Down Home

DRIVEN BY A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP FIRST FORGED AT AN OPEN MIC NIGHT, NASHVILLE BASED “AMERICAN ROCKERS” DOWN HOME CONTINUE THEIR INTENSE TOURING AS THEY RELEASE THEIR DEBUT FULL LENGTH ALBUM ‘MONROVIA’ written by Jon Williams, Rainmaker Media Down Home’s charismatic frontman, guitarist and chief songwriter Jeff Estes, admits that there are a lot of incredible artists and bands in his newly adopted hometown of Nashville – but is full of confidence and optimism when he declares that “we are the hardest working, most dedicated band here.” Want proof? Try the band’s whirlwind performance and recording schedule since moving there from Boulder, Colorado in early 2013 to unleash their energetic, infectious blues, alternative country, folk rock and Americana hybrid (best defined as “American Rock”). While working tirelessly with group co-founder, lead guitarist/vocalist Robert Havill, Stephen Hopkins (bass/vocals) and Griffin Criste (drums) at Station West Studios on completing Down Home’s full length debut album Monrovia, Estes spent hours on the phone booking a wild number of gigs. In Music City, where they debuted in January 2013 in the lounge at 12th & Porter, Down Home has built a following with shows at The Basement, Mercy Lounge and Bootlegger’s on Broadway, where they booked themselves under the pretense of being a bluegrass band. Everyone dug them. They now regularly play the main room at 12th & Porter. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, they played for 7,000 people at the Monroe Street Fair. They’ve played honkytonks in Austin, the University of Texas, Free Bird in Jacksonville (yes, owned by family members of Lynyrd Skynyrd) and have played everywhere from Tulsa and Lexington to Chapel Hill, Baltimore, Charlottesville and Brooklyn, NY. Down Home has won crowds over wherever they play – including the restless jazz crowd at The Shrine in Harlem, where the band was misbooked. Estes was living in Breckenridge, Colorado, running his own lumber business, when the film “Crazy Heart” sparked his desire to start performing. He picked up his guitar and discovered his powerful talent for songwriting as an emotional release. He met Havill at an open mic at The Gold Pan. The bar was packed and Estes admired the way Havill played a loop pedal by himself. He invited Havill to come up to play lead guitar over the originals he sang. The two hit it off and, while keeping up a steady pace of writing songs together, also joined the backing band of country artist Erin Duvall and the Stargazing Rebels. Their 15 date tour included stops throughout Texas and in Nashville. Estes and Havill opened the Duvall shows as a duo, laying the foundation for what would ultimately become Down Home. Though their powerful musical chemistry was undeniable, the duo split for a time to pursue other musical interests. Estes sold his business and moved to Austin, where he went on a tear of songwriting and performing open mics while saving money to record an EP. Havill joined a jam band in Colorado. When that band split up, the two joined forces again. They slept in their truck and on floors at the Boulder studio where they recorded their raw first EP Lost at Sea. Brighter days awaited them in Nashville, where they hooked up to record Monrovia with producer Kyle Manner. The title of the ten track album is named after the capital of Liberia on the Ivory Coast of Africa. Down Home chose it for the metaphor they could draw from the imagery of a country with a beautiful coastal region but which is also war torn and riddled with poverty. “It represents how we feel about our band being a supportive family, always having each other’s back no matter the struggles in the dog eat dog, spit you and chew you out music industry,” says Estes. Beyond their tireless work ethic, Down Home will be rising above the fray of other new indie bands by virtue of their dynamic, organic vibe and compelling songwriting. Highlights on Monrovia include the rollicking, harmony laden rocker “Broken Road,” about the courage to admit one is human enough to make some bad mistakes in life. “It’s me saying that sometimes I’m a mess, but sometimes I’m brilliant, so take me for who I am.” The heartfelt ballad “Son of Mine” is a collection of encouraging letters Estes’ mother wrote him when he first moved to Nashville to pursue his dream. They came at a low point for the band and made them grateful for their families, the brotherhood that defines the band, and their many supporters. Another key track is the reflective acoustic driven ballad “Drink To Remember,” which finds Estes pondering the emotions of just what it means when we drink to remember, and also when we drink to forget. As part of the band’s exciting ongoing evolution, Down Home’s currently in the works follow-up album will feature songs penned by both Estes and Havill. Down Home can best be described as a vibrant and energetic Americana band with deep roots in Blues, Country and Southern Rock