Downplay
| Downplay | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Athens, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative metal, hard rock, post-grunge |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | Live My Last, Starset, Red |
| Members | Dustin Bates Ron DeChant Brian Patrick |
| Past members | George Andres Brandon Hill Greg Huzyak Nick Kiser Chad White Mike Mealey Bobby Withers Derek Snowden Brandon Zano Trevor Connor Corey Catlett Evan McKeever |
Downplay is an American rock band formed in Athens, Ohio in 2003, and is now based in Columbus, Ohio. The group consists of vocalist Dustin Bates, bassist Ron DeChant, and drummer Brian Patrick. The band has released seven albums to date and have recorded with producer Dave Fortman. Their song, "Hated You From Hello" was featured for Game Changer of the Year in the 2011 WWE Slammys.
Downplay originated near Youngstown, OH, in Salem, in 2001. Originally a cover band, the band entertained crowds in bars before many of its members were old enough to drink. Soon after, the band (composed of Dustin Bates, Brandon Hill, Nick Kiser, and Chad White) moved to Ohio University in Athens, where two of the original members enrolled. Over the next three years the band developed its sound and live show and found a major fan base in the Athens area while attending school there.
One story says that the band's name was ironically stumbled upon during one of the many fights that occurred during the early days of the original Downplay line-up (Bates, Hill, George Andres, and Greg Huzyak) as Bates accused another band member of "downplaying" his role in the argument. But it has been said in interviews that Bates didn't want their original music to be downplayed whilst they were still a cover band.
In 2005, Downplay reorganized as an original band. Their first studio albumSaturday was recorded "in about a day" on a $1,000 budget at Ohio University’s student ran audio production studio and released during its time at OU. It included a “bonus track,” a spoof hip-hop song about an OU frat bar "The Crystal," which became a student/bar favorite with over 3,000 downloads. Downplay found its niche for energetic live rock shows at Ohio University, playing the famous events like the Halloween Block Party, PalmerFest, and the numbered fests (threefest fourfest, fivefest, etc.). In 2006, upon most of the members graduating from OU, the band moved to Columbus, OH, and played a mix of covers and original music.
Downplay returned to the studio in late 2007, this time at Cleveland-based Jungle Recording Studio. Around the same time Bates, with the contribution of loyal friends, established an indie rock record label (True Anomaly Records, LLC), and signed Downplay to the label under a one-album contract. A Day Without Gravity was released in October. The cost of the second studio album was approximately $16,000. This record had a more polished sound and displayed the band's improvements in song writing over their first album, and helped the band begin to expand across the state of Ohio. In 2008, Mike Mealey became Downplay's fifth member, then the lineup changed save for Bates and Mealey in 2009.
The year of 2009 was full of showcases for Atlantic, Virgin/Capitol, Island, Mercury, and Epic Records, both in Columbus and in New York City for Downplay. On November 17, they released their first EP Rise. Fall. Repeat. From this time into the first half of 2010, Bobby Withers, Ron DeChant, Derek Snowden, and Brandon Zano were in the band for a short amount of time.
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