Doc Downs & The Next Round

The Next Round is the next new thing for musician Doc Downs. Formerly the bassist for several well-loved Nashville rock bands, including Dreaming in English and Kim’s Fable, Doc has been in the music scene for over two decades. However, life took an unexpected turn for Doc when his ability to play professionally was impaired by Multiple Sclerosis. Eight years passed while he struggled with the frustration of losing his ability to maneuver a fret board and make a bass or a guitar hum like he’d done for decades. Then a pandemic hit, and while the outside world hit pause, Doc found time to focus inward. The desire to play again started to outweigh the frustration of no longer having the dexterity he once found effortless. Guitar in hand and ego laid aside, his fingers found the strings again and songs began to flow. . . but this time he played the blues. With a little encouragement from lifelong friends in the industry, Doc got back on a stage and started recording again. His gratitude to be able to play again is what spearheaded his next band, Doc Downs and The Next Round, and blues fans have started to take notice

Jimmy Flynn is the youngest child from a talented musical family. He started playing piano and sax at a young age and was in jazz bands throughout his school years. When other kids his age listened to Van Halen and Quiet Riot, Jimmy spun records from artists like Bob James, Grover Washington Jr., George Benson, etc. He began to recognize an innate ability to hear the “low notes” and the rhythms that bounce along under the melodies. Influenced by his two older brothers, both professional musicians, he taught himself to play bass and honed his skills while listening to Chicago Blues. 

In the 90s and 2000s, Jimmy was active on the Minneapolis (Twin Cities) blues scene. A regular
with Joe T. Cook and the Longshots for several years, he played with various incredible musicians such as John Franken, Jeremy Johnson, and (Boom Boom) Steve Vonderharr, to name a few.
In addition to Chicago Blues, Jimmy is heavily influenced by West Coast Blues after being introduced to
the music from the Hollywood Fats Band. He learned to play upright bass while studying the work of
bassist Larry “The Mole” Taylor, who left his indelible mark on the blues world through his music. 

After spending many years focused on being a dad, a husband, and a professional, Jimmy finds himself in Nashville carving out his small corner of the Music City scene. He’s adapted and learned to play across multiple genres including Rock, Soul, Jazz, Country, and Americana. He has built a reputation for being a clutch musician, who can deliver the right sound with the right gear, every time.

Born into a musical family, drummer Nathan (Nate to most), grew up surrounded by the sounds of his father's guitar and his mother’s piano playing. He picked up his first guitar at nine and by his teenage years he had expanded his musical talents to include the drums. He was initially drawn to pop, rock, and folk music and eventually broadened his musical tastes to include jazz and blues. And from the age of 17 performed as a working and touring musician throughout the midwest. Both as a front man and a drummer.

In 1996, Nate moved to Nashville with aspirations of becoming the next "hat act." However, he found his creative outlet in graphic design, and in 2000 he co-founded Redpepper Advertising Agency where he currently serves as Director of Strategy. In the summer of 2022, he was introduced to Doc and the two clicked instantly. With his passion for music reignited, the two began playing together, and Doc Downs and The Next Round began to take shape. Recently, Nathan built a home studio where the band rehearses and records Doc's material.

When he’s not behind the drum kit or coming up with advertising strategies, Nate is a devoted husband and father of two young boys, with musical talents of their own.