The Real Lowdown on The Piper Downs

By Tom Kidd
Sunset Strip Radio
March 5, 2002

The Piper Downs
@ The Gig, Hollywood

The players:
Bobby Bognar - Lead vocals, Guitar
Garner Knutson - Lead Guitar
Yell - Bass
Ellen McGuyer - Drums

It was billed as a live performance. Live musicians, instruments in hand, playing real music, performing for an audience, also very much alive. As the audience awaited these flesh-and-blood performers…what happened? A video screen was lowered and the crowd was presented with a slick two-minute video of the Piper Downs. A video of the band before they even appeared on stage. It was an interesting approach. This hip and professionally produced tape of Piper Downs, preparing the audience for the performance to come, using the methodology of MTV.

The video ended and a voice intoned, "Ladies and gentlemen…. Live from Hell…. The Piper Downs!" The curtains rose and the band opened with the pent-up energy of a steam locomotive.

The Piper Downs could be considered the ultimate live band. This is a seasoned quartet, with an able understanding of how to put on an exciting show. The band is centered around lead singer and guitarist Bobby Bognar. Endowed with a great voice, Bogner is a larger-than-life figure who excels as a frontman. He’s able to interact with an audience, tossing off one-liners and making jokes a mile a minute, much as if this gig were a neighborhood barbeque in his own backyard. The on-stage antics and spontaneous banter with the audience made the night’s set all the more interesting. Bringing the audience into the act is a Piper Downs specialty and it most assuredly adds to the groups success.

But what about the music? The Piper Downs are an evolving band, getting better all the time. It’s pop rock with a sometimes hard edge. It’s pure rock, a little soft in the center. The Piper Downs have used the last few years to good advantage. Having shared the stage with The Dave Matthews Band, and many other established acts in their native Virginia, the Piper Downs have certainly used the intervening years to good effect. They have developed both songs and stage improvisation into a seamless package, enjoyed by audience and performers alike.

The band members are all former students at Virginia Commonwealth University. And it was here that they met and created the beginnings of what is now the Piper Downs. One notable exception – the edition of new drummer Ellen McGuyer. A stand out percussionist, not only for her powerful drumming but also for her provocative antics between and sometimes during songs. It’s hard to ignore her animated approach to drumming or her tendency to flash a newly-purchased glittering pink bra at various moments during the set. On a side note, Ellen was actually the girl who sold t-shirts for the Piper Downs in the early years. Determined to join the band, she picked up the drums a couple years ago and proved that she was every bit as good as the guy who preceded her.

Those not waiting for Ellen to raise her T-shirt spent most of their time riveted by lead vocalist/guitarist Bobby Bogner's charisma and wry sense of humor. Bobby's stage manner takes a page from the Bare Naked Ladies, though he's not as juvenile. After playing three national tours and winning a headlining spot on the Vans Warped Tour, he well knows what an audience wants, and he's only too glad -- and infinitely able -- to deliver.

None of these notes are meant to detract from the considerable contributions of lead guitarist Garner Knutson or bassist Yell, both of whom are excellent musicians and invaluable to the success of the band. It's just that it's hard to compete visually with a star frontman and a flashy flashing female drummer.

Neither do we mean to detract from the music. There is a reason the Piper Downs have sold 5,000 copies of their CDs without record company help and have been named three years running in Music Connection's Top 100 Unsigned Bands list.

You can have all the flash you want on stage and not sell a single CD unless the songs are there. To their ample credit, the Piper Downs definitely have the songs. These are radio-ready, though not always radio friendly, due to their light usage of profanity. Stand out tunes include the wonderful "Anything, Anything" and the apparently-new "Hardcore." These, and in fact, many of the other songs in the set, would make great additions to the KROQ playlist.

Reference:
http://www.piperdowns.com
tomkidd@sunsetstripradio.com