An interview with Atlas Soundtrack presented my yours truly. Atlas has done a ton of shows and will even be opening up for Lupe Fiasco. Check out their new album, “The Garden”.
We all went to State College Area High School, class of 2002. Moments passed. We lived our separate lives. When I (Drew) came back from Full Sail University in Orlando, Fl in 2007, I was looking for a musical outlet. Josh and I had always spoke of starting a band. I contacted Matt, our guitarist/ vocalist and eventually locked in a bass player. Finally we had all the pieces to the puzzle. We jammed and the music started flowing.
From the beginning we set out to produce an original style of music. We made sure that no restrictions were placed and let each member blend in their own style. The product was hip-hop/ reggae/ rock.
Spring 2008, we entered into a band battle at Cafe 210. With barely five original songs in completion, we won with a unanimous decision. From that point on we were the Sunday night band for the month of April. Immediately we sought after the mission to create as much original material as we could. By the end of summer 2008 we had amassed an archive of original material capable of filling a full night of entertainment. During that time we added auxiliary members (Kyle(percussion/ turntables) and Mani(emcee)) to round out the sound.
Since then we have dropped Mani and replaced Kenny with Mick, our current bass player.
Q. How long have you guys been working on the songs for this album?
We are constantly creating new material. The songs on the current album were created over the course of two years. In selecting the songs for the album, we chose the songs that most felt like our vibe at the time. The songs selected just so happened to fit into the concept of “The Garden”. “The Garden” representing the environment that we as human beings live in. The garden is a bed for growth and prosperity, but based on the conditions provided, it determines how life will manifest.
Q. Whats behind the name Atlas Soundtrack?
The name “Atlas Soundtrack” evolved with the music. Originally, we called ourselves “The Biz”. This didn’t catch for the fact that the name was already in heavy use and it didn’t really represent the music that was being created. Eventually, at the end of a jam session, Matt suggested the name “Atlas Playlist”, a name he and his boy conjured while camping. It immediately evoked a certain quality. We switched “Playlist” for “Soundtrack” and we were in business. The name represented us and the music we were creating.
Q.What are some Pros and Cons of being an up and coming band in State College/ Penn State?
Being an all-original, hip-hop/ reggae/ rock band, we face allot of cons. With the respect of friends, family, and true music heads, we’ve been able to secure a steady following. Unfortuantely, State College/ Penn State is geared towards cover bands. Atlas is operating in an environment that caters to popular music. Our music is unknown and therefore unpopular. It takes listeners about two shows to adapt to what we’re putting out.
It’s refreshing to audience members in search of something new, but too far away from those that desire a live juke-box.
On the flipside, we have been able to captivate folks in search of new original music. Being a college town, there is a hot-bed of students searching for the next wave of music. It’s safe to say that we provide the most original live music performance available in the area.
Q. You guys officially placed in the Movin On Battle of the Bands, how does it feel to know you’ll be sharing the stage with Lupe Fiasco and O.A.R?
We our grateful to the Penn State community for garnering us the privilege of performing at this years Movin’ On concert. Being that we all have graduated or our completing a degree at PSU, we’re particularly excited to perform for our student body.
My (Drew) objective is to hold a conversation with Lupe about how he develops his musical concepts for songs.
It’s an honor and certainly a privilege to share the stage with such an elite cast.
Q. What do you forsee happening for Atlas Soundtrack for the rest of 2011, any big plans?
We our releasing our first official LP on March 26th. We expect this to be the launch pad for some serious performances nationwide. We have gone live with www.atlassoundtrack.com.
There is a PSU college circuit tour in the works and we our expanding. Pittsburgh, DMV, Mid-West, and all down the East Coast are all on the agenda for this year.