Down with the Woo

MMBrain Preview from Down with the Woo on Vimeo .
Up from the ashes of cult heroes Heros Severum (often called one of the more important Athens bands, if not the most well known), DWTW is a live production experiment powered by Macintosh. The invention of sex-ta-phonic surround sound combined with stunning visuals raises the bar for live performances by indie bands. Musically the band takes it's Wire cum MinuteMen post punk background and (successfully) skewers it with beats that remind you of Old School Hip Hop, Prince, Rap and R&B. Lyrically the band is conscious if not politically or socially so, with a tendency toward the self referential. The music is intelligent and danceable at the same time, a rare combination. Never afraid to continue to push the boundaries that define different genres of music, guests onstage often include artists such as well known rapper from Southeast Atlanta, Ayo, and afro-punk art rocker Bernard Pearce of New Orleans band One Man Machine.
"Down with the Woo is the second coming of Eric Friar and Mandy Branch, the duo who crafted the crystalline melodies and jarring angles of Athens' now-extinct Heros Severum. As DWTW, Friar (guitar, vocals) and Branch (guitar, keyboard, vocals), along with Winston Parker (bass, saxophone), shed the immediacy and terse punk leanings of their past for a spacey excursion into soul music, electro-pop and futuristic funk. Minimal rhythms and computer-generated beats come together in each song to form a web of sophisticated production and dance music that's both slick and technology-obsessed without forgetting the organic ways of a human body on the dance floor."- Chad Radford
Well known and well moustachioed Athens studio producer/engineer Eric Friar provides the audio backbone of DWTW, via a Macintosh based Pro Tools system, and engineers beats for the band using a Roland TR-808. The 808 is the same drum machine heard on countless classic hip hop records from the 80's like Run DMC, Whodini and the Beastie Boys. On top of his work as the bands beat maker Eric plays lead guitar and sings.
The primary voice and frontwoman of DWTW is a Fiery red-haired chanteuse who also handles the guitar, bass and piano with great skill. As well as being a role model for other Athens female rockers Mandy Branch is a deft songwriter with a unique and instanly identifiable style.
Winston Parker puts his youthful exuberance to task, constantly pushing DWTW to new technical heights. Often taking on a role similar to that of Martin Swope's in Mission of Burma, Winston uses his knowledge of all things technological to cut/chop/flip and rearrange the vocals and instruments digitally, and all live. When he's not at his MIDI station Winston drops fat bass lines and mean sax sounds in the mix.