By Steve Perrett
Introduce the Band
Blake Thomas and The Downtown Brown is composed of the following elements:
- Blake Thomas - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
- Jeff Bail - Bass, Vocals
- Shauncey Ali - Viola, Mandolin
- Teddy Pedriana - Keys
- Juicy - Percussion
The Questions
1/ How long has the band been together?
Since December of 2003.
2/ How did you meet?
To simplify the peculiar circumstances in which we met, suffice to say we met through mutual friends. December of 2002 was the first time we sat in a room and made music together. Blake flew into Madison from Boston, Juicy drove in from Green Bay, and we spent two days rehearsing and recording a fourteen track project album called "Long Gone Lonesome". At that time, we were all in different bands, and the disc was going to be used by Blake in his solo-acoustic ventures in Boston. Due to mixing, mastering, and reproduction issues (e.g. didn't have money), the disc has never been officially released. Everyone was happy with how the album turned out, and a year later, we decided to form 'The Downtown Brown' and start performing and recording together full time.
3/ Do you record in a studio? Or do you use a home based setup?
We all live together and are currently building a recording studio in our house.
4/ Who writes the songs? ... or is it a collaboration between band members?
Blake comes up with the lyrics, the basic chord structure, and the rest of the band uses that vision as a guideline to follow as we write our parts and produce the music. There's a lot of discussion in the band. We think about how the final product should sound, and what would be fun and interesting to do within the song. Then we'll test it out, and think about it some more. The songs are pretty much in a constant state of change.
5/ Do you start with a finished product in mind or just let it morph as you go?
We don't start with a finished product at all. There's an idea about how a song should sound, but all our songs go through a rigorous process of theoretical analysis, discussion, and practice before we come close to calling it a "finished product." Even if we think it's finished, someone will usually have a new idea and want to try something else out.
6/ Do you prefer to play live? or do you prefer recording?
Recording offers a unique experience. You are able to realize sonic possibilities that you often can't pull off in a live setting. There's a great reward after you record a song and listen back to it. It's the rush of creating something.
On the other hand, performing live offers you immediate feedback and the ability to feed off the energy you're getting back from an audience and tailor your set to compliment that energy.
So, to answer the question, I think we prefer to play live. To us, that's what it's all about.
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| The Downtown Brown |
8/ Got any funny gig stories?
Yeah, but most of them are inside jokes. There was this one time........ ;)
9/ Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
I don't think any of us really know where we're going to be in five years. Half of us don't even know what we're going to be doing next week. We just work hard at our music and worry about the future when it happens.
10/ What is your ultimate goal with your music?
We want to create music that's happy, sad, energetic, and meaningful. Music that's worth a damn. That's our ultimate goal.
11/ Got any good gig tips?
Tip your bartender.
12/ What do you use for recording?
We record at home with Pro Tools, and R2D2 mans the board. When we're done with the actual recording process, we throw it on 2 inch tape and get it mixed and mastered.
14/ Do you have any plans for a CD?
Yes. We're hoping to finish building the studio in our house and get started right away, so we can have our album ready by Christmas.
It's going to be a big stocking stuffer for all the good boys and girls.
15/ What's the Music scene like in Madison?
Madison has a lot of good venues, but you still run into a lot of the same problems you do anywhere. Because it's a big college town, there are a lot of students, which is good for drawing crowds to your shows. It's a double edged sword though, because there are a lot more bands vying for the spotlight. There's practically thirty different shows every night...which sounds cool, but it's not like Nashville.
All in all, Madison has been good to us.
Jeff
Blake Thomas and the Downtown Brown Songstuff page
Blake Thomas and the Downtown Brown Homepage
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About Steve Perrett
A Songstuff staff member for sveral years, Steve plays guitar, writes songs and records his own material.
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