| Sometimes getting lost is a good way to get
found…and refined. While lost at sea aboard the boat they
sometimes called home, brothers Brad and Rick Starkey (guitars,
vocals) found a love for songwriting that would get them lost time
and time again. While blending their soulful melodies with thoughtful
lyrics along their endless Atlantic travels, they discovered that
a little saltwater added to a lot of soul can make for a pleasantly
well-rounded musical experience.
After refining their songwriting talents at sea, the brothers returned
to Florida’s mainland to immerse themselves in an accelerated
audio engineering program at the prestigious Full
Sail School of Recording Arts in Orlando. Shortly after earning
their degrees, they headed to Maryland and reunited with long-lost
friend and songwriter, Vinnie Garufi (guitar, vocals, bass) to begin
a recording project. When Vinnie brought along seasoned Irish musicians
Jeff Malcom (drums, bass) and Skye Sadowski (violin) to fill out
the mix, the brothers knew they had stumbled onto something that
might keep them on dry land for quite some time. What resulted was
the eclectic and fresh musical experience that became Man Down.
Drawing from such diverse influences as James
Taylor, Jack
Johnson, and Sublime,
Man Down has created a unique blend of folk, rock, and reggae that
is making waves on the Maryland music scene. The band recorded their
demo release Offshore Café in a two-century old farm house
that once served as a rest-stop for important political figures
doing business in nearby Washington, D.C. During the five day recording
session for Offshore Café, Man
Down capitalized on the natural acoustics of the old wooden home
to create a very soulful and natural sounding acoustic debut. Fans
are happy to report that their live performances are just like the
record —acoustic, natural, and energetic.
Man Down is currently playing venues in Annapolis and Baltimore,
including such popular spots as the Ram’s
Head Tavern and Mick O’Sheas
Irish Pub. Members of the band have appeared as opening acts
for The
Saw Doctors and Black
47 and have received numerous accolades from Baltimore’s
City Paper and New
York’s The Irish Voice. Look for Man Down to be mixing
it up at one of your favorite spots in the near future.
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