Brett Petrusek	Marc Paradise	Teddy Gordon	Robert Berg	Eric Domagall
Vocals and Guitar	Guitar	Guitar	Bass	Drums

Downtread's music won't necessarily get you into a fight - but it'll sure as hell get you a speeding ticket. Upon first listen, Downtread roars forward with all the subtlety of a supercharged Plymouth Barracuda - the ultimate muscle car - ripping through a residential neighborhood at 3 am.

But behind the big-ass swaggering rock ‘n' roll sound, the Minneapolis band's lyrics offer strikingly thoughtful portraits of vulnerability and self-doubt. "Yeah, these songs are full of dark desperation," admits lead guitarist and vocalist Brett Petrusek, adding with a grin "but it's also a good kind of pain. Hey, if you care enough to feel pain, it means you're still alive and you give a shit."

Formed in 2007, the Downtread hit the road aggressively for their first live performance - a head-rattling set at the Dallas International Guitar Festival. They've been rockin' ever since with headlining shows in their Minnesota home state, also earning major props at national showcases at Sturgis and Rocklahoma and winning new fans while warming up for rock icons such as Whitesnake, Judas Priest, Cheap Trick, Ratt and Bret Michaels.

Downtread's new 10-song album finally connects the dots between the band's dirt track roots and full-throttle future.

Those roots are on full display in the big, mean guitars and tongue-in-cheek lyrics of "Down." Continuing the theme, "144" features a guest solo by Petrusek's childhood guitar hero George Lynch (Lynch Mob, Dokken). After being approached by the band, Lynch soon became a fan and joined Downtread on with mastery and prowess on two tracks: "Without you now" and "Lovesong".

The band's forward-looking vibe is highlighted by "Grey," a showcase for the group's rapidly expanding dynamic range and seductively ambiguous lyrics. The group chose "144" - with its tough riffing and primal urgency - as the album's title track because it charts the group's forward trajectory: "It was the last song we wrote for the record," Domagall explains, "and it shows us pushing in a more aggressive direction. Plus, it just looks cool when it's written down."

Downtread's larger-than-life hard rocking vibe was fully captured on record by the production team of Jeremy Tappero and Grammy-winner James "Fluff" Harley of World Record Productions (Supersuckers, Quietdrive, Dave Pirner, Attention).

The production team's notable pedigree didn't prevent Downtread from revealing their true, chip-on-their-shoulders energy. "I'm most likely to be inspired by an experience that pissed me off," Petrusek admits. "A genuinely angry song isn't contrived - it has an actual foundation and substance. It might not be pretty, but it's damn sure going to be real."