Chad Allbritton
Chad is a bassist from the Neo-Thumpasaurian tribe serving up the bottom line. Ingredients: Hendrix, James Brown, The Parliament/Funkadelic Empire and It’s Funk Fiefdoms, James Jamerson, Duck Dunn, Jaco, 70’s prog rock, Bebop and Acid Jazz marinated in Belgian golden strong ale. Slow-cooked in bacon fat, caramelized onions and garlic then topped with a sprinkle of stinky cheese. Mmmmm, that’s funky!
Dirk Dawson
The Prince of Dirkness has been playing guitar on and off for over twenty years. Raised on bluegrass, Beatles and the beats, he soon fell in love with the iconoclastic edges of modern music. George Clinton (in all his incarnations), Frank Zappa, Tom Waits and Robert Fripp all figure prominently on his Princely iPod, although lately James Brown and Curtis Mayfield are doing it for him.
Mark Knoll
Moon Pie is a seasoned sessions musician that has been playing professionally for more than 30 years. Mark has played with bands that have opened for the likes of The-52’s, Natalie Merchant & The Indigo Girls. Mark’s distinct keyboard talents gives The Downstroke the necessary seasoning for a delicious blend of music!
Clifford Brown III
Clifford has spent his life worshiping the music gods. Playing to the masses and the minority, this California boy has accepted his role in the global neo-jazz movement. No longer bound by the west coast, east coast definitions of horn sounds that have bound previous generations, Clifford has found the freedom to transcend traditional jazz- bebop values and explore new universes of audio amalgamation. Influenced by the generations of trumpet lions (Fats Navaro, Clifford Brown Sr., Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd, Roy Eldridge, Roy Hargrove and Ingrid Jensen) Clifford hopes to continue the progression of musical identity and lineage. Listen closely and you will hear our past, present, and future vibrate in unison.
Riddles
Riddles is a drummer, audio engineer, producer and disk jockey with a passion for break beats. His influences includes Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, Mike Clark, Prince Paul, Madlib, & Pete Rock. Riddles is a mad man on a sampler. And they say DJ’s aren’t musicians!
