Sticks Downey

Sticks Downey is a three-person rap group from Portland, OR. We formed (loosely) in 2007, after repeatedly running into one another on the flea market circuit. After hastily sealing the deal with a run-of-the-mill “blood in/blood out” pact, we spent the next year holding marathon roundtable discussions predicated on riffing, spitballing, tossing ideas around the room, and running a myriad of objects up a series of flagpoles. We eventually came to find ourselves on the same page, and we feel we’ve knocked it out of the park. And by “it,” I am of course referring to the pinpoint-precise collection of songs we recorded after our white board was too jam-packed with ideas to possibly house one more meticulously diagrammed song graph, and once we realized the marker we had been using was indeed permanent.

Our debut album (CD) is called When the Belt Changes Hands, and I’ve done us all a great favor by self-releasing it on Sly Records, a small but powerful label I won a majority share in while refereeing an early morning Guadalajaran cockfight back in ‘02 (long story). It’s crammed full of 14 tracks, equaling over 50 minutes of music. If you buy the CD version (and my secret family prays that you do) you’ll even get the lyrics, though you must provide your own highlighter.

Wockenfuss (the one in the middle up there–me) crafts the beats, writes and raps the rhymes, and fidges with the MIDI.
Talik (left) plays bass, guitar, and keys.
Foots (right) sings and is also the quintessential hypewoman.

If you are in need of press-type photos of us, you can get them here:

Sticks photos by Rebecca Bateman

They were done by Rebecca Bateman, and she wants some credit, you vultures.

If there’s anything else you want to know or are dying to ask, you can use this page to contact us.