Despite their emotional lyrics about evil women and dysfunctional relationships, the hard rockers of Downplay use their wants for a rowdy crowd and their needs for a full keg to get the party started and to bring the sensitive drunk out in all of their listeners.
Our live sound and just our party atmosphere fits right in with OU
but it's not fake -we are actually partying while we play lead singer and guitarist Dustin Bates said.
Downplay's heavy rock songs have just a tint of funk in their guitar solos but still fully emulate the relatable heartbreak songs for which pure rock is known. The group's tunes sound much like Tantric's while Bates' deep vocals are like those of Chad Kroeger of Nickelback.
Around here there are a lot of Dave-Matthews-type guys and OAR-type guys or hippie-type guys and then even folk-singing-type guys. There's not too much rock; this is straight up rock. It's not try-to-pick-up-the-girl rock; it really is straight-up rock
Bates said.
Bates, guitarist Nick Kaiser, drummer Brandon Hill and bassist Chad White said they interject their personalities with every performance. Whether on stage raising their glasses to a crowd's everlasting energy or in the studio recording techno tracks just to be goofy, their rockstar qualities always shine through.
The group made its name known by playing at house parties, Millfest and last year's Palmerfest -for a not-so-sober six hours.
[Our shows are] more or less partying
but with the four of us
we take it to the next level
White said.
After a yearlong stint, Downplay finally went into the studio over the summer to record its first album, which is yet to be titled and has an expected release date of Sept. 17.
The album's progress was delayed because both Kaiser and Hill had to commute to Athens for recording.
The band worried more about putting down tracks and mixing and editing them than it did sweating details such as an album name and a CD release party, White said.
All of the album's songs, which are lyrically driven, are written by Bates and are based on his experiences with females, both the good and the bad -but mostly the bad.
[Bates] is a great song writer
White said. He creates a foundation. I guess you could say all bands do this
but we do it well considering our different locations. We instill our own styles
and I think we do that better than other bands.
Downplay's history began when Bates and Hill were attending high school in Salem, only then the band's name was Turmoil and the group focused more on imitating Metallica than on finding their own sound.
Once at OU, Bates and Hill decided to continue their musical careers and recruited Kaiser and White, forming the Downplay their fans know and love.
Now, the group members plan to continue playing together for as long as they can, but they aren't expecting stardom and are all looking toward different careers, Bates said.
Downplay is playing at 10 tonight at The Blue Gator, 63 N. Court St., with Flinch and Red Wanting Blue. Admission is $5.
