The Downright

Downright’s music exists in a niche somewhere between rock and funk – earthy and heartfelt vocals coming together with infectious beats to craft a tapestry of style. Their rhythmically-charged take on the world is an elevating and energetic listening experience, one that invites listeners to transcend the physical and get lost in the music. The sound of the band evokes the funk of Sly Stone mingled with the energetic rock abstraction of early Talking Heads records. The band’s latest album Lightheaded was released in 2014 via Broken Hip Records. “We’re all lightheaded when it comes down to it,” says Steve Lewis, one half of the musical partnership that is Downright. The light in question here is the Beatle-esque “inner light,” and whatever your philosophy, everybody has something inside that wants to get out. Lewis and Matthew DeVine have nurtured Downright since its inception, always maintaining a continuity of musical style geared toward “the liberation of soul.” The songs on Lightheaded invite us to seek out that liberty; “Get Yourself Free” speaks to that purpose in a musical language somewhere between Prince and the Commodores. In the early 2000’s the band cut its teeth by playing to enthusiastic crowds all over the southeastern USA, and soon they expanded their sphere of influence to touring the northeast as well. They have released several studio albums to great acclaim, a DVD of music videos, a live DVD, and have licensed music to films and other media. Lightheaded will be their fourth full-length, and the band is touring extensively in support of the release, with dates including the famous Endymion parade of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, Downright’s Winter Brewfest, showcases in Nashville, and dates around the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, as well as being attached to a summer tour. According to Matthew DeVine, “Lightheaded is the purest representation we have of what Downright is all about – it’s a high point of our collaborative process and it’s what our fans have been waiting for.” Somewhere between Stax-era Memphis and the golden age of CBGB’s is a little place called Downright.