Down II: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow is the second album by Down, released on March 26, 2002. The subtitle "A Bustle in Your Hedgerow" is borrowed from the lyrics of "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.

This was Down's first album in seven years since the release of NOLA, the longest gap between the band's three studio albums to date. Since Down was a supergroup, the band went on hiatus in 1996 so that members could focus on their main bands (namely Eyehategod, Corrosion of Conformity, Crowbar and Pantera). Down reformed in 1999 with Pantera bassist Rex Brown replacing Todd Strange. The band wanted the album to have a "bluesy" feel, so they moved into Phil Anselmo's barn, dubbed "Nödferatu's Lair," in southern Louisiana where they lived and recorded the album in 28 days without anyone leaving the house.

The album was released on March 26, 2002, but was not received with the same positive reviews as NOLA. Blabbermouth.net reviewer Borivoj Krgin stated, "Down II appears to have been thrown together more haphazardly, with much of the material falling short of the standard set by Down's classic debut offering." However, UK critics were more enthusiastic, with Metal Hammer awarding the album 8/10 and Rock Sound declaring it "a storming experience from the depths" and rating it at 4/5. Despite its poor US reviews, the album debuted at number 44 on the Billboard 200.

The Benevento/Russo Duo (or The Duo for short) is an alternative jazz/rock band from New York City, featuring Marco Benevento on keyboard instruments and Joe Russo on drums.

Benevento and Russo met while in junior high school in New Jersey. The Duo began in 2001 when Russo secured a weekly gig at New York's Knitting Factory music club, and asked Benevento to join him on the Hammond B3 organ. By 2003 the band had self-released two albums, Debut Album (sometimes referred to as Benevento/Russo Duo) and Darts. In 2005, Best Reason to Buy the Sun was released on Ropeadope Records to critical acclaim. Play Pause Stop was released on July 11, 2006.

The Duo was the winner of New Groove of the Year in 2005, at the 5th Annual Jammys. Joe Russo has previously won the New Groove of the Year award in 2000, as a member of Fat Mama.

The band's unique style blends elements of rock, punk, acid jazz, and fusion. This distinctive sound is the product of a gradual evolution that began with the Hammond organ-driven jazz improvisation of their Knitting Factory days. Their music is powerful and danceable;overdriven keyboard riffs (often looped on an electronic sampler), outlandish noise effects and forceful, technical drumming are all characteristic of the Duo's musical style. They have been a staple in the jam band scene since 2003 and have appeared multiple times at popular music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Wakarusa. Improvisation plays an important role in the Duo's live performances, but their focus is on tight rock arrangements.

Rex Robert Brown (born July 27, 1964 in Graham, Texas) is an American heavy metal bassist for the band Kill Devil Hill. A former member of Down, he is most famous as the longtime bassist for the Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling band Pantera.

Rex joined Pantera in 1982 with his classmate from the high school jazz band drummer Vinnie Paul, guitarist Dimebag Darrell (then known as Diamond Darrell), and vocalist Terry Glaze. During the early days of Pantera, Rex Brown went by the stage name Rexx Rocker. For the 1990 album Cowboys from Hell he was credited simply as Rex. It was not until the 1996 album The Great Southern Trendkill that he used his full name of Rex Brown.

Pantera recruited vocalist Phil Anselmo to replace Glaze in 1987. By 1990 the band had been signed to Atco Records and released Cowboys from Hell which proved to be the band's turning point. Over the course of four more studio records, a live album and a greatest hits compilation, Pantera were nominated for four best metal performance Grammys, for "I'm Broken," "Suicide Note Pt. I," "Cemetery Gates," and "Revolution Is My Name." During downtime Brown, Dimebag, and Vinnie teamed up with country artist David Allan Coe in a project called Rebel Meets Rebel in 1999. This group released an album on May 2, 2006 on Vinnie Paul's Big Vin Records label. Rebel Meets Rebel disbanded in 2004.

Jimmy Bower (born September 19, 1968) is an American sludge/heavy metal guitarist and drummer who has played with six bands, most notably Eyehategod,Crowbar, Down, and Superjoint Ritual.

Jimmy Bower is known in some circles as the "Godfather of Southern Metal" for his involvement in the New Orleans Metal and Hardcore scene, as well as being a founding member of legendary sludge metal bands Eyehategod and Crowbar which is an obvious influence on many of the hardcore and heavy metal bands that later emerged from the South. Jimmy is also a founding member of Down and Superjoint Ritual, along with former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo. Jimmy has also been a large part in the histories of bands such as Corrosion of Conformity and Crowbar as a touring drummer. He´s known under the nickname "Bower Power".