Life Down Here

About: Life Down Here is: Michelle Blanchard (vocals, guitar), Eli Shkurkin (bass), Jeff Dennis (guitar), Nick Adams (drums)
Radio: "All that you are" Supported at KFMA (Tucson), WEND (Charlotte), Gashouse Radio (New Jersey), Indie1031.com (Los Angeles), Moheak Radio (Los Angeles), WZNE (Rochester) and internationally at Flux FM (Germany), EuroTrashMusic (South Africa), AllgauHIT (Germany), Radio Doble Neuve (Lima, Peru) and more...
Live: OPened for Paramore as a special request by the band-August 2012, Opened for Lostprophets at The Roxy, August 2012, Los Angeels/Nashville/San Francisco/Palm Springs PrideJune-November 2012. Shows in Los Angeles / Nashville / San Francisco / Las Vegas and more. Currently on an extensive US High School Tour - One Movement For Music Magazine

LA-based band Life Down Here are the sole reason that I’ve logged on to Facebook this year. The only emotion stronger than my hate for Facebook is my love for rock-pop-punk, and these guys & girl do the latter so well. Their music player is filled with up-tempo crunching guitar tracks featuring slightly cynical and often sneered vocals that'll be enjoyed by anyone who has ever jammed out to Paramore - Auto Straddle / Crystal

Bands nowadays are becoming increasingly experimental with styles. But in the midst of that, Life Down Here presents something very pure and true to its genre. Their aggressive rock sound has captured the attention of thousands of listeners since their formation in early 2011.




Life Down Here carries on the legacy of late 90's garage rock bands, in regards to their straight forward musical approach. It’s driving, not over complicated, and decorated by screams and guitar solos. Lyrically, Life Down Here embodies all the teenage angst one could hope for from a young band. Most of their songs, despite the subject, speak out of an an unforgiving and combative tone. The energy and attitude is great, but to be honest, for me, it becomes a bit predictable and cliche after a few songs.

From what we can tell, lead singer Michelle Blanchard’s character seems to be a perfect example of what directors have tried to portray in all those cheesy Disney-esque movies about the punk chick singer and her band. Most of which, failed miserably. I guess they should have known Blanchard.

Still, a young band and pure at heart, this quartet have a lot of ground to cover and are doing well to keep afloat in the scene that is drowning so many other acts. Let’s see how they progress in the upcoming year.

For now you can stay up to date with Life Down Here by visiting their website, Facebook and Twitter pages.


- Venture Mag / Bryson Schmidt

Los Angeles based quartet Life Down Here is that pop punk act with an hardcore edge that really brings back the meaning of music. Find out what the band has to say about how they got started up until what they are doing right now. Discover even MORE interviews HERE.



1. Life Down Here what is Life Down Here?



Originally, “Life Down Here” was the name of one of our songs, which is now called, “Calling Out”. We were in the recording process and we didn’t really have a band name yet, we had tried to come up with several names, but none that really hit us. At that same time, my father was taken into the hospital and grew very sick. Within 4 weeks of him being in the hospital, he unfortunately slipped away and as it is, WE (the band) are living Life Down Here and he is no longer a part of that. So that’s how “Life Down Here” came about.



2. Tell me about your music what type is it and what type of band are you?



First and for most, I am a guitar player and grew up listening to bands like Metallica and System and am very fond of what Haley from Paramore is all about. That being said, our music is a little more guitar centric and if we were to hit the road I’d love to see us play with bands like Rise Against, Paramore, or even System of a Down.



3. Do you have any material currently available right now?



Yes, our album “The Beginning” just came out on Jan 6th. It’s available on Itunes or our website (<a href=”http://www.lifedownhereband.com/”>www.lifedownhereband.com</a>).



4. What type of recording process did you use? Who produced your recording?



We recorded our album “The Beginning” at NRG recording studios and Jay Baumgardner was the producer on the project. Working with Jay was a really awesome experience. He pushes you for the best takes he can possibly get out of you. If we say we’ve completed a song or a guitar part, we go back and listen to it the next day, and he or myself think it could be done better, we tried and tried until we got it just the way we liked it. It was a lot of work and lots of fun. I definitely learned a lot from that man.



5. How did you sell your CD’s/Audio Files?



Right now, we sell our cd’s and merch at shows, online on our website (<a href=”http://www.lifedownhereband.com/”>www.lifedownhereband.com</a>), Facebook Fan Page (<a href=”http://www.facebook.com/lifedownhere”>www.facebook.com/lifedownhere</a>) and Itunes. You can also find us on Spotify and our YouTube Channel (<a href=”http://www.youtube.com/lifedownhereband”>www.youtube.com/lifedownhereband</a>).



6. Who are your musical influences?



Some of our biggest musical influences would be System of a Down and Metallica; to Paramore and Rise against vibe, even like the old school rock; Zepplin and Hendrix, all the way to something chill very singer songwriter vibe; Melissa Etheridge.



7. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)



“The Beginning” is basically an overview of the last couple years of my life. Everything from abusive and failed relationships, to suicide and mental institutions, to believing in yourself and celebrating your life and being who you want to be.



8. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)



I co – write every song. Whether it’s written by only me; me and eli, the bass player; or a handful of other writers (ie: Jason Evigan from After Midnight Project, or Marcos Curiel from POD). There’s no real process per say, the creative process is a unique and different thing for every song you create.



9. Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? (Why?)



Definitely the independent label route. It seems that there’s a level of passion and attention to detail at the indie labels that I rarely see at the majors but I’m open to all things given the right circumstances.



10. What live performance experience have you had? (Any industry showcases?)



We play every weekend, sometimes even 2 to 3 times a week! It would have to be the one thing that I can say has really helped us develop our sound, look and feel as a band.



11. Life Down Here can expect to do what in 2012?



In 2012, I would ideally love to see us playing around like we have been. Maybe even get ourselves a little tour, we just released our album so trying to build a following and get our music out in the world so everyone can know who Life Down Here is!

By Natalie Perez of Natalie’s World Email natalieperez9387@gmail.com

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- Indie Music News / rocknmetalwriter / Natalie Perez

At only 16 years old, Michelle Blanchard, lead singer and guitarist for Life Down Here, decided to leave her high school in Las Vegas and pursue her passion for music. Just a few years later, Blanchard – with band mates Eli Shkurkin, Nick Adams, and Jeff Dennis – finds herself in LA recording with super producer Jay Baumgardner (Evanescence, Papa Roach, Drowning Pool) on his label, NRG Artists, set to release a debut album in early 2012. Here, the out lesbian front woman, who recently opened for Sick of Sarah on The Lady Killer Tour, talks about her decision to drop out of school, musical influences, being an openly gay artist, and more.

CherryGRRL (CG): So you guys just spent time recording with Jay Baumgardner. What was that like and what is the status of the debut album?

Michelle Blanchard (MB): Well, we just finished up a last minute song to add to our album “The Beginning,” which is set to be released January 6th. But the whole experience working with Jay and everyone over at NRG studios has been pretty amazing. All the inside jokes, the fun times we had taking the pics of the days, just the whole thing was rad! Not to mention, the cd sounds killer!

CG: What role did Baumgardner play in taking you guys to the next level? How did you come into contact with him and what did he say attracted him to working with you?

MB: We actually met Jay through a friend of an old business acquaintance. We showed him some demos, and I believe he saw potential. Right off the bat we all seemed pretty stoked about working with each other. This album, compared to the demo that we first had, are as different as night and day. Jay definitely pushed me as a guitarist, and vocally ripped me to shreds to get this album out of me. Jay would never take no for answer, and I thank him for that!

CG: I was really impressed when I learned that you are only 19 and that you dropped out of high school to pursue music at 16. Tell us about that decision and why you decided to pursue your dream so early.

MB: Around the age of 16 I dropped out of school and started working on my music career. I basically told my parents, “I kinda wanna do the whole music thing and be in a band for the rest of my life, what do you think?” They were all for it and ever since then, I went to vocal lessons, guitar lessons, writing sessions, put together a band, rehearsed, and started playing shows. Once you start putting yourself out there as an artist and a band, you start meeting the people you need to meet to make it to where you want to be. I’ve found that you have to stick with it, give it everything you have, and definitely work your ass off to make it in this business.

CG: What was your biggest fear, if you had any, in making that choice?

MB: I guess the thing that scared me the most was never knowing what was gonna happen next. Even today, our numbers continue to go up, and more and more people are showing up to our gigs, but there is always that slight chance that things may not turn out the way you want. In all honesty if you keep fighting, and keep making sure you do everything in your power to get where you want, nothing can stop you.

CG: So your family and friends were supportive of it?

MS: Oh definitely! Everyone in my family tries to make it out to all the shows and tell their friends. I think they are more into it than I am! (laughs) Just kidding. But yes, they are super supportive in everything I do.

CG: Tell us about the evolution of your band’s name from “Lights Don’t Shine Down Here” to “Life Down Here.”

MS: “Life Down Here” has actually always been our name. We were thinking about having the name represent the fact that I was from Vegas. Not the glamorous part of Vegas, but more so the outskirts and the rougher areas. “Lights Don’t Shine Down Here” was kind of where we left that off, but then a big thing happened in my life while making this record. I lost my father. That gave “Life Down Here” the meaning that it has today. We are ALL “Life Down Here,” and he is no longer a part of that. (continued on next page)
CG: Life Down Here works to raise funds for finding a cure for autoimmune diseases. Is this related to your father’s passing?

MS: He had an autoimmune disease, and my two sisters also have autoimmune diseases. My dad got sick, went to the hospital, and within a month, I lost him. It was definitely the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. I want to make sure we can help other families so they don't have to go through what I did. That being said, all our designs are purple, not just because it is my favorite color, but also because it's the color of the autoimmune awareness ribbon. I also wear a strip of purple tape around my left hand ring finger in honor of my dad and sisters. On our website, we have a little section dedicated to making donations to the AARDA (American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association).

CG: Clearly you have some crazy guitar skills. How did you learn to play and w - Cherry Girrl / Admin2

Michelle and the boys [a.k.a. Eli, Nick, and Jeff] of Life Down Here are one of the hardest working young rock bands in the LA indie scene. If you haven’t heard of them, that’s okay…because you soon will. They recently finished recording their debut album, aptly named “The Beginning,” (release date TBD) which was tracked at the infamous rock mega studio, NRG, by multi-platinum mixer/producer Jay Baumgardner (Papa Roach, Seether, Alien Ant Farm) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (RHCP, Muse, Nirvana). They released the first single off the album, “Seven Letters” free to fans last week as a way to say thanks for over 1500 likes on Facebook (up from a little over 700 this time last month). And every time we turn around these guys (and girl) are playing yet another gig in the LA area and beyond! Check it:

9/22 – The Libertine – Los Angeles

9/24 – Club Babylon – Fresno, CA

9.30 – Shamrocks – Chino Hills, CA

10/5 – The Good Hurt – Los Angeles, CA

10/7 – The Roxy – Los Angeles, CA

To say they are hard workers is an understatement. Between rehearsals, gigs, phone calls, emails, meetings and a tremendously active social media presence, they barely have time to come up for air before diving back in. But it seems that’s exactly the environment and lifestyle they most thrive in, as it should be. And in world where too many artists their age are trying to get “likes” on Facebook before they are trying to play shows, where they spend more time on Twitter than they do rehearsing, and put more energy toward how they look than how they sound, Life Down Here is a much needed exception and a breath of fresh air, both sonically and socially. But that’s not to say they don’t like to have fun interacting with fans on social media, because they do…like their ever-popular “pic of the day” posted on their FB wall, or even their behind the scenes video clips posted on YouTube including one pretty serious studio update that turned quickly into a Sharpie marker fight. Either way, this young, female fronted, rock punk foursome is a force to be reckoned with. Don’t believe us? Go check out one of the shows listed above and see for yourself. - Rockstar Digital