Introduce yourselves and what you do in the band?

Andrew: My Name is Andrew I sing, play guitar, and write the songs.

Jeremy: I’m Jeremy. I play bass and try to help out with some of the design stuff.

James: I’m James. I sit in the back, make stupid faces, and wish I was as cool as Jeremy.

How did the band form?

Andrew: The band has been around for years, we have a bad habit of changing members every couple of years haha. Jeremy joined the band back when we were still called “Dingus”. James has been in the band for almost a year.

What has been the hardest part getting started as a band?

Andrew: The hardest part of getting a band started for me has always been finding band members that really understand what is involved in playing in a band. It’s easy to get people to show up and play, it’s a lot harder to get people to commit to playing shows every week, going on tours and all the responsibilities that are involved with it. It is a lot of fun but requires a certain level of maturity and responsibility that not a lot of people are used to especially at a younger age.

Living in such a tough music scene, do you think it helps or hurts you as a band?

Andrew: Well the current state of the music scene is a product of everyone involved in it. The scene is made up of three basic groups: Bands, Fans, and promoters/venues. A scene cannot exist without each of theses groups. The scene is pretty sh*tty right now. A lot of promoters are charging the fans too much and not paying the bands enough. The bands are not putting in the hard work to find new fans and not working together to shut out shyster promoters. Fans these days also lack the inquisitive nature that they used to, they don’t seem to have the same excitement that comes from searching and finding a new undiscovered band. That being said, I think it makes it easier for a band like ours to get noticed because we put a lot of effort into getting ourselves out there. We go out and meet people, promote our band and trying to spin the scene in a positive direction. You have to work hard though.

Jeremy: Being in such a tough music scene, it really is hard to make a name for yourself because a lot of people really don’t want to hear what you have. There is such a small scene right now for this genre and shows just aren’t what they used to be. It used to be every weekend, you could go see a show, but now, it’s hard to get on a good bill, and when we do, it’s still hard to get people off of their couches to come out.

What would you describe your sound like to someone who’s never heard it?

Andrew: I would describe our sound as “pop punk story telling”. I like to write about moments in my life, lessons I have learned, and of course the cliché relationship songs.

James: Our sound takes a lot influence from Four Year Strong, Blink 182, and Fall Out Boy, some of our favorite bands. Basically fast melodic pop punk.

Which of your songs would you suggest to listen to first? (if you were a new fan)

Andrew: Start with “ That’s What You Get Charlie! (You Get Fork Stabbed)” It’s a fast fun song about falling in love to fast with a pretty neat guitar solo. We are bringing the guitar solo back haha.

Jeremy: “So Golden” is my favorite because it’s the most fun to play and means the most to me personally. It about a beach trip we took with our friends before going into the studio.

James: “Bogart Aint Got Nothin On Me” and “Oceans Away” are two of my favorites to play for sure, they both are just such great live songs with a lot of energy that really get people moving, and they definitely deserve a listen.

You’ve released a CD called “It’s Not Peer Pressure, It’s Just Your Turn,” can you tell us a little about this? How many songs? What was the recording process like? Are you happy with the result? How was fan reaction?

Andrew: “It’s Not Peer Pressure, It’s Just Your Turn” was a album that almost didn’t come out but was still a fun album to record. We actually recorded half the album at one studio and then we actually had a line up change when our drummer and guitarist left to go start their own band. This was a huge set back and it took us months to find new guys and write new songs. The new guys really helped define the sound of the album. We ended up finishing the album at another studio mainly for scheduling reasons but the second engineer really made a lot of our heavier songs more powerful. During the second half of recording we spent a good amount of time making sure everything was perfect, and creating a really heartfelt album. I love that album and the response has been good.

Where do you hope to see yourselves a year from now?

Jeremy: In a year from now, I’d like to see us touring with bigger named bands and continuing on our way to make a name for ourselves.

James: In a year I’d love to see us on the road for a significant amount of time. Perhaps with another well known touring band or two. I just hope we can keep playing shows and having a good time with our friends cause that’s what it’s really all about.

If you weren’t playing music, what do you think you’d be doing?

Andrew: We don’t like to think about that. We all have jobs or are in school so I would assume we would just be doing that without music. But that would be really boring. I would probably pursue another form of art like filmmaking.

What’s some advice you can give to a high school student trying to pursue a career in the music industry?

Andrew: Realize that a lot of being in a band is not glamorous, promoting shows, making flyers. Enjoy every minute you get on stage and do everything you can to make every show or endeavor successful. Also don’t get caught up on a particular sound, just write and let your music speak for itself.

Jeremy: You are going to spend a lot of time with your band, so make sure you can stand to be around them for long periods of time.

Any plans for the upcoming future? Song releases? Tours? Etc.

Andrew: We are right now writing and recording a new demo at our recording studio So Golden Studios. We are also planning an eat coast tour that will take place in July! Keep an eye out for those tour dates and studio updates on our twitter @whoisatlasband