PHOTOS
Down North
www.downnorth.net| BAND MEMBERS | Conrad Real, Anthony Briscoe, Brandon Storms, Jon Preece, Nick Quiller |
| GENRE | Pop, Rock and Soul |
| SOUNDS LIKE | alternative soul, pop, rock |
| INFLUENCES | stevie wonder, roots, michael jackson, otis redding, bob marley, prince |
| YEARS TOGETHER | 2 |
BIOGRAPHY
DOWN NORTH PLAYS LIVE THIS SATURDAY (2/16) @ EL CORAZON WITH THE SUPER GEEK LEAGUE!!!
- Click here for tickets -
Down North masterfully mixes underground rock and party-fueling funk, regularly lifting up audiences that have been craving new soul sounds from the city that gave the world Wheedle's Groove and Jimi Hendrix.
Down North's upcoming new line-up debut will still feature the bold and sensual talents of lead vocalist/dancer Anthony "RenaGade" Briscoe, whose North Carolina-bred approach to making fans swoon has no equal in the Pacific NW scene. Raised on Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke, Anthony is as stylish and emotional as Prince in his vocal expressions. Co-leader Brandon Storms is an extremely versatile bassist-guitarist who writes much of the music and taps into his love for everything from Hendrix to James Jamerson in making tunes both infectious and substantial.
The recent additions of Drum Off! award-winning and crowd-amping player Conrad Real (drummer for Ayron Jones and The Way and Society's Child as well) and the neo-psychedelic trills of Jon Preece make the band an unusual and extremely welcome addition to the regional music scene. Depending on whim (and the size of the stage!), Down North expands to a seven piece, integrating horns and other players to help deliver their dazzling grooves.
They'll probably also transcend to higher level of acclaim very soon; early single "Danger" was played on MTV's The Real World even before this killer line-up was settled on. Newer meatier cuts like "So What","Your World,"Running" and "Heartbreaker/Revolution" (which features the Black Rock psyche-outs of guest legendary axeman Jabrille) reveal the band moving in even edgier, sweatier musical realms.
"We want to be an opening beacon for this scene that's happening now and not getting enough notice", Anthony says. He loves to hang out all over Seattle, but the other night was blown away when he met two gals on Cap Hill "who had lived all their lives here and never heard of Marmalade." He wants to open up the party to rock fans "who want to dance again!" and to those who have been craving fresh, warm, loving funk in the midst of a chilly indie scene. "The people that play in this band are excellent at what they do and we're all here to play music for people who want to move and connect."
Down North is part of the zeitgeist not only of bands mining a deeper, better played history, but also one that taps into the 90s music scene when anything was possible. "I grew up pretty sheltered," Brandon admits, growing up in a small Washington town near the Canadian border, "and had my life turned around by feasting on albums like "Check Your Head" the fusion of all those beautiful sounds going on at that time." Serious about his playing (like Anthony, they were raised in the church and really learned how to practice and perform music), he moved to Seattle, and enrolled in the Shoreline recording program. He joined some musicians which became the formative version Down North, and their first gig was opening for Alien Crime Syndicate before a crowd of 500 people. "I was playing in a funk band before I even listened to funk!" he says (and has truly grown into the role).
Like many bands these days, the two met on Craigslist - Anthony finally finding collaborators who wanted to make the good time, high quality sounds he loves to listen to and make, and Brandon eager to add him to Down North's line-up. "I want to have a body of work," Brandon says about their recent playing in the studio, "We're going to focus on short releases (EPs) of great songs; I want to release as much as I can but it has to be high quality material."
The additions of adroit players like Conrad Real and Jon Preece to the new recordings are game-changing, as the former stands up to his fierce and sophisticated percussion hero Chris Coleman and the later channels the swirling velvet chamber sounds of Ray Manzarek. Conrad may play for several other successful Seattle groups, but you can tell he has his heart set on taking Down North to the top. And Jon is a huge draw for those attracted to the more progressive elements in the band's sound, using classically trained and odd-metered riffs to carry the flow through the band and out to the people.
Down North's introductory 5 song EP was recorded at Alien Crime Syndicate's Orbit Audio (which had previously been Duff McKagan's studio for when Guns 'n Roses recorded Use Your Illusion l & ll). and was is available for free on their website, and gives a taste of how tight and talented the group is (check out the intoxicating chorus of "Stupid Man" or the roar of "Danger"). Down North's new live shows with the upgraded line-up may be a better way to experience what's really going on with them, as the band has gotten to a much high level than when they started in 2008 - and the new EP is pure cake and is due soon.
~Chris Estey
***
Down North has performed shows at the SXSW in Austin TX, dominated Seattle's Band Crawl Rock and Roll Marathon, have been played on over 150 college radio stations nationwide, held the main stage at Seattle's 2009 Oktoberfest, Urban Music Festival, and the Benefit for Burma. They've prolifically played out at Seattle venues Chop Suey, Showbox Market, and the Crocodile Cafe. Their music is available on iTunes and Rhapsody.
"This is what dirty feels like, and it hurts so good!"
~Seattle Night Out
- Click here for tickets -
Down North masterfully mixes underground rock and party-fueling funk, regularly lifting up audiences that have been craving new soul sounds from the city that gave the world Wheedle's Groove and Jimi Hendrix.
Down North's upcoming new line-up debut will still feature the bold and sensual talents of lead vocalist/dancer Anthony "RenaGade" Briscoe, whose North Carolina-bred approach to making fans swoon has no equal in the Pacific NW scene. Raised on Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke, Anthony is as stylish and emotional as Prince in his vocal expressions. Co-leader Brandon Storms is an extremely versatile bassist-guitarist who writes much of the music and taps into his love for everything from Hendrix to James Jamerson in making tunes both infectious and substantial.
The recent additions of Drum Off! award-winning and crowd-amping player Conrad Real (drummer for Ayron Jones and The Way and Society's Child as well) and the neo-psychedelic trills of Jon Preece make the band an unusual and extremely welcome addition to the regional music scene. Depending on whim (and the size of the stage!), Down North expands to a seven piece, integrating horns and other players to help deliver their dazzling grooves.
They'll probably also transcend to higher level of acclaim very soon; early single "Danger" was played on MTV's The Real World even before this killer line-up was settled on. Newer meatier cuts like "So What","Your World,"Running" and "Heartbreaker/Revolution" (which features the Black Rock psyche-outs of guest legendary axeman Jabrille) reveal the band moving in even edgier, sweatier musical realms.
"We want to be an opening beacon for this scene that's happening now and not getting enough notice", Anthony says. He loves to hang out all over Seattle, but the other night was blown away when he met two gals on Cap Hill "who had lived all their lives here and never heard of Marmalade." He wants to open up the party to rock fans "who want to dance again!" and to those who have been craving fresh, warm, loving funk in the midst of a chilly indie scene. "The people that play in this band are excellent at what they do and we're all here to play music for people who want to move and connect."
Down North is part of the zeitgeist not only of bands mining a deeper, better played history, but also one that taps into the 90s music scene when anything was possible. "I grew up pretty sheltered," Brandon admits, growing up in a small Washington town near the Canadian border, "and had my life turned around by feasting on albums like "Check Your Head" the fusion of all those beautiful sounds going on at that time." Serious about his playing (like Anthony, they were raised in the church and really learned how to practice and perform music), he moved to Seattle, and enrolled in the Shoreline recording program. He joined some musicians which became the formative version Down North, and their first gig was opening for Alien Crime Syndicate before a crowd of 500 people. "I was playing in a funk band before I even listened to funk!" he says (and has truly grown into the role).
Like many bands these days, the two met on Craigslist - Anthony finally finding collaborators who wanted to make the good time, high quality sounds he loves to listen to and make, and Brandon eager to add him to Down North's line-up. "I want to have a body of work," Brandon says about their recent playing in the studio, "We're going to focus on short releases (EPs) of great songs; I want to release as much as I can but it has to be high quality material."
The additions of adroit players like Conrad Real and Jon Preece to the new recordings are game-changing, as the former stands up to his fierce and sophisticated percussion hero Chris Coleman and the later channels the swirling velvet chamber sounds of Ray Manzarek. Conrad may play for several other successful Seattle groups, but you can tell he has his heart set on taking Down North to the top. And Jon is a huge draw for those attracted to the more progressive elements in the band's sound, using classically trained and odd-metered riffs to carry the flow through the band and out to the people.
Down North's introductory 5 song EP was recorded at Alien Crime Syndicate's Orbit Audio (which had previously been Duff McKagan's studio for when Guns 'n Roses recorded Use Your Illusion l & ll). and was is available for free on their website, and gives a taste of how tight and talented the group is (check out the intoxicating chorus of "Stupid Man" or the roar of "Danger"). Down North's new live shows with the upgraded line-up may be a better way to experience what's really going on with them, as the band has gotten to a much high level than when they started in 2008 - and the new EP is pure cake and is due soon.
~Chris Estey
***
Down North has performed shows at the SXSW in Austin TX, dominated Seattle's Band Crawl Rock and Roll Marathon, have been played on over 150 college radio stations nationwide, held the main stage at Seattle's 2009 Oktoberfest, Urban Music Festival, and the Benefit for Burma. They've prolifically played out at Seattle venues Chop Suey, Showbox Market, and the Crocodile Cafe. Their music is available on iTunes and Rhapsody.
"This is what dirty feels like, and it hurts so good!"
~Seattle Night Out
| Upcoming Shows | |||
