Down the Line

Down the Line, the Chicago-based quartet consisting of Levi Britton, Derek Fawcett, Dan Myers, and Dave Rothkopf—none of them Chicago natives—refers to its music as acoustic pop. Electricity powers only the bass guitar, while acoustic guitars, djembe, harmonica, mandolin, violin, and layered voices supply the remaining instrumentation. That combination has produced a recognizable identity both during the group’s own concerts and on bills supporting like-minded performers such as America, Pat Benatar, Ben Folds, Peter Frampton, and Colin Hay. The members formed their own Down the Line label and issued the debut album Welcome to Flavortown independently in 2002, followed by Please Remember My Name in 2005 and For All You Break in 2007. On March 11, 2008, they released the live set Home Alive, which draws material from all three studio albums.