my name is steve poponi i play guitar and sing.
I am Dave, the bass player.
My name is Scott Rumble. I play the drums and do a little bit of vocals.
and my name is Johnny Masino, but steve insists on calling me �j.j.�. I play the other guitar.
What I'm sure you get asked all the time: What video game is that code for and what does it do?
steve: Contra, it was actually the code for a bunch of Konami (the company who made contra) games but we all knew it from contra. it gives you 30 extra men.
Scott: It was pretty much impossible to beat the game without the code.
JJ: Gradius and Lifeforce were two other big ones, I think? The Konami Code was legendary back in the day.
What where the original goals for the band? Have they been accomplished and if so, how did you go about
meeting them? What are the current goals of the band and how are trying to accomplish them?
steve: that is a weird and tough question because we never really set any real goals collectively, i think i just wanted to be a good band and have people enjoy our recordings. now it seems like we could really expose a lot of people to what we are doing by touring and promoting a lot so i think my current goal is to get everyone who could be into what we are doing interested in us.
JJ: my goal is to get steve and scott to laugh at my jokes. Dave seems to be in my corner so far. But I think definitely - especially for Steve - a constant concern is to always have the best recordings of our songs possible
Dave: Well said.
Scott: The goals of the band are constantly changing which I think is pretty normal. It really depends on the situation. Like Steve said, we�re focused on trying to get our stuff heard all over the place. But we�re also constantly concerned with writing good songs that we enjoy, playing good shows with good people, and just trying to be the type of band that we would like - both musically and as people.
With the members of the band living in different cities, is it hard to schedule practices and shows, etc? How did you guys get together?
steve: actually, john and scott live in philly now which is really only 5 minutes from my studio where we practice so its not to tough.
Scott: Steve and I had played in a band together before and when that band broke up, we just kept playing together. The lineup of this band has gone through changes several times since then. We�re all from different areas, but those areas are all pretty close together. I used to live more than an hour away from everybody before I moved to Philadelphia, but I never minded the drive.
JJ: I just joined the band recently, having known steve a long time through his recordings of previous bands I�ve been in. I also sing and play guitar for the indie-rock band The New Anxiety.
What do you think sets your band apart from others? What politics and/or ethics, if any, take part in the band's writing and business choices?
steve: im not sure what sets us apart. as far as politics/ethics they only effect us in business choices, but im not sure that business is the right word. in any case we just try not to be a burden to promoters by being whiny rockstars and we try to make sure we see all the bands that play at each show we do. basically we try to act how we would like everyone else to act. we try not to be too serious or arty.
JJ: I think the way we approach our live setup is fairly interesting and different from other bands in the indie scene (especially ones I�ve been a part of in the past)�play the shortest, catchiest set you can without much fanfare in between songs so you can showcase the songs themselves.
Who do you consider your current contemporaries?
steve: too tough.
JJ: I kinda see similarities in Minus the Bear, but I wouldn�t say we�re contemporaries with them; we�re contemporaries with the handful of good jersey/philly bands we�ve grown with and call our friends.
Scott: Yeah, I don�t know how to answer this one. Let me go look up �contemporaries� and maybe I�ll get back to you.
What is your favorite dance party song?
steve: uh, the final countdown by europe.
Dave: "peek-a-boo" by devo
JJ: easy, �Ain�t No Stoppin� Us Now� by McFadden and Whitehead. Best bass line. Ever.
Scott: Anything by Michael Jackson from �Off the Wall� or �Thriller.�
If you could add any rockstar (living or dead) to the lineup, who would it be and why?
steve: sammy hagar, because he cant drive 55 and we are always driving.
Dave: uh, how about Elvis Costello. He's a kinda nerdy rockstar.
JJ: Stewart Copeland on drums, Blake Schwarzenbach on guitar/vocals and John Entwistle on bass/skeleton body suit. What we would do then I haven�t a clue, but people would certainly know who UP UP DOWN DOWN is with that lineup. I would logically move to pan flute then.
Scott: There�s no room for a rock star�s ego in this band. Unless that rock star could make us more appealing to the female audience. We don�t sell many CDs to that demographic.
What can we expect from you guys in the future?
steve: as far as releases go you can expect a June/July re-release of our full-length "and nothing is #1" on OHEV Records, a CD/EP on LimeKiln Records due out sometime in June, followed by an CD/EP some time in the fall or winter.
JJ: Also look for us for the first time on the west coast this april/may.
Any final words?
steve: no, well, i guess no was my final words
Dave: What do you expect me to say?
JJ: Playing guitar with these guys is light years ahead of staring out of my cubicle at people reenacting scenes from �Office Space�at work.
Scott: Work is hard. If it wasn�t hard, they wouldn�t call it work.
How can you be contacted?
website: http://upupdowndown.org
email: [email protected]
