D a m i a n.....D o w d

Created as 1 of 9 children in the ‘Dowd Suite’, {see Fine Mother & Hard Workin’ Dad}. Born in 1970.Talk about the road less travelled!Damian Dowd started out in the music business as a roadie and light operator on the Drifters New Zealand tour in 1990. 6 nights a week and a tour stretching 40 days from top of the North Isl to the bottom of the South. Music had not become the viable option as a career at that point, but with a guitar handy and a dream inside, the makings of a plan were emerging.1991 saw a trip to Australia turn into a sojourn & then turn into citizenship in 2001. In between that time were bands of many forms where he took turns at Guitarist/Singer and Drummer/Singer, quite often lead singing for the night. A first album of mainly Dowd written tunes was made onto cassette in 1993 called ‘Moondog’.It was a 3 piece band and had the rather uncommon name of ‘Diadem’- meaning a headband or crown. it was picked by the then Bassist, Rowan Kernabone. After the Diadem tour the band decided to part ways due to the bass player opting for the clergy and the guitarist becoming a professional fulltime sports photographer…. 1999 saw the seeds of a debut solo effort planted by Malcolm Robertson,a fellow musician and songwriter. This album slowly took shape over 2000AD and was produced in Autumn of 2001.That album was ‘The Freedom Game’. Incidentally, that whole process of refinement and demo making took place in the Wood Coffill Funeral home, in Top Ryde, Sydney. Damian happened to take an Arranging Officer role there, for 18 months, and the free rent saved living at the home helped pay for the recording costs associated with the Freedom Game album. That funeral home has been replaced by a block of flats now.....2002 began in the Navy training base down in Melbourne. Damian sought to join the Royal Australian Navy band because of the versatility it would provide in gigs. This theory did not prove wrong, with tours of Asia and the Pacific as Singer/guitarist and a subsequent tour of Iraq at end of 2003 as frontman lead vocalist along with Angry Anderson and Tracy Burke. 2005 rates as a watery year for Damian, in that the European tour on board a warship, lasted 6 months and travelled to 17 countries. That tour saw him as Lead singer for that rock band, often churning out 20 songs at a time.Other nights found him Singing behind the drums in a funky jazz combo.2006 ushered in a memorable performance with a combined defence force band at the Commonwealth games. This concert saw 11000 Melbournians descend on the Sidney Myer music bowl, where Dowd sang his heart out in Bui Doi (The dust of life). This video is posted below.*******The album ‘Drawn’******* Written, Arranged, Performed & Produced By Damian Dowd.tracks........1) I'll try for you 2) Can You Tell Me How? 3) You know me Too Well 4)To The Water 5)The Moon Shines On 6) Prowlin' for Jazz 7) The Freedom Game 8) Swing Low Sweet Chariot 9) Mothers Day 10) She Would Remind Me 11) Fresco, Was Drawn 12) New To My Eyes................... Mastered by Oscar Gaona. With assistance from Trumpet~ Chris Ellis. Tenor Sax~ Chris Palamountain. Alto Sax ~ Gary Honor. Baritone Sax~ Grant Metcalfe. Trombone~ Dana Moran. Bass on 3 tracks & Flute~ Malcolm Robertson.

'DRAWN' available if U click the buttons!Do Nothin til you hear from meThe RAN Big Band March 10, 2008 "It Had to be You'