PB Presents DOWN NORTH

Down North masterfully mixes underground rock and party-fueling soul, 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. 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 psychedelic-jazz trills of guitarist Nick Quiller 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 soul 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 soul band before I even listened to soul!" he says (and has truly grown into the role).