Rex Brown to rejoin Down on tour next week
Bassist Rex Brown will rejoin his Down bandmates on the road starting with the August 24, 2009 show in Austin, Texas. Brown announced earlier this month that he was sitting out most of the band's current tour in order "to address some personal issues." However, he was quick to add that he "will be joining [his] brothers on the second leg of the tour and in the studio in the very near future."
Down tapped Danny Theriot of Metairie, Louisiana to fill in on bass for the group's current North American trek, which kicked off on August 3 at Beaumont Club in Kansas City, Kansas.
Theriot was in a band called Victorian Blitz in the mid-to-late '80s with Down guitarist Kirk Windstein. Although the group reportedly started out by playing original material, they eventually began including more covers in their set from such acts as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Metallica.
The original Victorian Blitz featured Windstein (vocals, guitar), Paul Bibeau (guitar), Theriot (bass) and Sid Montz (drums).
Down is scheduled to return to the studio in October to begin writing what will eventually become the band's fourth album, tentatively due in early 2010.
In October 2008, Down released a "deluxe edition" of its critically acclaimed third album, "Over the Under". The deluxe package, which was made available as a Best Buy exclusive, includes a DVD with over 30 minutes of previously unreleased live performances and behind-the-scenes footage. The album was released on Down Records in conjunction with Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group (Ilg).
Video footage of Down's June 22, 2009 performance in Kraków, Poland can be viewed below.