Local bands thrilled to be on bill with The Ataris
By Asley Luther
Athens NEWS Campus Reporter
September 27, 2007
Cult-classic punk-rockers The Ataris make a stop on their intimate, small-venue tour tonight at the Union.
According to a press release, the set list will be mostly older songs from their early records, "Blue Skies," "So Long, Astoria" and "End is Forever." Two local bands, Ohio University alums Six Gallery and El Fabuloso, are opening the show.
Samer Almadani, drummer of Six Gallery, said he couldn't believe such a major band was playing in such a small venue. "I was confused because who the hell would name their band The Ataris?" he said. "They know it's already a band right?"
But Almadani and the rest of Six Gallery were reassured by Brian Ostrander of Insomniac Booking and Scott Winland of the Union that this band was the Ataris, a band with major radio and television airtime and a cult following from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
"I went on a music-downloading frenzy early on in high school," recalled Alex Weinhardt, Six Gallery bassist and OU alum. "'San Dimas High School Football Rules' (an Ataris classic) was exactly the poppy, catchy punk sound I was attracted to in those days."
Six Gallery originally met at OU and formed in 2006. The band is composed of Almadani on drums, Alex Weinhardt on bass, and guitarists Will Vocak and Ben Schrieber. Now based in Columbus, Six Gallery has been described as "post-hardcore, instrumental rock that kicks you in the face" but Almadani said their newest demo is more melodic, upbeat and catchy. "This demo is much more complex then our old stuff," he said.
Weinhardt noted that this demo was produced more collectively among band members.
The Ataris hit it big with mega-mainstream songs like "In This Diary" and the "Boys of Summer" cover. So what's it like to open for a band that was blaring in high-school parking lots and all over MTV?
"It's really cool, and it's not intimidating," said Allen Sanders, guitarist of El Fabuloso. "We all sound really different and I'm excited. It'll be a really good time. We'll be on top of our game."
Athens band El Fabuloso, which also includes Church Kemme and Nick Yezza, can be described as melodic punk mixed with dance beats, something Sanders and the band have been working on recently. "On this album I tried playing guitar melodies instead of singing the melodies all the time, changing it up a lot. The layers are really simple yet it creates a complex sound," he said.
Bryan Overholt, drummer for El Fabuloso, admired the pop-punk era of the late '90s as well, taking inspiration from Travis Barker of Blink 182 and the Ataris, but since has taken a much simpler, classic approach to drumming. El Fabuloso hopes to play crowd favorites like "Maybe I" and "Secrets." "I get pumped to play 99 percent of our songs," said Overholt.
Sanders explained that not surprisingly, the Athens music community is pretty close-knit, so the two bands, Six Gallery and El Fabuloso, knew each other and had no problem sharing the stage.
"We'll be there doing our thing, and hopefully the people will come out and do theirs. We hope they'll come shake their asses with us," said Sanders.
BRIAN OSTRANDER, MAJOR booking player in the Athens music scene and ally of local musicians, said a friend mentioned to him that The Ataris were booking their own tour this fall so he got in touch with Kris Roe of The Ataris and made it happen.
Ataris lead singer Kris Roe could not be reached for comment, but in a press release talked about the band's new album, set to be released in early 2008. The band wanted to return to their older sound with the new album, and that's why most of the shows on this tour will be filled with Ataris' classics like "I Won't Spend Another Night Alone" and "Summer Wind Was Always Our Song."
Six Gallery will tour in Chicago and Parkersburg in the coming weeks before releasing their next demo. El Fabuloso's album, "A Fine Time to Get Down," can be purchased on iTunes.
Tickets for the show can be purchased at Haffa's Records.
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