On Saturday, March 16 one of Baton Rouge’s newest venues Mud and Water presented a funky band called Downright. Downright, comprised of Matthew DeVine and Steve Lewis, is a funk rock band based between Birmingham, AL and Nashville, TN. The band uses multiple instruments including keyboard, guitar, bass, and harmonica. DeVine primarily plays the keyboard and mixes in guitar and bass, while Lewis plays mainly on guitar and switches occasionally to bass and harmonica. Though DeVine and Lewis make up the main band, they had special guest Yattie Westfield on drums for their show at Mud and Water.

     Hearing this band on a CD or on the radio is a far different experience than hearing them perform live. While their recorded music certainly gives a funky southern feel that makes you tap your feet and bob your head, their live music makes you feel like you’ve stopped at a French Quarter club where they’ve got some band of awesome and grossly underrated musicians rocking out on their guitars.

      There is no doubt about how much heart and soul these guys put into every note, a characteristic many musicians these days are lacking. One of the many interesting things about this band is that at every show they will throw in at least one never before performed song. Though the songs are rehearsed, DeVine and Lewis typically don’t decide which song they’ll surprise fans with in advance. The great thing about this is that even if you’ve seen them live a hundred times you will always hear something new.

      At Mud and Water they covered a handful of songs such as Holiday Song by the Pixies, Debra by Beck, Life During Wartime by the Talking Heads, Baby Don’t You Do It by Marvin Gaye, and Bad Romance by Lady Gaga.

      Downright also has over 100 original songs and a new album coming out this year called “Lightheaded.” They performed some songs from “Lightheaded” at Mud and Water including My Style, Where Do You Get Off, Gonna Come Around, The Nap, and Pants On Backwards. Some older songs that they performed included Natty Bumppo, Hidden Agenda, Say Some Words, Wait For Him, and Nature Girl.

      If you ever get a chance I highly recommend this band. Check out some of the above songs on YouTube or go to their site, www.downrightmusic.net.