The Ataris

I had a chance to e-mail the very busy Ataris some questions. Guitarist John Collura was kind enough to answer them for me.

LAPunk: This is the first tour after the recording of the new album. How has it been so far? And what are some of your hopes and expectations for the tour?

John Collura: Actually, this is the first tour after the record was released. We did a7-week U.S. tour right after we finished recording and then went to Australia and then Europe, but I do see a noticeable difference from the first U.S. tour in November and this one now. I think that there are a percentage of new faces that have come to check the band out because of the radio play and MTV, which is a good thing. I think this was among our expectations...that we would be able to get some new people to check us out and to also check out bands like Further Seems Forever, The Juliana Theory, Yellowcard and Damone.

LAPunk: How Los Angeles compare to the rest of the country?

John Collura: L.A. IS one of the greatest places to play! Having said that, I would also have to say that places like Salt Lake City, New York, Chicago, Seattle have the similar vibe or energy like in L.A.--I could probably name a few more cities, but these stand out in my head right now.

LAPunk: The new album has had overwhelming success. What did you guys do differently if anything regarding the production of "So long Astoria"??

John Collura: Well, we took some time off, which was something the band has never done in the past 3 years. In doing that, we had more time to write and do a couple of different pre-production sessions. This helped, cause we could let the songs sink in and then make changes if needed. In the past, the band would write on the road and then take 2 weeks to record and that was it. You would never have time to let the songs sink in and make changes, so basically if there was a part that you couldn't stand... well you were stuck with that part and you couldn't change it.

LAPunk: The album is blowing up fast, appearing on the billboard charts and MTV. Where do you see yourself going as a band in the future?

John Collura: Hopefully we can continue to make solid rock records that we are happy with and then hopefully our fans will like it as well. We never intend to be a "one song" band, or a "one album" band either!

LAPunk: Your lyrical content in this new album has changed a bit. What inspired this album?

John Collura: Kris had went on a road trip by himself back to Indiana (where he grew up) and drove around and took lots of pictures of places where he had went to school or lived, etc. There are very nostalgic overtones on this record and it was basically, Kris looking back at his life. Primarily the last 6 or 7 years and just reflecting on all of it. This record certainly strays away from the "love lorn" themes from which they were always labeled as. To sum it up, I think that everyone in the band has matured a bit and so did Kris' writing.

LAPunk: Are there any other musical acts that have inspired you guys as a band?

John Collura: I would say that for Kris it was The Decedents, All, Jawbreaker...we all have many musical influences, but Kris has been the main songwriter and those are a few of his favorites.

LAPunk: You guys are known for being heavily devoted to your fans. How does this new album reach out to those dedicated fans?

John Collura: This is kind of hard to answer...hhmm.... I suppose that some of the fans will like anything the band does, but I think that is probably a small percent. I just think that people can relate to Kris' lyrics which are like stories...you almost feel like you were there or know just exactly how he is feeling. I think that musically, the record is fairly a simple approach and there are plenty of hooks, but I really think that the lyrics are what keep people interested and Kris has a lot to say.

LAPunk: Any touring plans in the future?

John Collura: Yes, we are continuing this current tour until the 5th of May. Then we leave for Europe/UK for 10 days, then we will do 3 radio festivals, then we go to Japan, Hawaii and then we are on the entire Warped Tour and then we will go back to Europe and the UK for some festivals...then I try and sleep for a couple of weeks!!!

LAPunk: Anything else you guys want to add?

John Collura: Thank you for the interview and thanks to everyone who bought our new record or came out to see us play.