Biography
Philadelphia's Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start blended emo, punk, and traces of metal within an indie rock framework when the group came together during the final years of the 1990s. The members deliberately adopted the full Konami cheat code as their moniker, a nod to the sequence long favored by players seeking an edge in titles such as Nintendo's Contra. Although personnel shifted repeatedly after the band's launch, founder Steve Poponi remained the sole unchanging presence, serving throughout as vocalist and guitarist. Multiple EPs appeared in the group's earliest period, after which tracking for the debut album And Nothing Is #1 commenced toward the end of 2001. Work continued into the first months of 2002, and OHEV Records issued the completed set in autumn 2003 before Limekiln Records handled a subsequent reissue. The lineup featured on that record comprised Poponi alongside bassist Dave Damm, drummer/vocalist Scott Rumble, and guitarist Phil Apostol. Limekiln next put out the EP Perris, CA in summer 2005, an effort that led into a cluster of further releases: the Live in the Studio EP, the Internet EP, and the Girls Names EP, the last two offered as free online downloads. Four years after their initial long-player, the band stepped away from shorter formats to deliver the full-length Worst Band Name Ever in June 2007. Guitarist David Downham, bassist Dave Damm, drummer Dave Dunn, and guitarist John Masino completed the lineup for the project. Clocking in at ten tracks across twenty-one minutes, the album adopted a noticeably gentler tone than earlier material. Positive notices notwithstanding, the group elected to disband in mid-2008, with their final concert taking place that August.
Albums