Down Side Up & Big Sun
DOWN SIDE UP
Down Side Up was formed in 2006 by 5th graders: Ryan Mankin, Aaron Mankin, and Joe Lawler in order to blow Immaculate Conception’s student body’s mind at the 5th grade talent show. The show would go down infamously in history and Down Side Up’s journey would begin. Joe Lawler soon after parted ways, but will always remain a founding member. In order to prepare for the 7th grade talent show Ryan and Aaron would join forces with friends Jason Kremer (lead guitar) and Adam Buhr (bass). This team in fact did go on to nail their talent show performance and make several house party, birthday, and county fair appearances. Freshmen year of high school the band once again parted. Aaron Mankin and Ryan Mankin were soon introduced to Helias High School Senior, Hunter O’Donnell, bass player. The three of them and guitarist Jason Kremer once again prepared for yet another talent show but their audition was denied. Ryan Mankin, Aaron Mankin, and Hunter O’Donnell, the current lineup, began their long jouney of vengeance, delving deep into themselves and harnessing their Rock n’ Roll chakra. The trio began playing bars/music venues in 2013 at such establishments as the Mission in Jefferson City, MO and later the Bridge in Columbia, MO, now located in Jefferson City. Down Side Up released their first EP “Down Side Up”, recorded and produced by Pete Szkolka Music Productions, in March of 2015. The band has since released three singles: “Hollow Street”, “50 Reasons”, and “Jibberish”, recorded and produced by Jack Gue with Winksigh Recorders formerly known as Meth Lab Recording Studio. The boys of Down Side Up play their original music as well as classic rock and 90s covers all over Jefferson City and Columbia, Missouri, and are always working on new material which they hope to release in the future.
Aaron Mankin – drums and vocals
Ryan Mankin-guitar and vocals
Hunter O’Donnell- Bass guitar
BIG SUN
Piotr Fraszczynski
Blane Roger
Chris Loeffler
Roman Charmello
Dylan Flanner
Blane Roger
Chris Loeffler
Roman Charmello
Dylan Flanner
Big Sun, a psychedelic band from Long Beach, have been making waves with their debut album Spacelift. The group, spearheaded by Piotr Fraszczynski, infuse their brand of psychedelic pop with elements of varied styles to form a sound often referred to as Psychedelic Groove Pop. Big Sun’s sound is both immersive and intensely toetapping and will leave you with a physical reaction. Their depth and variety of songwriting, coupled with the literal bloodletting intensity of their live shows have garnered them quite a following beyond their native California, reaching fans as far as the UK and South America. With future tours in mind, Big Sun plans to bring their unescapable energy to music fans around the world. You can find Big Sun’s music in stores throughout Europe in late 2016, as well as record stores in Southern California and on the internet and check out the videos on Youtube!
Here are some segments from varied reviews/features on Big Sun:
“In a week filled with big name stars like Kendrick Lamar and the Violent Femmes, a relative unknown, Big Sun of Long Beach, CA, triumphed over all of them and appeared on all three of the curators’ lists.” … Listening Post, 03/04/2016
http://audiobonsai.com/2016/03/09/listeningpostmarch42016/
“Big Sun unfolds perfectly surfing with tremendous selfconfidence by among a stormy waves that splash constant follows psychedelia and garage rock. The Californian band revives, resizes and contemporizes vintage sounds permeating its proposal for a certain halo of an almost mystical depth. a brittle balance between sonica a kind of theatricality with a palette of changing styles and curious.” …. Google translation of album review in Portuguese music blog, “Microminusculo”.
http://microminusculo.blogspot.com/2016/03/bigsun2016spacelift.html
“On a Saturday night late last month, about 140 scene supporters and weekend warriors swarmed…. a small backyard in downtown Long Beach to bask in Big Sun’s seventrack record release of “Spacelift” their first official compilation…. A synthesized wall of sound swarmed the set..” …. Front page feature in Daily 49er, Vol. LXVII Issue 86, ‘The Music Issue’.
Here are some segments from varied reviews/features on Big Sun:
“In a week filled with big name stars like Kendrick Lamar and the Violent Femmes, a relative unknown, Big Sun of Long Beach, CA, triumphed over all of them and appeared on all three of the curators’ lists.” … Listening Post, 03/04/2016
http://audiobonsai.com/2016/03/09/listeningpostmarch42016/
“Big Sun unfolds perfectly surfing with tremendous selfconfidence by among a stormy waves that splash constant follows psychedelia and garage rock. The Californian band revives, resizes and contemporizes vintage sounds permeating its proposal for a certain halo of an almost mystical depth. a brittle balance between sonica a kind of theatricality with a palette of changing styles and curious.” …. Google translation of album review in Portuguese music blog, “Microminusculo”.
http://microminusculo.blogspot.com/2016/03/bigsun2016spacelift.html
“On a Saturday night late last month, about 140 scene supporters and weekend warriors swarmed…. a small backyard in downtown Long Beach to bask in Big Sun’s seventrack record release of “Spacelift” their first official compilation…. A synthesized wall of sound swarmed the set..” …. Front page feature in Daily 49er, Vol. LXVII Issue 86, ‘The Music Issue’.
