Wednesday, February 4, 2009






BIOGRAPHY

The Ataris is a pop punk band originally hailing from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent, Welcome the Night, was released on February 20, 2007.

The Ataris have produced several full-length recordings of relatively cookie-cutter pop-punk. Taking more influence from mainstream alternative acts than the punk artists they tour with, the Ataris were discovered by Vandals founder Joe Escalante in early 1997, after songwriter Kris Roe met him at a Vandals concert. Impressed by his demo tape, Escalante asked Roe to put together a full band and record for his label, Kung-Fu Records. Vocalist/guitarist Roe picked up and moved to California in search of bandmates, and eventually added guitarist Marco Peña, bassist Mike Davenport, and former Lagwagon drummer Derrick Plourde. Plourde was later replaced by new drummer Chris Knapp.

The newly formed Ataris made their first record, Anywhere But Here, for Kung-Fu and soon came to the notice of Fat Wreck Chords owner Fat Mike. Realizing the opportunity to move to a stronger, better-grounded label, the Ataris willingly signed to Fat Wreck. They quickly issued an EP, Look Forward to Failure, produced by several members of the Descendents. Early in 1999, the band released their second full-length album, Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits. After the album's release, they toured with MxPx, blink-182, and Homegrown before issuing Let It Burn in 2000. End Is Forever followed in 2001, after which the Ataris made the leap to the majors with 2003's So Long, Astoria on Columbia. The album featured new guitarist John Collura; it sold well and tracks like "In This Diary" and the Don Henley cover "The Boys of Summer" were successful on MTV and the modern rock charts. Live at the Metro followed in February 2004, though not much else band activity occurred that year.

After spending several months recording their fifth album and Astoria follow-up, the Ataris chose to leave Columbia in early summer 2006 amid much turnover in the label's staff and rumors of an impending merger with Epic. The album's July release was consequently delayed, though the band pressed on label-less with various South American tour dates. Sonic and lineup changes had also ensued, and by this time, the band (with its new post-rock vibe) was sporting a whopping seven members: Roe, Collura, guitarist/vocalist Paul Carabello, cellist Angus Cooke, keyboardist Bob Hoag, bassist Sean Hansen, and drummer Shane Chikeles. They eventually created their own label, Isola Recordings, and through a partnership with Sanctuary finally issued Welcome the Night, a darker, more rock-based effort, in February 2007.




HISTORY



Kung Fu Records (1995–2002)


Formed in 1995, the band originally consisted of singer, songwriter, guitarist Kristopher Roe and guitarist Jasin Thomason. Using a 4-track, they wrote and recorded demos in Roe's bedroom, using a drum machine while they searched for a full-time drummer. The band's first big break came in 1996 when Kris attended a show at the club Bogart's in Cincinnati, where he passed one of the band's demo tapes to a roadie from the band. The roadie gave the tape to Joe Escalante, bassist from the band The Vandals who owned their own label, Kung Fu Records. A few weeks later, Roe received a call from Kung Fu Records, who told him they were interested in putting out their record, even though he was really only searching for a drummer.

The Ataris signed to Kung Fu and the label passed the tape along to various drummers. Eventually Roe decided upon ex-Lagwagon drummer Derrick Plourde. The band then proceeded to record their debut album Anywhere but Here, tracking the whole thing in less than a week. The album was released on April 29, 1997 and the band held a release show party at Missing Link Records in Indianapolis on May 2.

in June of 1997, Roe moved from Anderson, Indiana to Santa Barbara, California. Shortly afterward, Marko Desantis joined the band on bass for a short time. Thomason decided to leave the band to stay in Indiana, and the group toured as a three-piece for a short while. After a brief tour in October 1997, this lineup disbanded. Roe, out of money and living in a van, contemplated moving back to Indiana. But the band still had an upcoming tour booked with Dance Hall Crashers and Unwritten Law, so Roe decided to give the band one more shot. He got his friend from Santa Barbara, Mike Davenport, to play bass. Davenport shared a small rehearsal space on East Haley Street with his friend Marco Peña, who was in a different band.

One day at the rehearsal space, Roe and Davenport heard the drummer of Peña's band, Chris Knapp, playing and immediately asked him to join The Ataris. While Roe and Davenport joked that Peña would be upset over them "stealing" his band's drummer, Peña surprised them by showing up at their practice the next day, strapping on his guitar, and playing along. It turned out Peña had learned all the songs from Anywhere But Here. He joined the band as a second guitarist and the foursome went on their scheduled tour. However, Peña soon left the band due to personal reasons and was replaced by Patrick Riley.

From there, the band gradually increased in popularity in the underground rock scene, a lot due to their consistent touring and personal, DIY approach to the band. They then found more success with their EP Look Forward to Failure. However, it wasn't until the release of Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits in the year 1999 that they started to gain widespread acclaim. The album's name comes from the name of a mobile home park along Highway 101 in Santa Barbara. Also, "...next 12 exits" refers to a nearby sign on Highway 101 North that reads "Santa Barbara, Next 12 Exits". The album contained personal, storytelling lyrics and heartfelt tales of relationships, discovery and things once left behind. After this album, Riley left the band to go back to school, and Marco Peña re-joined the band.

The band's third full length studio album, End is Forever, was released in 2001. This album painted more intensely personal side of the band's storytelling and personal relationships. Due to their persistent touring schedule, a lot of the arrangements and lyrics were worked out at the last minute while in the studio and then the vocals recorded while Roe had a bad cold. Roe maintains that he was not completely happy with half of the songs, although he went on to state that in spite of this, several of the songs such as "Fast Times at Dropout High" and "Road Signs and Rock Songs" were still to date some of the band's strongest of their earlier career.


* Anywhere But Here (1997 - Kung Fu Records)
  1. Bite My Tongue
  2. Make It Last
  3. Clara
  4. As We Speak
  5. Blind and Unkind
  6. Take Me Back
  7. Lately
  8. Let It Go
  9. Alone in Santa Cruz
  10. Boxcar
  11. Are We There Yet?
  12. Anderson
  13. Neilhouse
  14. Perfectly Happy
  15. Myself
  16. Four Chord Wonder
  17. Hey Kid!
  18. Sleepy
  19. Angry Nerd Rock
  20. 1...2...3...4
  21. Ray
  22. Butterfly

* Look Forward to Failure (1998 - Fat Wreck Chords)
  1. San Dimas High School Football Rules
  2. Not a Worry in the World
  3. My So Called Life
  4. My Hotel Year
  5. Between You and Me
  6. That Special Girl (featuring Mark Hoppus)
* Blue Skies, Broken Hearts…Next 12 Exits (1999 - Kung Fu Records)
  1. Losing Streak
  2. 1*15*96 (Roe, Marko DeSantis)
  3. San Dimas High School Football Rules
  4. Your Boyfriend Sucks (The dialogue sample is from the 1993 film A Bronx Tale)
  5. I Won't Spend Another Night Alone
  6. Broken Promise Ring
  7. Angry Nerd Rock
  8. The Last Song I Will Ever Write About a Girl
  9. Choices
  10. Better Way
  11. My Hotel Year (acoustic)
  12. Life Makes No Sense
  13. Answer:
  14. In Spite of the World (Roe, Mike Davenport)
  15. Ben Lee [Australian Bonus Track]

* Let It Burn (2000 - Kung Fu Records, split with Useless ID)
  1. The Radio Still Sucks (The Ataris)
  2. Song for a Mix Tape (The Ataris)
  3. P.S. The Scene Is Dead (The Ataris)
  4. Blue Skies, Broken Hearts... Next 12 Exits (The Ataris)
  5. Let It Burn (The Ataris)
  6. How I Spent My Summer Vacation (The Ataris)
  7. On with the Show (The Ataris)
  8. San Dimas High School Football Rules [Acoustic] (The Ataris)
  9. Too Bad You Don't Get It (Useless ID)
  10. Questions + Answers (Useless ID)
  11. Run (Useless ID)
  12. Time to Move On (Useless ID)
  13. Have a Nice Life (Useless ID)
  14. Lost Once Again (Useless ID)
  15. Not to Wait (Useless ID)
  16. Something (Useless ID) (a Beatles cover that is absent from most releases of the CD)
  17. Bad Case Of Broken Heart (The Ataris) (hidden track)

* End Is Forever (2001 - Kung Fu Records)
  1. Giving Up on Love (Roe, Jasin Thomason)
  2. Summer Wind Was Always Our Song
  3. I.O.U. One Galaxy
  4. Bad Case of Broken Heart
  5. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start
  6. Road Signs and Rock Songs
  7. If You Really Want to Hear About It...
  8. Fast Times at Drop-Out High
  9. Song for a Mix Tape
  10. You Need a Hug
  11. How I Spent My Summer Vacation
  12. Teenage Riot
  13. Song #13
  14. Hello and Goodbye
  15. Ben Lee You Suck (Australian Release only)


All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know (2002)


All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know is an Australian-only EP released by The Ataris on Kung Fu Records. It was their last release for Kung Fu, before their debut on Columbia Records, So Long, Astoria. This EP was released only in Australia because the band cancelled a tour there in late 2001 due to Kris Roe's fear of flying after the September 11 attacks.

The EP contains demo tracks from So Long, Astoria, as well as some acoustic and compilation tracks.

Track Listing
  1. Takeoffs & Landings (demo version) - final version on So Long, Astoria
  2. Eight of Nine (demo version) - final version on So Long, Astoria
  3. Teenager of the Year (acoustic) - acoustic version of the song by Australian band Lo-Tel
  4. 1*15*96 (acoustic) - originally from Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits
  5. Pretty Pathetic - piano and vocal version of the song by the Smoking Popes
  6. Fast Times at Dropout High (acoustic) - originally from End is Forever

So Long, Astoria (2003–2005)

In 2002, the lineup changed again, with John Collura replacing Peña on guitar. Prior to this, Collura had played in his own band, Beefcake, who'd toured with The Ataris. He'd also done time on tour as a guitar tech for The Ataris just prior to Peña's departure.

During this same period, the Ataris' contract with Kung Fu Records expired, and the band chose to sign with Columbia Records. Later that year, they began recording their fourth full-length album and major label debut, So Long, Astoria, released on March 4, 2003.

Produced by Lou Giordano, the album's production served as a stark contrast to any of the band's past releases. Where as previous efforts would be recorded in short time spans between tours, So Long, Astoria was known for its polished tracks and recording process. Roe by himself was known to spend as long as 5-8 hours tracking individual guitar parts. Many of the rhythm tracks also underwent significant digital editing; a common-place practice for recordings of modern popular music.

So Long, Astoria was widely credited (and by some, chastised) for introducing The Ataris to a larger mainstream audience and generating several successful singles, including "In This Diary" and "The Saddest Song." Musically, the album showcased very personal, encrypted and slightly more optimistic songwriting with a more refined, straightforward rock sound, not unlike Jimmy Eat World. This album also included their original hit cover song, originally recorded by Don Henley "The Boys of Summer," which much to the dismay of the band became their "accidental" second single after a radio station in Southern California started playing it, even though the band had already chosen the song "My Reply" as their second single. The single is their highest charting single to date, reaching #20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The band toured behind this record for most of 2003 and into early 2004. That year also saw the release of their acclaimed live album, Live At The Metro, along with a spot on the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack and an appearance at Hellfest. So Long, Astoria sold well in excess of 500,000 copies and was certified gold.

After a number personal, financial and artistic differences, this line-up decided to respectfully and creatively go its separate ways over the summer and fall of 2004. Davenport, interested in playing heavier music, became a founding member of the band Versus the World, while Knapp stopped playing music altogether and stayed in Santa Barbara. Details regarding the departures of Knapp and Davenport have been kept quiet for sometime, and neither camp has appeared interested in fueling any public debate or ill-will.

Looking for some time off, Roe headed back to Indiana while Collura moved back to New York; though the pair would later regroup to begin the recordings of the band's next album.

Track Listing

All songs written by Kris Roe, except where noted.

  1. So Long, Astoria
  2. Takeoffs and Landings
  3. In This Diary
  4. My Reply
  5. Unopened Letter to the World
  6. The Saddest Song
  7. Summer '79
  8. The Hero Dies in This One (Roe, Mike Davenport, John Collura and Chris Knapp)
  9. All You Can Ever Learn is What You Already Know (Roe, Davenport, Collura and Knapp)
  10. The Boys of Summer (Don Henley and Michael Campbell)
  11. Radio #2 (featuring backing vocals by Mike Herrera of MxPx)
  12. Looking Back on Today
  13. Eight of Nine
  14. I Won't Spend Another Night Alone (hidden track)
  15. The Saddest Song (Acoustic) (hidden track)

Live At The Metro (2004)


Live at the Metro is a live album released by American pop punk band The Ataris in 2004. It was recorded live on October 25, 2003 at The Metro in Chicago. It was released via the internet only, at www.atarisbootleg.com.

The album cover is a spoof of a live album by The Who, Live at Leeds.

This album also features seven acoustic songs, also recorded live in Chicago as part of a radio broadcast. These songs are played by vocalist/guitarist Kris Roe and guitarist John Collura only.

Track Listing

  1. Unopened Letter to the World
  2. 1*15*96
  3. IOU One Galaxy
  4. So Long, Astoria
  5. Between You and Me
  6. Your Boyfriend Sucks
  7. Song #13
  8. All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know
  9. Someday
  10. The Saddest Song
  11. The Boys of Summer
  12. Astro Zombies
  13. 1*15*96 (acoustic)
  14. My Hotel Year (acoustic)
  15. The Hero Dies in This One (acoustic)
  16. Fast Times at Dropout High (acoustic)
  17. A New England (acoustic)
  18. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding (acoustic)
  19. San Dimas High School Football Rules (acoustic)

Welcome the Night (2005–2007)


After some time off, Roe and Collura later moved forward and began writing songs that would become part of the follow-up to So Long, Astoria titled Welcome The Night. They held some informal practices with some friends from New York, who played in the band Park Ranger. These sessions led to three members of Park Ranger joining The Ataris: Sean Hansen on bass, Shane Chickeles on drums, and Paul Carabello on third guitar. To round out the lineup they added longtime friends Bob Hoag, formerly of Pollen and The Go Reflex (which was managed by Roe), on piano and keyboards, and Angus Cooke on cello.

Cooke played cello on past Ataris records, and helped with production as well. Starting in 2005, the band began recording Welcome the Night at Seedy Underbelly in California, with producer Nick Launay. Writing and recording eventually took the better part of two years and was extended to multiple studios. The album was routinely delayed by Columbia, and some wondered if it would be shelved by the label altogether.

On June 10, 2006, the band announced that it had left Columbia Records due to the label's internal disintegration. In November 2006, The Ataris started their own label, Isola Recordings, through Sanctuary Records and RED Distribution, and simultaneously announced the official release date of their fifth album Welcome the Night as February 20, 2007. Welcome the Night debuted at number 85 on the Billboard charts with over 10,000 copies sold. Following the album's release, the band embarked on a tour of the United States and Europe.

Track Listing

  1. Not Capable Of Love
  2. Cardiff-By-The-Sea
  3. New Year's Day
  4. Secret Handshakes
  5. The Cheyenne Line
  6. And We All Become Like Smoke
  7. Connections Are More Dangerous Than Lies
  8. Whatever Lies Will Help You Rest
  9. From The Last, Last Call
  10. When All Else Fails It Fails
  11. A Soundtrack For This Rainy Morning
  12. Begin Again From The Beginning
  13. Act V, Scene IV: And So It Ends Like It Begins
  14. Sonnet for the Early Departed
  15. The Driftwood Sinn
  16. A Second Dictum
  17. The First Elegy
  18. The Ghost of Last December
  19. Welcome the Night
  20. Oh Kansas City


Next album (2007–present)


In an interview during September 2007, songwriter Kris Roe has stated that their new material will see a return to more upbeat sound displayed on such albums as End Is Forever. He said, "I feel that today where I am at is sort of coming around full circle and just having fun again and being newly inspired by the art that made me discover music in the first place.".

In Spring 2008, three members of the Indiana-based band The Widow Jenkins joined The Ataris, replacing the Welcome The Night-era lineup after an amicable split. The band began recording demos for their next album at The Gallows Studio in Muncie, Indiana. Roe described the songs as "just very melodic, raw, catchy, upbeat, sing along rock songs" and "definitely everything the opposite of slick, polished and over produced."

In December 2008, the band recorded their new album at Flying Blanket Studios in Arizona.

Kris Roe will play a number of acoustic shows throughout Europe from January through March 2009. The Ataris will play on the main stage of the Vans Warped Tour in Summer 2009. During many of these gigs, Roe has stated that he was "unhappy" with the way that 'Fast Times At Drop Out High' sounded on the 'End Is Forever' album and that it is being re-recorded for the new album.

The new album will be out in July 2009.


Band lineups

Current lineup (2008)

  • Kristopher Roe – vocals, guitar
  • Chris Swinney – guitar
  • Bryan Nelson – bass
  • Jake Dwiggins – drums

Past lineups (1995–2008)

Original (1995–1996)

Anywhere But Here era (1996–1997)

Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits era (1998–2001)

End is Forever era (2001–2002)

So Long, Astoria era (2003–2005)

Welcome the Night era (2005–2008)


Read more about The Ataris
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