| Picture Atlantic | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bay Area, United States |
| Genres | Alternative rock Indie rock |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Associated acts | none |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Nikolaus Bartunek Ryan Blair Brian Graves Daniel Hernandez Martinez |
|
| Past members | |
| Grant Averill Patrick Chu Aaron Hellam Rico Rodriguez John Tran |
|
Contents |
Picture Atlantic was formed in early 2006 in Santa Clara, CA. The band was founded by John Tran and Ryan Blair, ex-members of San Jose Metalcore band Dance Floor Murder, as well as Patrick Chu of San Jose pop punk band October Sky. Unhappy with their musical situations in both bands, the three friends began to write music in Ryan Blair's Santa Clara garage. Seeking the vocal talents of a singer, they recruited longtime friend and musician Nikolaus Bartunek, who was at that time playing solo folk and acoustic music in Bay Area coffee shops.
There is much speculation as to how Picture Atlantic settled upon their name. In interviews the band has explained that the origin of the band's name was from their love of beach trips made in the summer, and a similar love for the song "Atlantic" by the post-hardcore band Thrice.[1]
By late June 2006, the band had written enough material to warrant the recording of their first EP, Change is Welcome. The EP was recorded over the course of a single weekend at Castle Ultimate studios in Oakland, CA. During this period, the band went through numerous guitar players including past October Sky member Andy Tran, Christopher Sturm, Kevin Davis, and Nick Dunn. The band also began enlisting the help of live keyboardist Brian Graves.
After having spent time on the road playing shows, the band developed enough material to record a full-length album. They headed back to Castle Ultimate to record Kleos. Shortly before starting the first session, Tran left the band to continue school. Without a drummer, the band continued production until Bartunek's friend, Rico Rodriguez, offered his services for the recording in mid-2008. The album was released on June 20, 2008.[2] Hellam joined the band fulltime as second guitarist, as well as Graves joining fulltime on keyboard.
The album holds elements and themes having to do with Greek mythology, and takes the name Kleos directly from the Iliad. Bartunek has stated in interviews that "...the reason I chose kleos is, I think every musician, nowadays especially, wants to be remembered, and everybody is trying so hard to stamp their face on the music industry and not be forgotten." [3]
During the initial release of Kleos, Picture Atlantic topped in Absolutepunk.net's Top 100 Bands of 2008.[4]
In July 2008, one month after the release of their album, Picture Atlantic won the chance through the Bay Area radio station Live 105.3[5] [6] to open for alternative rock act Coldplay at the San Jose HP Pavilion.
Shortly after, former producer and now guitarist Aaron Hellam parted ways with the band. Hellam remains the bands primary producer.
On April 21, 2010, the band released a new EP, Dulce Et Decorum Est. This EP was recorded solely by the band at Red Rock Studios in Mountain View, California. Headed by Bartunek and Graves, all engineering was handled by Graves, who had previously been an engineer for seven years at the same studio, and production was head mostly by Bartunek with input by Graves. This EP was originally intended to be a quick easy project, but became a much more expanded and arranged, and stripped down album [7]. Taking it's name from the poem Dulce et Decorum est by war poet Wilfred Owen, the album had a heavy influence and some lyrical references to World War I [8]. Although a break away from their more arranged electric sound, the album still received favorable reviews.
At the end of 2010, Picture Atlantic released another follow up EP entitled When Everything is Numbers, which was recorded by their friend, past band member and producer Aaron Hellam. This album featured more electric arrangements, and also brought the band into some new musical territory.
On March 11, 2011, Picture Atlantic was announced as the winner for Best Local Band as voted by readers of MetroActive Magazine. [9]
On November 8, 2011, drummer Daniel Hernandez Martinez was officially added to the band's line-up via announcements on the group's website.
On December 5, 2011, the band announced via their Twitter account that their next record would be titled Digital Tension, with a tentative release date for 2012. Mention of Digital Tension was also made in a December interview with the music website 101 Distribution[10].
Although not yet officially confirmed by the band, Picture Atlantic has been known for an aesthetic consistent with Mod fashion, such as Chelsea Boots, Twin striped Ben Sherman and Fred Perry polo shirts, Weller haircuts, fishtail parkas and Ivy League dress. Vocalist Nikolaus Bartunek has also had numerous photo features on the website The Mod Generation[11]. Their official band Facebook page has a number of Mod related pages[12] in the 'Liked' section.