Part of Toledo's rock scene was born in UT's very own drum line.
What began as three guys playing in a small, sweaty, two-bedroom apartment on the corner of Byrne and Airport soon evolved into a fixture of the Glass City's music scene. Man Down is a five member alternative, pop, punk and rock group created in 2006 by Nick Hanefield, lead guitarist and back-up vocals, Brian Fillous, bass, and Matt Pfeifer, drums, who met while playing in UT's marching band.
Second guitarist, Mark Andrews joined the band after he and Fillous met through their fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi.
"He [Fillous] brought him in to jam one night and we just kinda started getting together weekly after that," Hanefeld said.
After unsuccessfully jamming with prospective vocalists, Hanefield networked on Facebook.com with a group called "Future Rockstars of Toledo" to find the group's lead vocalist.
"So I got on there and a bunch of people were leaving comments about what they were looking for and what they played … I hit all of them that could sing and were a similar style as us," Hanefield said.
Dustin Wagner was one of the vocalists who responded and that night Man Down wrote their first song and crowd favorite, "Break Down."
"I think Man Down had a little different sound than any of us were used to at first," Wagner said, "It started out as kind of heavy rock, than swung poppy and is currently settling somewhere in-between."
In April 2007, Man Down performed their first live show at Gatorz Bar and Grill. Fillous described the band as nervous and said everyone's "nerves were pumping."
"We were the opening band for the simple reason that no one had ever seen us play," Fillous said.
Before they released their debut alum in May, Man Down continued to play at several local venues such as Peabody's-Pirate's Cove in Cleveland and Headliners in Toledo. The group acknowledged that many of their shows draw the typical "college crowd," and a large portion of their fans are college students.
"Our goal on performing live is to make it feel like a party atmosphere, that way our fans get more of an experience than just going to a bar for some drinks to background music," Wagner said.
"There is nothing better than seeing a bunch of people moving around to something you are playing and wrote," Andrews said.
"Live and Let Love [Destroy] You," Man Down's debut album, was released May 17, 2008, and showcases the band's versatile, but constantly maturing sound.
"Not only does our first CD have our fast-paced, fun and catchy songs that we perform live, but it also plays around with some slower and more meaningful songs that we typically don't play live," Wagner said.
The debut album is a chronological lifespan that captures the emotions in between Hanefield said.
"From the early days of childhood, 'tag, you're it,' through the ups and downs of life and relationships, when you're writing songs you don't really expect emotions, you feel them and write accordingly," Hanefield said.
The guys of Man Down said they heavily rely on their fans for exposure and expansion.
"We have the most amazing fans that come to the shows and know how to have a good time, and we appreciate their support more than anything," Andrews said. "They are really what keeps us going and wanting to come up with new stuff."
Their recent tagline, "Man Up for Man Down," is a push for a larger fan base which they hope will increase CD and merchandise sales.
Man Down is currently based in Toledo; however the band plans to expand to other cities and states in the near future.
Although Man Down is often compared to bands such as Blink-182 and New Found Glory, like many young bands, Hanefeld said they are still trying to find their sound and hopefully create their own musical niche in Toledo.
"As much as we are like the other bands of our genre, we're different," he said.
"A lot of good bands come through here on tours, which is cool and gives us a chance to play with them," Andrews said. "Getting noticed though is like trying to find one needle in two huge-ass haystacks."
Despite one band members departure, the future of Man Down is extremely positive the guys said. Drummer Matt Pfeifer will be pursuing a career outside of Toledo in the near future, but any additional threat of separation is not a concern for any of the members.
"We don't want to see him [Pfeifer] go because he'll have a huge spot to fill, but at the same time it's necessary for both him and us," Hanefeld said.
"The progress we're already making in our new CD surpasses that of our debut one as we're now becoming more aware of our individual strengths and viscously denying any weaknesses, whatever they might be," Wagner said.
Man Down's next show will be at Frankie's Downtown on Nov. 15. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are available through any of the band members.
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