The Flowdown

The Flowdown (Ropeadope Records) is an eclectic jazz-rock-hip-hop-world music group from New York City, USA. And in many ways, the band is a reflection of the urban playground that it calls home. To begin, the members met over a diverse set of scenarios; Adam Ahuja (keys, vocals) and Gavi Grodsky (guitar, vocals) connected online whilst seeking newcomer musicians in the city shortly after moving to the Big Apple; Gavi and Lavondo Thomas (bass, vocals) were musician roommates during a week of cruise-ship entertainment work; Adam and Srikala Kerel Roach (percussion, vocals) befriended another while exploring avenues of spiritual living within New York City. The four all had something in common though: to continually push their musical minds to furthest of reaches.

A band was soon formed, featuring drummer-in-residencies, and "The Flowdown" began performing in New York City in 2009. Major elements of the group's personality began to emerge: celebration of different cultures, creation of spaces for individuals to fully be "themselves" musically, and cultivation of a dynamic, joyful stage experiences. Musically, the band drew from an affinity with instrumental jazz harmony and groovy rhythms. The band featured shared lead and vocal harmonies in their music and a love for spontaneity and improvisation. Regular performances eventually led towards shows at Blue Note Jazz Club NYC as well as club and festival dates outside of the city. Panda bears emerged as a major segment of the fan base. Meanwhile, members’ continually added colors and experiences to the stage gained from touring in other prominent acts (Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Daisy Jopling, Srikalogy).

In 2011, band released its debut record, "Metamorphosis." The album caught the attention of the late Bruce Lundvall, music industry veteran and former Blue Note Records President, who became an invaluable mentor and friend to the band, inspiring the group moving forward. Bruce summed up the band as follows: “The Flowdown is a true fusion of jazz, rock, R&B, hip hop and reggae. The band is very exciting live, the writing is impressive and the musicians are at a very high level.”

As the band entered its next writing phase, a deeper sense of collaboration began to guide the creative process. The group's "Metamorphosis" debut record was mostly formed from pre-composed materials brought in by individual band members, later sprinkled upon or re-shaped by the impacts of the other members. For the new record, “WorldSpeak,” band members met weekly at their rehearsal space in Astoria Queens, without any knowledge of what is was they were about to create beforehand. As a result, practically all of the writing and arranging for the next album happened in a fresh, member-collaborative environment, often with all bandmates present simultaneously. ‘Let's try it’ emerged as a band mantra to inspire open-mindedness, teamwork, patience, and deeper creativity while forming the new material.

The Flowdown is energized in 2016 to be teaming up with Ropeadope Records for its sophomore record release and is honored to work within a family of diverse, musically riveting acts. As much effort as the band has put into writing, recording and mixing its own record, the band is equally as excited to continue sharing high energy, heartfelt performances for eager audiences of all kinds.