Down Home Southernaires

Unless their family's name is worth a few cool million, most young musicians are forced to get creative when attempting to generate some sort of substantial income. Like many artistic professions, the line between raking in millions per year and barely scraping by in the music industry is very thin. A most desirable situation for individuals who view music as a full-time occupation in the future would be to hold a job that allows them to devise their own schedules, opening up more opportunities for any gigs or recording sessions on the path toward a musical career that will hopefully break out one day. So, as the 4 members of Down Home Southernaires would likely tell you, a logical solution would be to find a side-career within the realm of art as well. Jose Castello, the group's pianist, finds time to be a painter and a poet, while drummer Jorge Rubiera is a filmmaker and occasional fashion photographer. The other two members also serve in some unique side professions; guitarist Kristopher Pabon is an amateur anthropologist and bassist Jarrett Hann is on his way to becoming a professional in the culinary arts. And while all four of these childhood friends clearly have different interests based on their preferred occupations, there is a common bond that keeps these guys as the best of friends. For that, we can thank the power of music.
The occupational eclecticism of Down Home Southernaires proves to be appropriate when applied to their intended style, as the four-piece's masterful blend of punk, R&B, ska, funk, and soul provides for one of the most unpredictably enjoyable releases of the year thus far. Packed with such stylistic fervor, the ambitious propensities tend to carry on over to the group's actual songcraft. If you are someone who gets quickly tired of conventional song structures in pop music, Down Home Southernaires may be a great find for you. The 8 tracks on Negro En Bicicleta, the group's newest release, all remain extensively cohesive in that one is able to identify Down Home Southernaires' distinctive sense of individuality, but the subtle weaving of various genres within the intricate structures creates an enjoyably unique listening experience that marks the album as something of a rare entity. In an age where many artists are reluctant to mix and math a variety of styles in fear of critical backlash, Down Home Southernaires have emerged practically out of nowhere (or Miami) with a release that should hopefully encourage other new artists to promote their ambitious nature as candidly as possible. The impressive Negro En Bicicleta succeeds in such aspects for the most part, granting listeners with something that they can both relax and dance to.
I suppose that if one were forced to compare Deep Home Southernaires to a familiar face, Elvis Costello would be inescapable. Listening to the first minute or so of the curiously titled "Israelis on the Beach", I imagine that many will scratch their heads at the comparison, but it becomes increasingly prevalent as the song evolves. Initially guided by the repetition of an electric guitar over the smattering of funk-tinged keys, the vocals of Jose Castello emerge shortly thereafter. While they initially sound somewhat out of place in contrast to the instrumental touches of funk and R&B, Castello's vocals follow the footsteps of the song's structure in transforming from a somewhat hesitant attempt into a full-fledged demonstration of stylistically eclectic success. The rhythm section halts briefly at around 37 seconds in as a swift piano chord establishes the entry point for the real meat of the song, featuring a variety of piano progressions over the constant urging of underlying guitars, bass, percussion. Purely as a keyboardist, Castello also remains extremely impressive, as tracks like "Israelis on the Beach" and the exotic rush of "Otro Sur (Sagan Samba)" demonstrate. And as for the Costello reference, once Castello belts out "At first I get patient at my last resort" during the bridge in "Israelis on the Beach", it should be quite obvious that some influences show regardless of opposing intentions. In this case, it just contributes to the success even more.
Apart from good ol' Elvis Costello, Down Home Southernaires remind me of the previously featured White Rabbits with their implementation of punk and R&b within classic forms of ska. Considering that White Rabbits' Fort Nightly was one of the most talked-about debuts last year, I certainly believe that Down Home Southernaires have a similar degree of appeal that should open them up to a plethora of new fans. Negro En Bicicleta's opening track, "High Effect", takes more dues from funk and soul. Backed by a faint organ and a vigorous bass line, the funky twang of a guitar leads the budding verse. The chorus sees the re-emergence of the twinkling keys found during the track's first few seconds, creating an instantly memorable hook as Castello laments about. "High Effect" also serves as a great example of Down Home Southernaires' structural tendencies. You could actually say that a few tracks on the album almost seem like two or three songs in one, as the arrangements that alternate consecutively in tracks like "High Effect" and "Fishing Wire of Feeling" differ so dramatically from one another that the variation - while occasionally overbearing - is generally rewarding. "I Hate the Nightlife", for instance, relies on a sparkling rendition of folk-pop before transitioning to an anthemic burst of key-led effervescence, sounding nearly patriotic in tone. It is surprising how well they are able to mix their preferred genres together, even if they are occasionally separate structural entities altogether. If you can deal with the constant sense of variation, Down Home Southernaires' Negro En Bicicleta is a very gratifying listen - Obscuresound.com May 8, 2008 by Mike Mineo

Down Home Southernaires
Negro En Bicicleta
by: Abel Folgar
Published: May 8, 2008
in The Miami New Times
Down Home Southernaires were at one point known as Pygmy, and as Pygmy, they were great. As DHS, they are even better. Imagine some country-fried soul R&B in the vein of Hialeah's pride Coke (the band!) mixed with Clarence Reid's "Blowfly" high jinks. Add Elastic Bond's eclectic Dashiki express and throw in some of Philip Bailey's Earth, Wind & Fire peaks.
There is some serious craftsmanship here. Levels are of the high order and the gonads get rustled honestly. José Castello rocks the keys and the vocals while Kristopher Pabon and Max Johnston duel on the guitars over the solid backbone of Jarrett Hann's bass and Jorge Rubiera's drums. Edward Adames lends effects and tambourine sensibilities throughout. While the organic musings are on point, it's the little Casio-tones and loops that give the album its carnivalesque feel and allow listeners to buckle away without restraint.
"Otro Sur (Sagan Samba)" and "Israelis on the Beach" bring the Brazilian sound into the Miami funk fold. "Sex Itself" and "Anthro-Apology" hand you a Marshal's baton during Trinidad & Tobago's finest parade. "Let's Fall in Love with Each Other" licks at the lips of The Clash with a stripped feel only people a few shades darker than these boys could have. Great album. Great songs. Let's all go and get laid tonight.
- Miami New Times

Examiner.com
Down Home Downtown
http://www.examiner.com/x-4134-Miami-Live-Events-Examiner~y2009m2d23-Down-Home-Downtown
by Bryan Falla
02/23/09
Miami, the dizzying city of glamour and fame, is an odd inspiration for the simplicity of Down Home Southernaires.
They don't rock ice grills. They don't push Bentleys. They don't make it rain at the gentlemen's club. As a matter of fact, they hate the nightlife (or so they say in "I Hate the Nightlife," Negro en Bicicleta).There's nothing fancy about these dudes -- except maybe the vintage Buena Vista Social Club rags. But, in true Miami fashion, Down Home Southernaires are a smooth bunch. Clean tunes and softly spoken lyrics paint DHS as the pale face of Miami's counterculture. And though they might seem to carelessly evoke contradictory classic vibes (think Jim Morrison doing a Stevie Wonder cover), it's obvious they work hard to put together that familiar yet distant sound.Catch Down Home Southernaires when they take the stage tonight at 10 p.m. in Churchill's Pub.


Miami Herald
Band of the Hour: Down Home Southernaires
http://www.miami.com/band-of-the-hour-down-home-southernaires-article
by Rayme Samuels
02/09/09
The Down Home Southernaires want Miami to dance and be entertained by their antics, even if the person next to them doesn't quite get it. They want people to break out of social confines and challenge the status quo with a smile, just like they do every time they hop on stage. They are a throwback to the days of the Southern gentleman, complete with leisure suits, cigar pipes, handkerchiefs and Cuban heeled shoes -- a rare find in a city where bling reigns supreme. Each member has a different persona off stage, from photographer to food connoisseur to anthropologist to painter of Rottweiler portraits. The off-center group of locals are Humberto Jose Castello (keyboard, vocals), Jorge Rubiera (drums, vocals), Jarrett Haan (bass) and Kris Pabon (guitar). This foursome has traveled the country, spreading their idiosyncratic ideologies in places like Wichita, Brooklyn, Peoria and Sioux Falls. The members of DHS find musical inspiration in an eclectic variety: The Band, Nina Simone, Randy Newman, Chico Buarque, Milton Nascimento, Elvis Costello and Fela Kuti. Their creative process goes as follows: "Someone comes to practice with a large chunk of a song (usually Jose) and we learn it, warp it and destroy their original intentions. Once this has happened, the song belongs to DHS," explains Rubiera. All three albums -- Negro En Bicicleta, Down Home Southernaires Summer Tour LP and their debut Down Home Southernaires -- are littered with colorful songs with titles like "Grandma Was a Christian Woman," "Israelis on the Beach" and "Fishing Wire of Feeling." Stay tuned for a new album coming out this summer.

New York Times
In South Florida, A Tropical Bohemia in the Making
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/arts/music/30mcdo.html?pagewanted=2&ref=todayspaper
11/28/08
“They built six recording studios and hired a number of their old classmates including members of ANR, Airship and the Down Home Southernaires to score commercials and soundtracks and to record their own music.”


New Times Broward/Palm Beach
Country-Fried Soul
The Down Home Southernaires defy genres and crank out a style of their own
By Taylor Divico
Published on July 17, 2008
(http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/2008-07-17/music/country-fried-soul/)
On a recent Saturday night, the tiny space of Sweat Records in Miami's Little Haiti is filled with
curious scene kids awaiting an avant-garde performance. At first, it's unclear if any of the local bands are going to be worth a damn, but there's an audible buzz that picks up once members of the Miami-based indie band Down Home Southernaires stroll into the building. They make their entrance in retro garb, with lead singer and keyboard player Jose Castello in a full suit and fedora. Soon after, the walls erupt with the unsurpassable personalities of four longtime friends who've been playing music together for more than a decade. It doesn't take long to notice the group's natural cohesion. The foursome rarely passes up an opportunity for sarcasm or high jinks, and they laugh every opportunity they get. But underneath all of their witty dialogue and ongoing giddiness lie serious songwriting, deft musicianship, and loads of confidence to explore whatever genre makes them happy.
Natives to Miami, of Peruvian, Cuban, and Trinidadian descent, Down Home Southernaires are a melting pot of cultures that they've learned to meld into one unique sound. None of the guys in the group remembers how the band came to fruition, as it was more a matter of circumstances. "There wasn't one particular person responsible for the start," Castello says. "Kris Pabon and I used to play metal together. Gradually, we got more embarrassed at that and started doing funnier stuff." It was also a bit of fate that brought them together, since those two attended South Miami High School, along with drummer Jorge Rubiera, while bassist Jarrett Hann was at nearby Dr. Michael Krop Senior High School. They played around with music in those days too, but none of them took it too seriously.
"All of us are self-trained, so we have similar vocabulary," Rubiera says. "We've been in awe of each others' creativity from the start. We once had a dark period when we took a job as a cover band. We were like a live karaoke band with people coming on stage and singing along. It was comical and challenging. That experience made us better musicians because we were doing things we weren't accustomed to."
Although their music influences are as varied as Elvis Costello and the Flaming Lips, they attribute much of their style and growth to a collective openness as avid listeners of various genres. They've also got other passions beyond music that help fuel their songwriting. Renaissance men to the core, their "backup plans," as they call them, include French cuisine, photography, film, and writing, all adding up to what you hear when you listen to their songs.
"Everything else we do inspires our music," Pabon says. "Our individual intentions vary so much, but we all know how to take from our surroundings."
Rubiera adds: "It balances us out. Each of us listen to a wide variety of music and do different things individually. The hodgepodge solidifies when we're a group."
Just four years ago, DHS was called Pygmy and had a decidedly more country twang to its sound. Band members acknowledge their humble beginnings and the fact that they broke up for a month and didn't speak for the duration of it but opt to skip past it. They're more eager to speak about their evolution as a band since those early days, and who can blame them? They've matured a lot musically over the past few years and discovered a sound heavy with soulful funk and pop sensibilities. Although it wasn't their intention, they are frequently dubbed as a jam band, most likely due to their style of genre fusion and musical experimentation — even though their last release, Negro en Bicicleta, was most inspired by ABBA.
"While we don't categorize ourselves as a jam band specifically, we don't shun the notion either," Pabon says. "We accept responsibility that our music is a hard mix to categorize."
Like old friends everywhere, they constantly rib one another. They joke about how they can irritate one another to no end, but it's all in good fun. "It's like a marriage," Rubiera says. "When you love someone so much, it's annoying."

Adds Castello: "It works because we're honest about the fact that we have so much history. We feel like different puzzle pieces, and we sort through our clashes."

Collectively, band members throw out random comments about Hann's never changing his guitar strings and how Castello has worn a three-piece suit since childhood. But ask them about their present songwriting versus past efforts and they get more serious. "We're better musicians now," Rubiera says. "We've changed the way we censor ourselves, and we're more defined. Jose used to be more uptight, filtering everything from food to music. Over the last couple years, he's changed. He's different... less confrontational."
"In addition, we're more liberated and open," Castello adds. "Fortunately, we don't know how to describe our writing. We haven't analyzed it, so there's no formula."
The progression of the group is perhaps best marked by listening to its albums. Start with the 2004 self-titled debut, a five-track country disc, and follow with a 2005 self-released tour album, comprised of mainly country and soul tracks. Their most accomplished album to date, last year's Negro en Bicicleta, focuses much more on a fun, pop-oriented formula. They're currently writing and recording a possible double album to be released this fall. They don't share much about it but promise that it will be "very sexy." More than anything, the band is eager to tour in support of its upcoming album. Apparently ready to get out of South Florida, they feel more appreciated in other places outside of their hometown.
"The crowd in Miami will go see a DJ rather than pay a few bucks to see live music," Hann states. "I'm not bashing the city. It's material... the most material I've ever witnessed."
"We don't have any fulfillment [here] at the time," Castello adds. "We're getting out of here."
If they really do leave, there's a good chance another music scene would welcome their eclectic nature with open arms. They're brilliant songwriters and talented musicians, and you can't help but laugh as Castello and Rubiera hit the occasional falsetto live when they perform. Combine that with their DIY attitude, as they're practically a four-man record label doing everything on their own, and they've got all the makings of a band on the rise. They've put in the hard work; what remains to be seen is if America will take notice.
"We want to gain ears," Hann says. "I want [more] people to start listening to our music. People are afraid to listen to new music, and we want to punch out their insecurities. We want there to be more comfort for people to let go."



Fabrika Magazine
Sunday, June 29, 2008
(http://www.fabrikalink.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=1997&z=3)
The Down Home Southernaires - Negro En Bicicleta
Avg. User Rating (5 Stars)
By Macky Ortelli | Fabrikalink.com
Who would've thought such a crazy indie band would reside in Miami? The Down Home Southernaires show everyone that mixing different genres and adding some latin into it can definitely work, and rock. They surprisingly won my heart by rehearsing inside a plexi-glass cube in an art gallery at MOCA. The band overflows with personality and presence, a cannot-miss from the Miami indie scene. Their latest release: "Negro En Bicicleta" has tracks ringing closer to home than ever. "I Hate The Nightlife" depicts the life of Miami's light-lovers. "Israelis On The Beach" is dangerously catchy and mysterious. "Otro Sur" reminds us that we still have some flavor inside our latin blood. "Sex Itself" is an explosion of sound, and "Let's Fall In Love With Each Other's Art" proves they can still rock the ballad. Their style will take over your body! Don't miss their live shows to get the full experience.
Track-listing:
1. I Hate The Nightlife
2. Fishing Wire of Feeling
3. Let's Fall in Love with Each Other's Art
4. High Effect
5. Otro Sur (Sagan Samba)
6. Anthro-Apology
7. Israelis On the Beach
8. Sex Itself
If you liked The Down Home Southernaires, you might also like:
+ The Strokes
+ Swamp Valve
+ Awesome New Republic
This album is free and released online! Get your copy here:
http://www.myspace.com/thedownhomesouthernaires


Tunesmith: THE DEVIL'S MUSIC
Metromix South Florida Magazine (http://southflorida.metromix.com/music/article/tunesmith-its-a-pirates/452662/content)
By Jake Smith
June 10, 2008
Like musicians, visual artists are geeks at heart. Whether they are printing giant posters such as the one that now hangs next to my cubicle and reads, "What Would Neil Young Do?" or constructing a large, Plexiglas sound studio in the center of an art museum, they're still geeks.
On May 29, the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami opened a rock-inspired art exhibit titled Sympathy for the Devil, a fanboy-style homage to garage rock from the late '70s to the present. The show focuses on bands such as Led Zeppelin and Talking Heads, along with the obviously worship- worthy Neil Young.
As I was taking in the collection of vintage concert fliers and posters and watching drawn-out videos featuring a guy playing a Fender Jaguar guitar through a series of effects pedals, the members of indie-soul act Down Home Southernaires walked into the Plexiglas studio. This wasn't a studio at all, but an interactive installation by Rirkrit Tiravanija named "Untitled 1996 (Rehearsal Studio No. 6 Silent Version)."
Southernaires bassist Jarrett Hann stopped on his way into the cube and joked, "I guess we have a show tonight."
The four musicians spent 10 minutes tuning and keying up before launching into a set of poppy, piano-heavy soul songs. Most of the roughly 150 hipsters and old art patrons had never heard of the band and couldn't really hear it now. The band's instruments were wired into a soundboard and then broadcast into a dozen headphones surrounding the box.
I kept pulling the headphones on and off to hear the difference. Without the headphones, I couldn't hear the music. The impassioned singing of Jose Castello was the only sound to penetrate the box's walls. So for more than an hour, the typically peaceful exhibition hall resounded with a loud, solitary voice. Now, that's art




Obscure Sound - Best of May 2008 Compilation
(http://obscuresound.com/?p=1955)
I hope that everyone’s memorial day weekend went well. Like every year, it marked the beginning of summer for many people (mainly students like me) and gave them a bit of a refresher as to what summer actually FEELS like. Yeah, being on the East Coast, the radical transitioning between seasons occasionally makes me forget what it feels like to walk outside without deciding first whether or not to wear a coat or sweatshirt. Since summer weather tends to arrive somewhat late over here, I still have to endure classes in the scorching heat until the end of June, but the thought of summer’s embrace is definitely enough to get me through the torturous couple of finals that await me. Unlike summer, music can be enjoyed regardless of seasonal tendencies and this month offered up a plethora of consistency. This particular compilation also demonstrates quite a bit of variation, sporting artists who dwell in anywhere from experimental rock to accessible electro-pop. If one (or hopefully several) interest you, feel free to click on the (post) beside the link. Listing the different styles in one post for this compilation would be too demanding on the eyes.
Track Listing:
01. Pacific! - Sunset Blvd
02. Wolf Parade - Language City
03. White Denim - Sitting
04. Cineplexx - Droga Paliativa
05. Alias Pail - Sun and Rain
06. Down Home Southernaires - Israelis on the Beach
07. Alu - Casket Salesman
08. Silje Nes - Dizzy Street
09. Sparks - Lighten Up, Morrissey
10. E.S.L. - Prove Me Wrong
11. Frank Bango - Worm Was Wood
12. Ndidi Onukwulu - SK Final
13. The Little Ones - Ordinary Song
14. Mates of State - My Only Offer
15. The Lady Vanishes - Karen, Don’t Stop Him



Ocean Drive: Sympathy For The Devil - Videos - WTVJ NBC - June 2008
An exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art called "Sympathy For The Devil" explores the relationship between art and rock 'n' roll music.
http://video.nbc6.net/player/?id=258569
We're performing inside the cube.

Miami New Times Slide Show:
Sympathy for the Devil Opening at MOCA
MOCA in North Miami kicked off the opening of the Dominic Molon-curated exhibit Sympathy for the Devl: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967 Thursday night along with DJ Mark Leventhal and the Down Home Southernaires, who kept the rock 'n' roll spirit alive.
Click here to view slideshow:
http://miaminewtimes.com/slideshow/index.php?gallery=79362&type=1&current=6

Miami New Times http://music.miaminewtimes.com/2008-05-29/music/down-home-southernaires/
Down Home Southernaires
by Abel Folgar
Published: May 29, 2008
This weekend, Down Home Southernaires hit NE 14th Street two nights in a row, to play two neighboring venues. The Vagabond and PS14 are nice venues for dancing and drinking. And though the stage areas at both clubs are small, it's this kind of intimate setting where amazing local shows happen. DHS have become an exponentially better outfit since they were known as Pygmy, and with a brand-new album, Negro en Bicicleta, these Vaudevillian troubadours are proving themselves to be local heavyweights.You might even want to dress a little better for the night — maybe a blazer, maybe some earth-tones, maybe an ascot, maybe a nice cardigan — something guaranteed to get your body sweating whilst you revel in full DHS glory. Immerse yourself in Tropicália mixing with the sounds of Western Africa, colliding with some good American rock and roll, dripped in bossa nova, and tinged with some sick charanga and reggaeton. Oh, and be sure to pick up a copy of the album.

Flavorpill MIA
http://flavorpill.com/miami/events/2008/5/30/down-home-southernaires
From backyards in Miami Springs to Studio A's stage, the polyester-clad fellows of Down Home Southernaires have played in almost every nook and cranny of Miami in the last few years. And considering their unusual, homegrown hybrid of funk, soul, and pop, that's quite an achievement. Tonight, they march onto the scene at Vagabond, hoping to win over a whole new cadre of club. With danceable ditties and immaculate vintage grooming, success seems imminent.
– Tiffany Rainey




Down Home Southernaires - Negro En Bicicleta Review
From:
Obscure Sound (www.obscuresound.com)
Published May 8, 2008 by Mike Mineo
Unless their family's name is worth a few cool million, most young musicians are forced to get creative when attempting to generate some sort of substantial income. Like many artistic professions, the line between raking in millions per year and barely scraping by in the music industry is very thin. A most desirable situation for individuals who view music as a full-time occupation in the future would be to hold a job that allows them to devise their own schedules, opening up more opportunities for any gigs or recording sessions on the path toward a musical career that will hopefully break out one day. So, as the 4 members of Down Home Southernaires would likely tell you, a logical solution would be to find a side-career within the realm of art as well. Jose Castello, the group's pianist, finds time to be a painter and a poet, while drummer Jorge Rubiera is a filmmaker and occasional fashion photographer. The other two members also serve in some unique side professions; guitarist Kristopher Pabon is an amateur anthropologist and bassist Jarrett Hann is on his way to becoming a professional in the culinary arts. And while all four of these childhood friends clearly have different interests based on their preferred occupations, there is a common bond that keeps these guys as the best of friends. For that, we can thank the power of music.
The occupational eclecticism of Down Home Southernaires proves to be appropriate when applied to their intended style, as the four-piece's masterful blend of punk, R&B, ska, funk, and soul provides for one of the most unpredictably enjoyable releases of the year thus far. Packed with such stylistic fervor, the ambitious propensities tend to carry on over to the group's actual songcraft. If you are someone who gets quickly tired of conventional song structures in pop music, Down Home Southernaires may be a great find for you. The 8 tracks on Negro En Bicicleta, the group's newest release, all remain extensively cohesive in that one is able to identify Down Home Southernaires' distinctive sense of individuality, but the subtle weaving of various genres within the intricate structures creates an enjoyably unique listening experience that marks the album as something of a rare entity. In an age where many artists are reluctant to mix and math a variety of styles in fear of critical backlash, Down Home Southernaires have emerged practically out of nowhere (or Miami) with a release that should hopefully encourage other new artists to promote their ambitious nature as candidly as possible. The impressive Negro En Bicicleta succeeds in such aspects for the most part, granting listeners with something that they can both relax and dance to.
I suppose that if one were forced to compare Deep Home Southernaires to a familiar face, Elvis Costello would be inescapable. Listening to the first minute or so of the curiously titled "Israelis on the Beach", I imagine that many will scratch their heads at the comparison, but it becomes increasingly prevalent as the song evolves. Initially guided by the repetition of an electric guitar over the smattering of funk-tinged keys, the vocals of Jose Castello emerge shortly thereafter. While they initially sound somewhat out of place in contrast to the instrumental touches of funk and R&B, Castello's vocals follow the footsteps of the song's structure in transforming from a somewhat hesitant attempt into a full-fledged demonstration of stylistically eclectic success. The rhythm section halts briefly at around 37 seconds in as a swift piano chord establishes the entry point for the real meat of the song, featuring a variety of piano progressions over the constant urging of underlying guitars, bass, percussion. Purely as a keyboardist, Castello also remains extremely impressive, as tracks like "Israelis on the Beach" and the exotic rush of "Otro Sur (Sagan Samba)" demonstrate. And as for the Costello reference, once Castello belts out "At first I get patient at my last resort" during the bridge in "Israelis on the Beach", it should be quite obvious that some influences show regardless of opposing intentions. In this case, it just contributes to the success even more.
Apart from good ol' Elvis Costello, Down Home Southernaires remind me of the previously featured White Rabbits with their implementation of punk and R&b within classic forms of ska. Considering that White Rabbits' Fort Nightly was one of the most talked-about debuts last year, I certainly believe that Down Home Southernaires have a similar degree of appeal that should open them up to a plethora of new fans. Negro En Bicicleta's opening track, "High Effect", takes more dues from funk and soul. Backed by a faint organ and a vigorous bass line, the funky twang of a guitar leads the budding verse. The chorus sees the re-emergence of the twinkling keys found during the track's first few seconds, creating an instantly memorable hook as Castello laments about. "High Effect" also serves as a great example of Down Home Southernaires' structural tendencies. You could actually say that a few tracks on the album almost seem like two or three songs in one, as the arrangements that alternate consecutively in tracks like "High Effect" and "Fishing Wire of Feeling" differ so dramatically from one another that the variation - while occasionally overbearing - is generally rewarding. "I Hate the Nightlife", for instance, relies on a sparkling rendition of folk-pop before transitioning to an anthemic burst of key-led effervescence, sounding nearly patriotic in tone. It is surprising how well they are able to mix their preferred genres together, even if they are occasionally separate structural entities altogether. If you can deal with the constant sense of variation, Down Home Southernaire's Negro En Bicicleta is a very gratifying listen.


Down Home Southernaires
Negro En Bicicleta
by: Abel Folgar
Published: May 8, 2008
in The Miami New Times
Down Home Southernaires were at one point known as Pygmy, and as Pygmy, they were great. As DHS, they are even better. Imagine some country-fried soul R&B in the vein of Hialeah's pride Coke (the band!) mixed with Clarence Reid's "Blowfly" high jinks. Add Elastic Bond's eclectic Dashiki express and throw in some of Philip Bailey's Earth, Wind & Fire peaks.
There is some serious craftsmanship here. Levels are of the high order and the gonads get rustled honestly. José Castello rocks the keys and the vocals while Kristopher Pabon and Max Johnston duel on the guitars over the solid backbone of Jarrett Hann's bass and Jorge Rubiera's drums. Edward Adames lends effects and tambourine sensibilities throughout. While the organic musings are on point, it's the little Casio-tones and loops that give the album its carnivalesque feel and allow listeners to buckle away without restraint.
"Otro Sur (Sagan Samba)" and "Israelis on the Beach" bring the Brazilian sound into the Miami funk fold. "Sex Itself" and "Anthro-Apology" hand you a Marshal's baton during Trinidad & Tobago's finest parade. "Let's Fall in Love with Each Other" licks at the lips of The Clash with a stripped feel only people a few shades darker than these boys could have. Great album. Great songs. Let's all go and get laid tonight.


From Flavorpill MIA 1/24/08
Event Description:
Miami's loveable musical oddballs the Down Home Southernaires wed jittery backbeats to good-old American country-rock jangle and greasy soul, shot through with quirky, clever lyrics encompassing love and life in our town. Tonight, they're supported by New Jersey's Chico Mann, a funky electro-Afrobeat outfit that sends both boom boxes and backsides into glorious tremors. – Jason Jeffers


From Flavorpill MIA 5/12/07 (http://miami.flavorpill.net/event/view/929)
Music: Funky Dancy Satire Rock
The Down Home Southernaires reign as the most welcome anomaly on the Miami music circuit. Fusing the wry and witty songcraft perfected by Steely Dan with tropicalia, rock, and most notably, country music (hence the name), the Southernaires' sound is super-danceable and, for all its quirkiness, goes over big with booty shakers of all colors, creed, and class. Miami should be proud. previewed by: Jason Jeffers


Essential Selections: 5 Local Bands You Need to Hear
by By Jason Jeffers
April 26, 2007
The Down Home Southernaires
Comic books, shamanism and very, very, very spicy food. These, along with a host of other oddball fascinations, are the things that influence the music of the Down Home Southernaires. Let's break down the sound: A surface listen to their output will reveal a healthy dollop of country music and a deeper listen will uncover strains of southern gospel as well as the clever, satirical songcraft of musicians such as Steely Dan and Randy Newman. Dig deeper still and you'll find all kinds of crazy polyrhythms that are in debt to the music of Brazil and Nigeria. Strangely enough, it sounds like it couldn't have come from anywhere but here. "Miami is definitely something we embrace in our sound," says Jarret Hann, the band's bassist. "It's always wild, and recently, it's gotten dancier." On tap for this year: not one, but two albums, including the rapturous and oddly titled Opa-locka opera Negros en Bicecletas.
http://www.944.com/miami/more.php?article=4558

MORE COWBELL! from Category 305 October 21, 2006
Written by Pinky Davis
Plug Music Fest at Churchill..s Pub on Friday was totally insane.
The Down Home Southernaires played one of the most energetic sets I..ve seen in a while, featuring the usual instruments: guitar, keyboard, bass, drums, and, of course, a cowbell. No band is complete without a cowbell.
I arrived just in time to see the end of the set and it was completely wild. Keyboardist/ lead singer Jose Costello and guitar player Kristopher Pabon came to the front of the stage, lit cigars, and then started doing something like the happy feet drill coaches make athletes do before a game. They danced around in a circle like this for a couple turns, then took their cigars and put the lit ends into their mouths. Tongues on fire, they kept dancing while shaking a bottle of glitter all over the stage. When the glitter was gone, they jumped onto the dance floor where a few fans joined them and their happy feet. They didn't stop until their feet slacked and the stogies finally sputtered out.
Meanwhile at the second stage, which is really just a patch of hallway between the Sweat Records office and the back door to the bar, thirsty people were passing back and forth between The Fabulous ShuttleLounge and the audience to get to the beer and the bathroom. At one point, the lead singer shouted, ..Hey I..m singing here. You can..t go in! Can I get through one fucking song!..
Nope. People keep passing by. Hard to believe not everyone was riveted to the spot by Shuttlelounge's bad jokes, excellent Paris Hilton song, and cheeky MySpace pitch: ..We..re gay 19-year-old boys!..
What really put the Fabulous in the ShuttleLounge for me, thought, was the guy who decided to play the keg. That..s right, there was a keg on stage and one band member banged on it with drumsticks. At the end of the show, he proclaimed, ..I don..t know how to play this thing...
Had me fooled.
www.category305.com



Courting Controversy
Down Home Southernaires have a feverish accent
By D. SIRIANNI
Article Published Sep 28, 2006 in The Miami New Times
They play incredibly wonderful music that crosses over genre boundaries, and they play it with an incredibly infectious fervor. The drummer, tambourine in hand, wades out into the crowd, leading an impromptu sing-along. The people respond by joining in. Isn't this supposed to be Miami? Isn't that guy with the tattoos all over his arms supposed to be pissed at this band of somewhat geeky-looking twentysomethings dressed up kinda nice and proper, playing songs that could be from a long-lost album by the Band? Not in this case. Kristopher Pabon (lefty guitar), José Castello (vocals and keyboards), Jorge Rubiera (vocals and drums), Max Johnston (vocals and guitars), and Jarrett Hann (bass) have evolved into the Down Home Southernaires, who play a distinctly Miamified brand of country/soul with an absolute passion and fervor that surprises even the most jaded scenesters. They are part of a continuum of music that stemmed from middle school circa 1996 and encompassed local bands Sik, Lasso the Moon, and Pygmy. The last had the most notoriety, and the Southernaires are basically the same lineup, minus one Edward Edames.
Castello, trim and always properly dressed, and Johnston, scruffy-bearded with a bulging waistline, had been playing together in small settings since that time. Rubiera, tall with a shock of unruly curls sprouting from his head, knew the two of them as well.
"I forgot that I knew Max. Every time I would meet him at a show ... I would always say, 'Nice to meet you,' because I would forget," remembers Rubiera. He also knew Pabon, the diminutive left-handed guitar player, from a photography class they had attended together at South Miami Senior High School. "We started playing music together, and [Castello] brought in Max, and I knew Edames. We were playing in a band called Sik that was like Tool-type metal, and I knew I wanted to play music; that's why I got José ... I invited him in," reflects Pabon. They knew Hann from Lasso the Moon, and he and Rubiera eventually joined the project in 2001. At the time, they were seventeen years old, except Hann, who was sixteen. The band would come to be known as Pygmy, and it garnered a reputation for musically confrontational shows. The songs were challenging, with tightly composed sections and intricate parts. The last album was at one point to be titled Niggers. "It was about defusing people.... If it jars you emotionally, then get over it.... It's just a word; get over it. But it never happened that way," says Rubiera. "The thing with Pygmy was to take a musical idea as far as we could. We would spend hours on four bars."
After four years of touring, recording, three albums, two EPs, and endless house parties, the bandmates found themselves at a turning point in the summer of 2004.
They were exhausted, done and finished. Castello was studying literature at the New School in New York City; Rubiera was studying video at a school in Kansas. Johnston's house, which had been their rehearsal space, burned down.
"There was a lot of depression ... a lot of 'I don't need you,'" recalls Pabon. "[During practice] we were running an extension cord and a lamp out of a generator in Max's burned-down house, and it felt like home."
When Castello was home from school in the summer of 2004, an invitation arrived to play a show at a house party. Pabon remembers, "We got an e-mail from this kid that he needed a band for this show and he said he thought he could count on us." They had been working on a few songs just for fun. "[Castello] had these songs; he always had [songs]. He wrote 85 percent of the early stuff," says Pabon. So they went to the show as the Down Home Darkie Southernaires. The name came from an album Castello had dug up. "He found an album called Down Home by the Jackson Southernaires, and he took it all apart and added Darkie," explains Rubiera. "We were in a hating-Pygmy mode when the Southernaires started. The mentality was different: just focus on songs ... be a lot more tasteful about it," says Pabon. The promoter was worried because, aside from the band's never playing a show or even considering itself a band at this point, there was a rumor that a song contained the word nigger. Despite the concerns, the show went off famously and the band received an unexpected reaction from the attendees. "We were playing live without José, even though the songs were his," recalls Pabon. Before Castello left, they hastily recorded a five-song demo at John Nunez's Southern Noise Studios, accidentally deleting some tracks in the process.
Rubiera was sick of school and hated the Midwest, so he returned to Miami to work and play, which eventually resulted in a five-song recording that became the Southernaires' first self-titled release. They followed it up with a tour in early 2005. More recording, writing, rehearsing, and touring was on the horizon.
Having had vast experience touring for their old projects, the band members geared up to record and hit the road again. In the summer of 2005 they, along with Nunez's friend Dan Escauriza, hastily recorded their second effort at Miami Dade College facilities. Pabon explains, "We recorded those ten songs live, almost in one take. The next day was mixing, and the next day we took it to the pressing plant.... We were slimy all the time."
Fall 2006 finds the Southernaires remarkably intact, with Castello having graduated and all members living in Miami, except for Johnston, whose family moved to Mims in Brevard County, and who returns weekly for rehearsals and gigs. With Escauriza they re-entered the studio and spent a great deal of time getting the correct sounds they wanted, instead of rushing through the process as they had the past two times. "Dan is brilliant. Every instrument on this album is gorgeous. We used a $200,000 grand piano and real Fender Rhodes," gushes Rubiera. The recording is finished and is currently being mixed. The new album features duets with WVUM-FM DJ Katrina Mena, who guests on the track "Pa's Reform School Baptist Hymnal Choir," and chanteuse Anna Perlmutter, formerly of Stone Soup and Stitchcraft, who shines on a version of "Secret Pain."
The band already has new material ready to go. "We have been listening to a lot of tropicália," explains Hann.
"What we are writing now sounds like Abba. It's dance music," adds Castello.
"We have worked so hard at this point I would rather be nailed to a cross. If we don't make it, I would rather die," says Rubiera.
www.miaminewtimes.com

"Hospitality from the Down Home Southernaires"
By: Kseniya Yarosh
Seeing Eugene Lang senior (Humberto) Jose Castello as a rather demure character--calm eyes, crisp shirt collar, a classic blazer, pipe in hand--it was surprising to discover the first word that came to my mind upon hearing his bands audio and video recordings, was rowdy. But not sloppy? he earnestly asks me. No? Good.
A Miami-based band, The Down Home Southernaires quote a passage from the Bourbon chapter in Walker Percys Signposts in a Strange Land, as their influence on their My Space Music profile (http://www.myspace. com/thedownhomesouthernaires). They are not quite country nor rock & roll, but elements of both are there--the occasional twang, the quickened rhythm. More surprisingly however, they exude something that is very rarely found in modern indie music circles-unabashed enthusiasm that is not mired in ironic aloofness, but wit.
Quality and beauty are particularly valued in young peoples music... but [much of] it lacks soul. And soul is all kinds of things: its melodrama, its humor, its human personality, Castello says. Of course thats not what were thinking when were in a pool of balloons. But nevertheless, the values expressed still hold.
Familiar since middle school, most of the original five members--including Jose and his close friend Max Johnston (the only white boy in Miami)--were a part of the band, Pygmy, before the Southernaires were ever on the radar. A December 2005 Biscayne Boulevard Times article described Pygmy as a local rock act known for its abrasiveness--a contrast to their current state. Castello left Pygmy, transferred to Eugene Lang for Literature half way through his sophomore year of college, January 2004 (for a lack of anything better to do), and the band shortly dispersed.
While residing in New York, Jose continued to work on some independent music projects, but overall, was just overcome with nostalgia for the crumminess of home.
Overjoyed to return to Miami that summer, he brought along with him several songs he had written during the course of his absence, and so The Southernaires were born.
They have since done two cross-country tours, released an LP, and as their bio boasts, earned themselves a great buzz in the D.I.Y community.
I, myself, am not DIY, says Castello, I like taking care of the musical part of it (writing songs, singing, and playing keyboard), but the organizing-even though it means a lot to me--I dont have the patience for it. Looking forward, Castello says, I do think we have high prospects. His assurance is clear in his plans to move back to Miami after graduation this May. Jose plans to teach at a Haitian high school. So I can focus on my band...not my students, he explains, smiling. The Down Home Southernaires self-titled album will be re-released this spring. With 6 additional tracks recorded during their two cross country tours last year, it holds the title Damn Girl! and will be available for purchase online through their website (www. downhomesouthernaires.com) and My Space profile mentioned earlier.
(Originally Published April 10. 2006 in Lang Univ.'s Inprint in New York, NY)

The Down Home Southernaires
Summer 2005 Tour Self-Release LP Review
by Josh Arcurio
The Down Home Southernaires push a dust-coated red truck to the I-95 ENDS
sign and out towards the intersection of country, bluegrass, and soul that lays somewhere in the plains of this countrys geography, picking up what they can along the way.
Reflective of the Miami life pace, the trip takes a while to hit cruising speed, but by the start of the fourth track "Seashell, the band is jamming along, jovially and spirited. "Seashell" follows a protagonist from Miami's manatee-filled waters to the desert sands, leaving the person to stumble upon the sort of loneliness where the only escape is death - but I promise it's not even as slightly depressing as this reads.
In the tradition of American roots music, Down Home Southernaires mine Christian faith with punchy key-work by main vocalist Humberto Castello, and lace it with handclaps and backing vocals. This is never more apparent than on the traditional "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray. They follow it immediately with a bouncing version of the Flying Burrito Brothers' "Train Song" before rounding out the record with two of DHS' best originals. "Oncology" finds the singer personifying a cancer (not the zodiac kind) thatd "rather be malignant than indignantly benign," and is so catchy about it that even Kylie would be singing along.
"Thank You for Sharing" brings us home, the musical version of those goodbye hugs on the last day of camp (awww), to neatly summarize the album in less than three minutes of rollicking, and hinting at the band's growth with a trumpet during the final build-up.
Miamis DHS are taking familiar sounds and making a new, young sound all their own; you can peg elements of their songs to other artists (a Robert Cray guitar lick here, some Brother Jack McDuffish organ there), but on whole this Summer Tour LP (they are now on Lauren Reskins local Sutro imprint) escapes being labeled derivative with raw bedroom-esque production, earnest lyrical turns, and genuinely memorable tunes. If you like Violent Femmes and you like American music, pick up the Down Home Southernaires.
Originally published in Ignore Magazine (www.ignoremagazine.com) on April, 2006.


Art on the Boulevard: Southern Soul in the Subtropics
Posted by: bbtnews on Friday, December 02, 2005 - 11:16 AM
By Matt Gajewski
BBT Contributing Writer
Miami may lie at the foot of Dixie Highway, but the wizened old-timers waiting on porches for the South to rise again are far outnumbered by those waiting for Castro to die.
Amid the palm trees, Cuban cafs, and art deco, Miami seems as far removed from mint juleps and hootenannies as the Alaskan wilderness just dont tell the Down Home Southernaires.
A glorious blend of folk, honky-tonk, Motown, and Elvis Costello, the Southernaires songs pay homage to the past while simultaneously blazing
uncharted territory, revitalizing Southern music with an undeniable kinetic energy.
Comprising guitarists Max Johnston and Kris Pabon, bassist Jarrett Hann, drummer Jorge Rubiera, and keyboardist/lead vocalist Jose Castello, the band previously played together as Pygmy, a local rock act known for its abrasiveness. When Jose left to study literature in Manhattan his band mates tried to soldier on, but their enthusiasm soon faded.
Pygmy was kind of on an ultra demise and we were fed up, it was no fun, says Pabon. Then Jose came down for the summer, and nonchalantly said, Oh, I have these little songs.
Matt Preira, a friend and local promoter, asked Kris and Jose to play at a backyard show in Kendall, so the two reunited with their friends and performed the new material as the Down Home Darky Southernaires, to get a rise out of the hippie kids, according to Johnston.
More shows were offered and the band became more serious, dropping the Darky and recording a five song EP with Southern Noise Studio engineer Jonathan Nuez in Joses bedroom.
The EP showcased the Southernaires affinity for The Band with its backwoods charm, but it proved too twangy for the musicians liking.
As soon as people started making fliers with boots and everything, we knew we wanted to make our music blacker, says Pabon.
The next album, a tour-only LP recorded in June of 2005, took a large step in this direction. And the in-progress proper version promises to be even more soulful, with several songs heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder.
After completing the album, the boys embarked on a summer tour that shot up the East coast to Maine, west to South Dakota, and down through Texas and New Orleans.
Performing both as the Southernaires and the backing band for Gainesville singer-songwriter Rio de La Muerte, they played mostly makeshift venues, barns in Maine and New Jersey, a packed house party in Wichita, and an impromptu show in Peoria with a local band composed of Native Americans and a Jew called the Redmen.
The thing about shows like that when the crowd is small, those people will remember, says Pabon. Its easier to blow them away. Theres not much that goes on there.
The Southernaires have won their share of attention in Miami as well. The local electro-soul duo Awesome New Republic invited them on their January tour of the Southeast and their label, Sutro, plans to include the Southernaires on an upcoming compilation.
Theyre the least pretentious band, says Sutro founder Lauren Reskin. They just want to funk you up.
Despite their love for touring and spreading the music to kids in the sticks, the Southernaires will always have a warm spot in their hearts for Miami.
Miami is endless material, says Pabon. Being from Miami, when we go around we realize our mentality is so different from America. This isnt America its like the fall of the Roman Empire.
Hopefully Miami wont burn like Rome, but if it does at least well have a first-rate band to do the fiddling.
For more on the Southernaires, visit www.downhomesouthernaires.com
BBT


"Monsters of Rock"
F5 Alt Music
Surprising Headway gig and a couple of nights at Kirby's
by Jedd Beaudoin (jbeaudoin@f5wichita.com) June 2005
Nothing will ever prepare you for the day/afternoon/evening/night when you have your brains spattered all over the walls of a venue by a kick-in-the-teeth show and last Thursday down at the old Headway Park (sometimes called Headway Skate Park and hereafter Headway) as local boys Paper Airplanes and Solagget returned from conquering the greater part of the Left Coast and as other local boys Arms For Hands and Ricky Fitts prepared for rampant pillaging of the No Coast was no exception. But, as with a Reese's peanut butter cup, it was the stuff in the middle that was especially and unexpectedly tantalizing.
In from Miami, ef el ay, the Downhome Southernaires proved a shining example of the good times that music can give you. With catchy gospel/R&B/rock influences going off all over the place like fireworks in an incinerator and tunes that were as catchy as lice in a third grade classroom, the band worked through such fantabulous tunes as "Grandma Was A Christian Woman" and "Way Down Yonder," encouraging members of the audience to dance.
It seemed a little impractical to do the Lambada, White Man's Hustle or Hardcore Fandango in the 1,000 degree heat (people were melting it was insane) but that didn't stop the Southernaires from dropping their axes, jumping 'round and havin' a good time doing a little rug cutting of their own during one song.
If ever a set was too short, it was the one from this little collective, which hopefully more folks will have a chance to check out (that means you, you older, beer-swilling types who don't want to go stand in no gawddamned freakin' warehouse on a gawddamned freakin' night when you can crack a gawddamned freakin' egg on the sidewalk), once the band returns. Seriously, it's the perfect combination of The Band, the best parts of Three Dog Night and Motown tossed into one heaping and delicious gawddamned freakin' rock 'n' roll salad.

Yeehaw Junction
Down Home Southernaires
BY JONATHAN ZWICKEL
If you thought Iron and Wine's sleepytime hush was out of place coming from Miami, you'll be shocked at the true-blue, back porch country wail of the Down Home Southernaires. Composed of members of part-time experimental jazz-rockers Pygmy, the Southernaires' boot scoot boogie creaks and twangs with old yokel vocals, tender fiddle, electric and acoustic strumming, and gothic organ. Frankly, it's a stylistic 180, but there's enough reverence for the old-time religion -- that is, traditional Americana groups like the Band and the Flying Burrito Brothers revived -- to keep the Southernaires from slipping into indie-rock irony. Their newer material digs into the Southern soul vein of Booker T and the MGs, a great counterpoint for their original moonshine boondoggle. Keep an eye out for their upcoming album, and don't forget that these backwoods hayseeds come from the streets of the Magic City.
From newtimesbpb.com
Originally published by New Times Broward-Palm Beach Jun 16, 2005
2005 New Times, Inc. All rights reserved.
Originally published July 28, 2005 - 2005 - Present

Essential Selections: 5 Bands You Need to Hear
by By Jason Jeffers
April 26, 2007
The Down Home Southernaires
Comic books, shamanism and very, very, very spicy food. These, along with a host of other oddball fascinations, are the things that influence the music of the Down Home Southernaires. Let's break down the sound: A surface listen to their output will reveal a healthy dollop of country music and a deeper listen will uncover strains of southern gospel as well as the clever, satirical songcraft of musicians such as Steely Dan and Randy Newman. Dig deeper still and you'll find all kinds of crazy polyrhythms that are in debt to the music of Brazil and Nigeria. Strangely enough, it sounds like it couldn't have come from anywhere but here. "Miami is definitely something we embrace in our sound," says Jarret Hann, the band's bassist. "It's always wild, and recently, it's gotten dancier." On tap for this year: not one, but two albums, including the rapturous and oddly titled Opa-locka opera Negros en Bicecletas.
http://www.944.com/miami/more.php?article=4558 - 944 Magazine

From Flavorpill MIA 5/12/07 (http://miami.flavorpill.net/event/view/929)
Music: Funky Dancy Satire Rock
The Down Home Southernaires reign as the most welcome anomaly on the Miami music circuit. Fusing the wry and witty songcraft perfected by Steely Dan with tropicalia, rock, and most notably, country music (hence the name), the Southernaires' sound is super-danceable and, for all its quirkiness, goes over big with booty shakers of all colors, creed, and class. Miami should be proud. previewed by: Jason Jeffers - Flavorpill MIA