Human Destination

genres:

Rock, Americana, Alternative

country:

United States

hometown:

Portland, Oregon

THE UPSIDEDOWN is an American rock band based in Portland, Oregon. Comparisons to The Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo and The Bunnymen, and Love and Rockets reflect on the band’s influences, but The Upsidedown’s sound is something all their own. Music from The Upsidedown seems to be a product of their Pacific Northwest environment… dark, atmospheric, moody and romantic with the occassional volcanic explosions. Formed in 2003 from the remnants of local shoegazer cult favorites The Bella Low, the group released its debut LP, “Trust Electricity” on Reverb Records in 2004. The record turned some critical ears in the industry. MAGNET magazine photo featured them on the current “Band to Watch” article, and The Boston Globe described their music as - “dreamy and decadent in all the right places”. Childhood friends Jsun Atoms (vocals, guitar, keys, formerly of The Bella Low) and Brett Kron (guitar) had been involved in the Portland music scene in the mid to late 90s. In 2003 they decided to make a serious effort to form a band together. Finding a cross-national group of transplanted musicians, Matt Moore (guitars, vocals, accordion, harp) and Bob Mild (drums) from Missouri, Tristan Evans (bass, vocals) from Kansas City, and Sarah Jane (keys, tambourines, vocals, formerly of The Out Crowd) from San Francisco, the six-piece soon began making a name for itself in the Northwest. The press took notice: “The Upsidedown create a psychedelic sound with all the hazy swirl and tambourines one would expect…and carries layers of sonic fog and grit. The sound is textured, and the performances polished.” - The Oregonian . “The Upsidedown is a diligent band that’s been around the Portland block and paid their dues. Let’s relish the last moments of this band’s locality before they are stolen from us” - The Portland Mercury The Upsidedown’s second full-length album, “Human Destination”, recorded at The Dandy Warhols’ Odditorium, was released on the Warhols’ new label, Beat The World Records in 2008. The Odditorium provided The Upsidedown an environment conducive to making a complete, fully engaged record, playful and smart, and as energetic as their celebrated live shows. The musical landscape is as vast as it is familiar and warm. Along with many great reviews, several tracks from “Human Destination” were featured on several TV series including NBC's “Trauma”,the FX series “Sons Of Anarchy”, the CW network's Life Unexpected, ABC's Greek, and FX's Damages. Part of the closely-knit Portland music community, The Upsidedown have performed with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Raveonettes, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Richard Butler, The Black Angels, Colin Meloy, The Dears, and The Walkmen. In the fall of 2008 they joined label mates The Dandy Warhols on their full North American tour. In 2009, Jason Anchondo from Los Angeles joined the band (percussion/keys, formerly in The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Warlocks, and Spindrift), completing the current line-up: Instrumentation Jsun Adams -vocals,guitar,keys Matt Moore -guitars,vocals,accordion,harp Brett Kron -guitar,keyboards Tristan Evans -bass,vocals Sarah Jane -keyboards,vocals,tambourines Bob Mild -drums Jason Anchondo -drums,percussion