The Lowdown was a Santa Cruz band that formed in 1997. The band consisted of Hugh Holden (guitar/vox), Josh Alper (keyboards/vox), and Noel Von Harmonson (drums). Their last Santa Cruz show was on October 24, 2003 at Close To Too Much Fun as part of the Big Bang 2003.
Hugh and Josh met at UCSC during Hugh's freshman year. Hugh was living at Kresge College with some of Josh's friends from the previous year, with whom he was in a band called Love Story. After Love Story, Hugh and Josh put together various short-lived bands such as Narcist Mutherfukers, Make Fuck, and Josh & Hugh Make Fuck 1/2, eventually forming The Lowdown.
The band is named after a 1997 Some Velvet Sidewalk EP called The Lowdown. The EP's title track describes community and loving music that is "raw and true," a sentiment Alper and Holden wanted reflected in their own band. Before deciding on The Lowdown as their name, they appeared one time on KZSU as The Angries.
Noel joined the band in 1998. He had moved to Santa Cruz recently and got a job at Streetlight Records, where he met Hugh. They soon discovered a mutual love of "fucked up" music, and Noel became a fan of The Lowdown and recorded some early demos. When Hugh and Josh decided they wanted to add a drummer, for a bigger and louder sound, Noel filled the role. He did not have a drum set at the time and had to piece one together.
They played in the Big Bang 2000, Big Bang 2001, Big Bang 2002 and Big Bang 2003.
Discography[]
- Information Cage Cassette, Self-released, 1997
- Ghost Dew 7" EP, The Aporia Label, 1998
- Projector: Another Studio Compilation Compilation CD, Yoyo Recordings, 1999
- Asteroids Cassette Compilation, Dead Turtle, 1999
- Science of Glass Gargantua 4 way split CD, Toyo Records, 1999
- Yoyo a Gogo 1999 Compilation CD, Yoyo Recordings, 1999
- Revolver II Album, Vinyl on Thin the Herd, CD on Strange Attractors Audio House 1999
- Magical House Split Cassingle w/Lady Fingers & Laura Lymes, Safe Records, 2000?
- Clit Stop Compilation CD, Swezlex Recordings, 2000
- Monster in the Garden KFJC 89.7 FM Live From The Devil’s Triangle Vol. III Compilation CD, 2001, KFJC 89.7 FM, 2001
- Support Your Local Musician Compilation CD, Streetlight Records, 2001
- Fuck You, Revolver! Tour-only CDR, self-released, 2001
- LIVE! AT KALX FM limited edition CDR, Silver Currant, 2001
- Grux’s Granwich Vaudeville Explosion!!! (Lowdown Side-Project) Cassette, Love Tape Love, 2002
- Y is a Crooked Letter CD on Zum Media 2003
External links[]
- Party People by Kimberly Chun in the SF Bay Guardian
- Psychotic Reaction by Owen Ashworth in the SF Weekly
- Embracing The Absurd by David Espinoza in the Santa Cruz Metro