting at a Halloween party, Gerald convinced Rob Denman to come and join the band on bass. Rob joined the group on stage a week later for a show at the Hawthorne Theater, establishing the longest standing line up of The Charlie Darwins.

Shortly after joining, Rob, Nick and Gerald released their first EP -- Nice To Know You (EP 2013). They became regular performers around the Portland and Central Washington area. Playing sometimes up to 8 shows a month around town, they were known for tight performances with dramatic dynamics and raw power. Solidifying their home recording set up, they started recording their 2014 full length -- Anagram (LP 2014). A release that captured their growth as musicians, songwriters and recording engineers. 

The Darwins went on to play more shows and grow their recognition in the Portland scene in 2015, recording an unreleased EP at Jackpot Recording Studios in late summer of 2015.  However the line-up changed once again with Denman's departure, Nick and Gerald being the only constants. The Darwins continued to release singles and music videos, but performed sparingly until 2022 when Duncan Ros came back for a 10 year anniversary reunion. Starting as just a reason to play music with friends again, Rob Denman reached out a few months later. Duncan moved over to a guitar role for the first time and Rob rejoined the group.

Back on the scene, they returned to Jackpot Recording studios and plan to release multiple projects from the sessions.