David Begin sits down with Todd Bowes of Downcity Armory for Midday Records “Get to Know the Artists” feature. Downcity Armory will be competing on Friday, January 24 at The Met in Pawtucket, RI for a chance to perform at the next Midday Social.

Midday Records: Lets start with the basics. Can you tell us a little bit about the band and the story behind the name, “Downcity Armory“?

Downcity Armory: Downcity Armory started as just a solo project while I was in between tours with my previous group. Eventually I finished the songs with producer Phil Petrie and put them on Bandcamp. That was the end, until people actually liked it and started asking me to perform live. Now we’re playing shows, rehearsing new material; I really never expected it to go even this far. I chose the name Downcity Armory for two reasons: the downtown area of Providence, where I live, is called Downcity and that had a nice ring to it. I love the city and wanted to represent it. The “armory” part comes from a sociopolitical concept of the individual, their voice and their creativity, as a weapon against injustice. Your choice to speak out makes you a weapon.

MDR: You’re currently working on a new album, what can we expect in terms of sound and message?

DCA: We were working on “Workhorse/Firehorse” a double EP, with the former consisting of all aggressive, hard industrial tunes, the latter a more catchy, hooky, electrorock album. An early critic, albeit an appreciative one, noted that we had two sides to our sound, and wanted us to pick one. I just decided to make two EPs and give the people a choice. While most of the songs will continue our efforts to point out injustice and corporate fealty, some of the songs get a narrower focus on more timely topics, like the whole NSA wiretapping scandal, and women’s issues.

MDR: You’ve mentioned that any proceeds the band takes in go to charity. Can you go further into detail about this? Which charities and why have you chosen this path for the project?

DCA: Back in the day, people used not to think twice about spending money on music. Buying tapes and CDs was just how you got music. Sure you heard songs on the radio and on friends’ mixtapes but eventually you wound up at the record store. The internet changed all that. But instead of lament it, I’d rather give people another incentive to spend their money on music. Charity seemed like a good idea. Besides, you can’t really go around saying things like “real social welfare is corporate dependence” and then hog all your merch money. Of course, that’s just a personal decision, mind you. We would never discriminate against another band who worked hard and played hard and then decided to keep the dough they made! Bands are good causes too!

Anyway, last year we supported two charities: Free Geek Providence and Rosie’s Place, with donations culled from fans who spent money on our music. Free Geek because they help the less fortunate get computers and get online; you’d be surprised by how many people are not wired into the web. Computers are creative tools too; we use them to make art and music, not just send emails and watch videos. We supported Rosie’s Place when we released our single “Girls Love Digital” because they’re a women’s shelter who do a great job servicing their community, and our song was designed to be an anthem for women. We plan on continuing to work with more charities and non-profits in 2014, so please, download some songs or order a t-shirt. We don’t keep a dime.

MDR: Which of your songs do you enjoy playing live the most?

DCA: All our tunes really fire me up, but these days, “Private Army” seems to be the band favorite. I also love the live response our latest single “Girls Love Digital” has gotten from fans.

MDR: You’ll be competing for a chance to perform at The Midday Social, have you attended a Midday Social in the past or worked with Midday Records prior to this event? If so, what was the experience like for you?

DCA: Downcity Armory wouldn’t even be here right now if it weren’t for the Midday Social. The ability to make face-to-face connections with all the people in the biz who seemed mythically unreachable before, and are now suddenly ground-level and excited to meet you, has made all the difference in the trajectory of DCA. We’ve represented at every Midday Social so far and will continue to do so. We also appeared on the Midday Records charity compilation for OneFund Boston. Despite the tragic circumstances surrounding that release, we were excited to be a part of it, and appreciate Midday Records’ history of giving to causes.

MDR: What can we expect to see in this upcoming year from the band?

DCA: The double EP, and more shows. We plan on busting out and getting to some other major cities to spread our sound around and get more people involved. 2014 is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese zodiac, and we plan on making it a memorable one.