- The Washdown
The Washdown were a five piece rock band formed to play rock and roll music in 2001. Whether or not they achieved this has can be argued, but it is certain that they plugged in their amps and turned them on. They officially stopped being a band in 2005. The Washdown were an integral part of the "spritzy" rock and roll movement that characterized the Tampa music scene from the early 90's onward. In the late 90's to the early 2000's, Ryan Hess and Michael Waksman discussed doing a rock band that somehow would embody the sensibility of
Otis Redding andSam Cooke . At the same time Hess and Bryan Bates were discussing starting a band that would be along the lines ofTight Bros andHot Snakes . One drunken night, after downing plenty ofspritzer s, it was agreed they would go down to a practice warehouse and do this thing, originally getting Simon Baker (previously ofVersailles ) to play the drums. The first practice was a drunken glorious mess and four songs were written. By the next practice Simon decided he was no longer going to be involved and the guys brought in Heath Dupras to play drums instead. They wrote five songs under the nameThe Dead America and decided to string them together into one blurry set to be played at maximum speed and volume at their favorite local bar in exchange for free beer. At some point they added the guitarist Gregg Schmidt and Hess moved to vocals only position. They recorded a five song demo, changed their name to The Washdown, and signed toLookout! Records . Lookout! put out their demo as an EP and allowed them the chance to record a full length record. They did a few tours, had ups and downs personally, and raised three beautiful children.Band members
* Bryan Bates - Bass
* Ryan Hess - Vocals/Guitar
* Michael Waksman - Guitar/Vocals
* Heath Dupras - Drums (s/t EP and yes to everything)
* Gregg Schmidt - Guitar (s/t EP)
* Phil Salick - Guitar (yes to everything)
* Mike Allen - Drums (right foot video and marlboro cd sampler)Discography
Albums
The Washdown EP 2002
1. End of Conversation2. Shot in the Mouth3. Worst Dressed-Up in Class4. It Must Be True5. Caligula6. We Call it LakimaYes to Everything LP 2004
1. Kansas City2. Right Foot3. Bad Connection w/ a Lover4. We've Listened to Your History5. Confusion... (Confusion?)6. Pull. Out. Work. Space.7. Ladies and Gentlemen8. Say When9. Awful Truth10. Learning Makes You Handsome11. Killing Wordingles
Right Foot single 2004
1. Right Foot 2. Confusion... (Confusion?) 3. Pointed Sticks 4. (I Think There's Going to Be) TroubleTrivia
External links
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