Biography
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Years Active
1994 – present (30 years)
There are three bands called Downstairs:
1) Formed in Helsinki, Finland in kindergarten.
Members: Asmo, Otto, Eemeli and Topi
The Young Men And The Sea
Beams of sweat on his bare chest reflected the burning sunlight from the lens of the Telescope. The verdict was as cruel as can be: there’s still no land to be seen. They had been lost for weeks now. No fish, no water, only the breath of the salty air and the sun above their heads. Hopelessness of the situation was turning into cravings. Nothing but male tenderness to hold on to.
For these four sailors it was their second full attempt to conquer the seven seas. It was an outbreak from the country which had tried to cage them for 24 years now. For this journey they were the perfect crew: the bearded, the torn shirted, the four-eye and the almost bald. With fire and faith of youth as their weapon, together against the ruthless sea. Nothing to win, everything to lose. Comrades forever.
And then the worst of the worst happened. The ship wrecked leaving the four young seamen stranded somewhere on The Baltic Sea. It took the bravest of them to finally whisper it out loud: “This god-forbidden vessel is sinking. We are heading to the everlasting love beneath the sea…”
Official website: www.downstairsnoise.com
2) Downstairs is an emo/punk band from Arlington, Texas.
3) DownStairs, Alt. Rock from KIngston, Jamaica
The history of DownStairs officially begins in 1995. Or 1994. Or even earlier. You know what? The question of when doesn't matter.
It was a year as many others… it was groundbreaking at Kingston College in Kingston, Jamaica. The first Jamaican alternative rock band was beginning to form. The idea began in the mind of lead singer / songwriter and rhythm guitarist Brian 'Jackamo' Jones, a third form student, fascinated with hard rock, alternative rock and metal music. He set out on a mission to form a rock band and asked his friends, Andrew 'Drew' Campbell (bass) and Alvin 'Vinnie' Peart (drums) to join. They agreed. Only one problem stood between our heroes and eternal stardom. No one knew how to play an instrument. After forming their group, the boys chose their instruments and studied tirelessly under the trained musicians of the Unique Vision band. Practice, along with the early mentorship of the Fab Five Band and the influence of Peter Tosh, Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, and many others did the rest.
In 1996, Neville 'Bas' Lane (lead guitar), a visual artist joined the band to make the formula for DownStairs complete.
After releasing their debut album Reggae Metal in 1999, DownStairs had been on a steady uphill road. One that’s tough, due to the extremely limited acceptance of the rock music genre in Jamaica, but one they’ve stuck to for their love of alternative rock. Loyal fans continued to follow the band and new converts were made with each show.
Brian fought hard to create music that was true to his vision and the reward is the production of their second album, 40 Days , which was recorded in 2011 (under new management and produced by Jones and musical stalwart Steven Stewart) and officially released in 2015. Hard driving riffs, soaring guitars, energetic drums and menacing lyrics come together in a unique, but undeniable combination. Vocals at once plead and demand to be heard.
In 2013 Alvin had to step aside from DownStairs for a while for personal reasons and drummer Craig 'Flea' Lee, a longtime friend of DownStairs, is now currently carrying the torch .
DownStairs' music today is the result of nearly 20 years dedication to a music genre the band loves - attacked with the same creativity, dedication and force of which Jamaicans are famous for.
In 2017, still performing live frequently, the band is focusing on recording new material for several new release projects.
That leaves us with the most important question: why? Why does DownStairs exist? DownStairs began because, at the time, the world didn't have them. They were unlike who they saw already present in the Jamaican music scene. What they wanted to see was not available, so they made it. They did it wherever they could, and as often as possible.
Official website: http://downstairs.rocks
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