Scene & Heard, Springfield

Downside Up flips expectations – ‘Old hard-rockers’ can help in a jam

Downside Up bass player Kurt Krause, a Springfield resident, rocks out on Friday the 13th at Mohawk Tavern in Springfield. Ron Hartman/The Chronicle

SPRINGFIELD – Downside Up is a pro’s pro band, the kind you can call on when you’re in a jam.
You need a rock band, check. You need a dance band, double check. You need a multi-genre band for a mixed crowd, just go ahead and check all of the boxes.
You really have to admire Downside Up for two reasons:
Even though the average age of the three band members is 62, they’ve cranked out two CDs in the last year.
All three band members have enjoyed successful careers aside from their musical endeavors. They’re all still rocking and rolling for one reason: because they enjoy it.
”We have this sort of country ‘Highway 99’ song that we’re trying to push,” said bass player Kurt Krause, a Springfield resident. ”I think it has radio potential. (Guitar player) Greg (Glass) wrote it. But it’s hard these days. We’re an undiscovered band, and nobody buys CDs anymore.”
Downside Up is known for being a versatile cover band, and Krause says today’s younger musicians are grasping the significance of keeping older music alive.
”Younger guys want to play more original music,” said Krause, who got a community art degree and spent 20 years in printing and publishing before recently earning a web design degree from Lane Community College. ”But most of them now are realizing how timeless the music was from that era, so they’re incorporating more old covers into their music.”
Glass is the band’s driving force with his guitar and vocals. Along with Krause and drummer Dave Boyer, who both live in Eugene, they kept the Mohawk Tavern dance floor hopping all night for the band’s CD release party Friday night, Dec. 13. Aerosmith’s ”Sweet Emotion” and George Harrison’s ”Got My Mind Set on You” were two covers that stood out.
”We mostly do Christmas parties and wedding receptions, that sort of thing, anywhere from Portland to Salem, mostly on the I-5 corridor,” said Glass, who has a master’s in information management. ”None of us need to be doing this, but it’s fun for us.”
At 64, Boyer is the senior member of the band. He says he’s going ”to keep doing this until some part of my body breaks down.”
Boyer is a mental health therapist who deals with addiction patients suffering from anxiety or trauma.
”I had a colorful past that led me toward that career,” he said.
He said he started playing in bands at around age 12 and has been with Downside Up since 2003. Krause joined in 2009.
”I’m an old hard-rocker,” Boyer said, estimating that the band has played as many as 150 songs.”If it was on the radio, I played it.”
So if you ever need a band for a special occasion, look no further than Downside Up. They’ve got you covered.

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