Down North

Artist Information

Biography

Masterfully mixing underground rock and party-fueling soul, Down North lifts up audiences that have been craving new soul sounds from the city that gave the world Wheedle’s Groove and Jimi Hendrix.

Down North features the bold and sensual talents of vocalist Anthony Briscoe, whose North Carolina-bred approach to making fans swoon has no equal in the Pacific Northwest. Raised on Michael Jackson and Sam Cooke, Anthony is as stylish and emotional as Prince in his vocal expressions. Versatile bassist Brandon Storms writes much of the music, tapping into his love for everything from Hendrix to James Jamerson in making tunes both infectious and substantial. Drum Off! award-winning and crowd-amping Conrad Real and Arizona recruit Nick Quiller on guitar make the band an unusual and extremely welcome addition to the regional music scene. In addition, the band occasionally expands their lineup to integrate horns, percussionists, and backup vocalists to help deliver their dazzling grooves.

Anthony and Brandon met via Craigslist, both having searched for collaborators who wanted to write good time, high quality tunes. "I want to have a body of work... but it has to be high quality material," Brandon notes. Anthony agrees: "The people that play in this band are excellent at what they do and we’re all here to play music for people who have been craving fresh, warm, loving soul in the midst of a chilly indie scene."

Down North is poised for enduring success: they have been played on over 150 college radio stations, "Danger" was featured on MTV's The Real World, and they have thrilled audiences on both their home turf and across the country, including the Seattle's Rock and Roll Marathon, Fremont Fair, Oktoberfest, and the world-famous South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The Danger EP was recorded at Orbit Audio, and is available for free on their website. The studio performances only scrape the surface of what they have to offer: as legendary radio DJ Bob Rivers said, "if you get a chance to see them, do so."

Instrumentation

Anthony Briscoe - Vocals
Brandon Storms - Bass
Conrad Real - Drums
Nick Quiller - Guitar

Discography

"Danger" EP - 2009
"Danger: Live at Crocodile Cafe" - 2012
"Heartbreaker" - Single Release 2012

Official Website

http://www.downnorth.net

Links

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• Twitter
• Website

Audio

• Heartbreaker feat. Jabrille (Jimmy James) Williams
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• Running
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• Your World
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Video

Heartbreaker (featuring Jimmy James)

PART 1.mp4

Photo Gallery

Press

• "Gotta Have That Funk" [+ Show ]
  

  Down North Funk! Without having to disguise it as soul or Motown to get me to like it? Dude sings...Down North
  
  Funk! Without having to disguise it as soul or Motown to get me to like it? Dude sings like James Brown, with a tinge of Michael Jackson (RIP). He even nails those high-pitched hiccups—whoo! The bass is less slap and more groove. And that was a killer guitar solo right there! If this were playing in a bar, I would wiggle a little. Does this mean I like funk? Fuck. I might like more funk than I thought I did.

• Inaugural Band Crawl [+ Show ]
  

  Now I have to admit, you ain’t never, evah, evah, seen somethin like “Down North.” Nevah! The Nabob,...Now I have to admit, you ain’t never, evah, evah, seen somethin like “Down North.” Nevah! The Nabob, the last stop, the final leg of a day filled with surprises, JUST GOT BETTER! Have you ever had a glass of wine, or a beer so good, you HAD to look at the label, find the phone number to the maker, and donate your entire life savings to the mere notion that more will be made, and you had a part in it? That’s “Down North.” Anthony “Renegade” Briscoe says HELL YA I’m tired, HELL YA I’ve been goin all day, but HELL YA you’re at a Band Crawl fo da kids! And he sings it so vibrantly, so amazingly coordinated, and so enthusiastically, that you forget, this is “Down North’s” last stop for the day. Anthony and crew cut the keys like butta, walk the bass line like it’s a heartbeat, and keep the rhythm as though the Godfather of soul himself were present. Not to mention the lead guitarist rippin’ his highs with a longevity that you cannot help but reference to unmentionables. This is what dirty feels like, and it hurts so good! “The chick is WILD!” Anthony sings, and that’s when all is let loose, and he moves like a ballet dancer, mixed with soul, mixed with Michael himself, and no I don’t need to say Michael who, because you know whom I am referring too. And here’s why, Anthony is classically trained as a ballet dancer, exponentially talented as an artist, and extremely motivated to motivate you

• Musical Diamonds in the Rough: Five Northwest Music Acts to Watch in 2012 (Photo Gallery) [+ Show ]
  

  Down North: Down North could be the most unapologetically throw-down funk band in Seattle right now,...Down North: Down North could be the most unapologetically throw-down funk band in Seattle right now, and yet they’re barely registering a blip on the music-press radar. Anthony Briscoe, Down North’s lead singer, possesses an astonishing, roof-rattling voice–a room-filling sound capable of going from gravelly anguish to nimble falsettos on a hairpin turn–and he commands a stage like nobody’s business. His bandmates, meantime, match his fireworks slug-for-slug: Conrad Real’s muscular jazz-tinged drumming and Brandon Storms’ liquid basswork, in particular, form one of this town’s most fiercely funky rhythm sections. If their incendiary live shows, several stellar new songs, and a forthcoming music video don’t send this band’s stock way up in the next 11 months, something ain’t right with the world.

Setlist

SET LIST

Ride Me
Eventually
So What
Your World
Jump (Van Halen cover)
Stupid Man
Heartbreaker
Running
Hollywood


AVAILABLE COVERS

America (Prince)
The Bird (The Time)
Hard to Handle (Otis Redding)
Hey Ya (Outkast)
I Wish (Stevie Wonder)
It's Your Thing (The Isley Brothers)
Jump (Van Halen)
Let's Get It On (Marvin Gaye)
Living For the City (Stevie Wonder)
Master Blaster (Stevie Wonder)
Miss You (The Rolling Stones)
The Seed (The Roots)
Working Day and Night (Michael Jackson)

Basic Requirements

Calendar