Artist description rock music from omaha, nebraska. http://mandownmusic.com

Music Style Alt/Rock

Musical Influences many

Similar Artists alt/rock/pop/heavy bands. somewhere between foo fighters, jimmy eat world

Group Members joel kassera-sings/guit, dave backhaus-bass, vince giambattista-guit, nic woods-kit

Albums Mandown - 1999, Shoulders - 2001

Press Reviews Mandown "Shoulders" The days of guitar driven rock are anything but over, all that may wish to disagree need only to listen to Mandown's 2001 release, "Shoulders" complete with enough balls out guitar playing and catchy riffs to fulfill two or three good albums, yet compact enough to fit on a ten song album. The Mandown sound is accomplished by completely separating two guitars through panning techniques that allow for great build ups like the ones you hear throughout "I Would Fly Around You." A second technique you hear throughout the album that adds to its value is Mandown's use of dynamics. By cutting down on their volume during the verse they are able to highlight Joel Kassera's lyrics, then suddenly kick into it during the refrain with a forte assault of two distorted guitars like the great example heard in "From Now On." Perhaps the most noticeable way to identify Mandown's sound is through the singing of Joel Kassera. His voice has an incredibly unique tone, one I can only identify as Nebraska Rock. His voice is complimented through a strong presence of what I dub hardcore doo-wop; the use of backing vocals throughout a piece where the backup vocalists never really sing along with the lyrics instead simply adding "ooohh's" or "ahhhh's" or other lyrics we haven't seen in this large of quantity since the days when The Platters, The Penguins, and The Cadillacs drove doo-wop up the charts (or perhaps since the release of the last Creed album). Aside from the individual elements that make up a great sound, Mandown has a great vibe as a whole band. Through breakdowns, bridges, intros and outros (codas for all those conservative musicians) Mandown is able to give each instrument a moment in the sun, particularly cool are the breakdowns where the bass of Dave Backhaus is left alone with the drums of Scott Evans. But more importantly, unlike a lot of modern rock that has dominated the charts lately, Mandown rarely has a moment where everyone is doing the exact same thing giving Mandown a very strong texture to each song. This is most definetely an album worth owning. I find that it is incredibly difficult to relate this band to another band of past or present, yet, as mistaken and off as I may be, I get the same vibe from these songs as I got from previous Cracker albums. Yes, in my mind that is a positive thing. Hope it helps you. Reviewed by Matthew Herbert 3-3-02 'Musical Journey'

Location Omaha, NE - USA

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