Charger Arts & Entertainment

No detour ahead for Oscar’s Downfall

Senka Hadzimuratovic, Charger Staff

Oscar’s Downfall, a punk band of five fun-loving guys, has come a long way since its first show at the Fatz Brothers bar in August of 2000. How did it get its start? In high school, singer Chad Hafner (now 24) and bassist Andrew Goodman (23) played in and out of different bands until they found Justin Lee (22), their current drummer. Together with another friend, they formed the band Shotgun Red, which came to an end after a few months. The trio kept on playing and soon found Travis Temples (23), a second guitarist for the band. The four of them formed Oscar’s Downfall, named in honor of a friend’s dog’s [Oscar] death.

These four guys, all attendants or graduates of Tennessee Tech (Andrew and Chad majored in business last May), have now played together for two years, with the recent addition of Buddy Sells (21), who took over guitar to allow Chad to fully focus on his singing. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of drilling Andrew, Travis, and Buddy on what the band’s done and what’s still to come.

In July 2001, Oscar’s Downfall released their first CD, Prerecorded Lives, and had their songs played on Tech’s local radio station (88.5 FM). Soon after, they took a 34-hour drive (impressive!) to Las Vegas and continued on to Los Angeles to play for Richard Reines, CEO of Drive-Thru Records (a popular label that’s signed bands like Dashboard Confessional [now at Vagrant Records], New Found Glory, and Something Corporate), with whom Justin had been in touch during the previous months. Richard was pleased with their music but requested a larger fan base before signing them. No need to worry, the band’s second release, The $200 EP (available at the Sound Shop), has gotten only good reviews from those who have listened to it. A senior girl says, “I love the energy that their music conveys. It really gets me going.”With songs like “Daytime TV” and “Detour Ahead,” this CD of seven songs (and a hidden track) is a great listen for the rocker in you. What does it sound like? Bassist Andrew says, “We sound like a cross between Jimmy Eat World and Blink 182, but with more emphasis on melody.” If that’s not your style, give it a chance. The music will speak for itself. Buddy also noted that “the impression people get from a band’s live performance can stick with them as much as the music.” Having been to a few Oscar’s Downfall shows myself, I can vouch for that, as can junior Ryan Goodman, who says, “The energy of the band during live shows it totally rockin’!” Travis adds, “People who’ve never seen us play before walk away pleasantly surprised.”

So when can you be pleasantly surprised? Currently, drummer Justin (who often takes his shirt off during shows to reveal his tattoos of stars across his chest) is interning in Los Angeles at Revelation Records (a hardcore punk label) until December, but the band has found a temp in Daniel Ridley, drummer of Djyche (I still can’t pronounce it), another local punk band. They have no shows scheduled at this time but are pending a few, so check their website for that as well as other OD info (pictures, audio, etc.): www.oscarsdownfall.com. What’s ahead for this lively indie-rock quintet? Their biggest goal is to get signed by a label, right now looking at Victory Records (who’s signed bands like Thursday and Taking Back Sunday). Thanks to Andrew, Travis, and Buddy for their time, and readers, check them out. Like sophomore Stephen Bush says, “They’re awesome!”

Article prepared for web by Joy Wheeler