Formed in Portland, OR in late 2000 by Erik Planer and former HazyTrane drummer Bryan Neary, the downstairs began auditioning bass players in early 2001.

After many weeks of auditions, bassist Erric Gilbert joined the group and gigs soon followed. Guitarist Kristen Lee joined in the spring of 2001, leading to the departure of Gilbert for creative differences. Planer, Neary and Kristen Lee began recording The Rise of Agriculture at Willbridge Studios while also holding auditions for a new bass player. Another grueling few months of auditions ensued and Sam was added in the summer of 2001.

After the bands August show at The Twilight Cafe, only weeks after the addition of their new bassist, Sam left to join a cover band and the fate of the downstairs was sealed, officially spliting up weeks later in the fall of 2001. Planer and Neary wrapped up production on The Rise of Agriculture EP in September of 2001.

From the linear notes of The Rise of Agriculture EP:

This is a glimpse into our concept album that was never fully finished. The band split up during the recording of the album so what you hear on these four tracks are pieces of an uncompleted puzzle, more songs were to be recorded. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.