Indeed, the name Ups and Downs was
derived from a track on the Flamin' Groovies 1978
album, Now.
Brothers Greg and Darren Atkinson got their start
in late 1970s power pop band 42nd Street.
Ken Allen (guitar) and Neil Coombe (guitar) completed the
line-up.
42nd Street issued one single, Work
It Out, on the Virgo Seven label in 1979 and also
contributed a track called Mistaken
Identity to radio station 4IP's various artists
compilation album, That's Queensland.
42nd Street made little impact beyond
the Brisbane scene and in 1983 the Atkinson brothers formed Ups
and Downs as a three-piece band with Peter Hamilton-Shaw
(guitar) joining soon after to round out the sound.
The band issued it's debut single Living
Inside My Head on the Basketcase label in December
1984.
Ups and Downs then issued a second single called Perfect
Crime on Basketcase before venturing down to Sydney.
The Waterfront label re-issued Perfect Crime in September
1985, by which time Ups and Downs had built-up a strong
cult following on the Sydney inner-city music scene.
The bands second single on Waterfront,
In
The Shadows in April 1986, was a gorgeous slice of
harmony-drenched guitar pop and one of the best independent
singles for the year.
Ups and Downs signed a new deal
with the True Tone label (through PolyGram) which resulted in
the release of the mini-album Sleepless
in August 1986 and the single The
Living Kind. To coincide with the singles release, Ups
and Downs supported US visitors The Flamin' Groovies
on their Australian tour.
In 1987, Trevor O'Neil joined the band on
keyboards, which gave the band an even more spacious sound. By
the end of 1987, Ups and Downs had signed with the Mushroom
label.
The band entered Sydney's Paradise Studios in March 1988
to record their debut album Underneath
The Watchful Eye. Mushroom issued the singles Lit
By The Fuse and Moments Away
before the album appeared in November.
Underneath The Watchful Eye was a strong
showcase for the band's song writing skills and musical adventurousness.
Founder member John Flade left the band in June 1989.
The band
ended its Mushroom association later in the year and moved to
the Volition label for the 12" EP Rash
(1990). By the end of the the year the Atkinson's had split Ups
and Downs to form the decidedly noisier outfit Big
Heavy Stuff.
The new album 'Coolgilly and the Freakshow' from Centascope is now available worldwide from CD Baby and directly from the merchandise page of the official website.
You can also get the album from Apple iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Napster, Amazon and many more.
Come on by and download our new Christmas prank, Home Visit From Santa! Hope you have a great holiday, and remember...we're always as close as your phone! Yer' pals--The Wipper Brothers
Hey Guys Thanks for your support and for rehearsing with us in 2007. We hope you all a Happy Xmas and a fantastic New Year. Chyrse, Kat, Jerry and all the Crew at Out Loud Music Studios
I can't wait to get my CD done and do some shows where I can hopefully meet some of you.
I wish I had a time machine and could blast forward and start doing shows tomorrow.
PS. TWO GUITAR PLAYERS WANTED...
The new material we are working on will have a guitarmony sound and will require three players. We are looking for two players who live in the Detroit Metro area.
What we are looking for:
1. Age 18 to 27 2. Must be a great player. 3. Studio and Live experience a plus. 4. Style of music is pop/rock/alternative/punk 5. Style is a cross between 30 Seconds To Mars, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Muse, Garbage, and The Used with strong commercial appeal. 6. Lead or Backing vocal capabilities a plus. 7. Ability to write guitar parts for existing melody lines. 8. Must have time to make a commitment and be available for studio and live shows. Currently rehearsals are scheduled on Sunday between 1:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M. 9. Will require learning a certain amount of filler cover material. 10. If you have drug or alcohol related issues this probably wouldn't work for you.
A label showcase is scheduled for late February - so time is of the essence.
If you or someone you know is what we are looking for. Please let me know so we can set up a studio audition.
wtf all i did was enter my cell phone number at this site and they gave me free ringtones for life.. its gotta be a fluke better get in before they fix it
Heya, our album was just released on Bondarev records and through Itunes. Check it out if you get the chance to have a looksee. Bondarev will release the CD version soon with a new EP due in the new year.
You are cordially/collectively invited to rock n roll at the last of the initial official emergent run of shows for The Strange Attractors before we hit the road, paved with gold. It has been a turbulent few months filled with chaos, non-linear dissipative system and such, but now we feel the pull of increasing entropy and the gentle bellows from the flapping butterfly wings... See you on the other side...
Love is a fractal...
Infinitely complex...
A closer look at life, love, and the true nature of rock n roll... (click for A4 printable image)
Supported by Scott Spark & The Late Great Russian Revolution
