Page 13 - holmag Special Music Edition

DOWNTOWN BOYZ
As a garage pop band, what artist do you pull some of your
musical influences from?
Jesse: We’re just trying to play really high-level music in a more-or-less pop structure with the intensity of
a high school garage band. Our influences are all over the map, but there really isn’t anything we’re trying to emulate. Just trying to be a great band. As a drummer, I personally draw a lot from straightforward pop drumming. The band that does that the best right now, in my opinion, is 1975. Playing simple drums allows the guys in front of me to do the intricate parts that they play without it feeling too crowded.
You mention you play what you all want to hear, so it’s safe
to say the band’s sound is ever- changing. With two albums out now, how would you say the second album differs from the first?
Jesse: The most significant difference between the first and second albums is Dave’s guitar addition. All of the
songs on the first EP were written BD (Before Dave), and the songs on the second EP were either written with Dave, or they only ever felt genuinely complete with Dave. Randy also got to show off his bass skills a little more on ‘So Cool.’ The bass solos in RGM and Body Language are as good as any I’ve heard on a rock record.
I had the pleasure of going to a private show recently, and
you all seemed to play with such great chemistry! How did you all meet? And how did it turn into Mr. Do it and the downtown boyz?
Jesse: Randy and I know each other through mutual parents, and I met Jimmy when he and Randy started hanging out and playing music when I was just a wee lad. I’ve always
had an affinity for the music they’ve created, and I’ve always wanted
to play drums with them. I finally
got the opportunity once I finished school and moved to South Florida in 2016. We met Dave through playing music in the area, and he was just too tasty to not invite out to a couple
of practices. The rest is Downtown Boyz History. We’ve had several past members also: Bob Dolder, Casey Marek, and Cory Goldsmith, and we’re all still best friends and/ or brothers, and they always have an open invitation to come to play. The music runs deep in our crew, and chemistry is central to our philosophy.
Okay, the question all of us want to know, which one of you is the only Mr. Do it? (please explain who and how the name got started)
Jesse: Mr. Do It isn’t a person, per se; he’s more of a figure that stands for order and hard work. Eyes on the prize. First in, last to leave. Brick by brick. Blood and sweat. Do. It and The Downtown Boyz are spirits of passion and chaos that live for the moment. Creatures of the night. Life of the party. Servants of Dionysus. Ever inspired, but distracted by
their own bliss. Where these worlds meet is really what our music is all about. Taking all of the raw energy, inspiration, fun, and chaos and
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House of Lafrance Magazine | Special Music Edition