RICK SMITH: vocals and guitars
DAN COLLINS: vocals and bass guitars
CURT LEFEVRE: drums and percussion
Influences
Influences: all songs old and new with great hooks, melodies, and passionate performances... originating from deep within the heart and groin. Nicks, flaws, growls, howls, fret buzz, rim shots, and assorted real-life blemishes that capture the spirit of a great moment. Guitar hooks and two-part vocal harmonies are essential, and important to our ringing ears.
Our Seeburg Select-O-Matics include great songs from the following artists who influenced the way we hear music:
Beatles, The Who, Replacements, Dylan, Bowie, Costello, Spooner, Freedy Johnston, Marshall Crenshaw, Graham Parker, Nick Lowe, Tom Petty, Big Star, Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, Jason and the Scorchers, Jeff Beck, REM, Shoes, Morells, Nils Lofgren, Ventures, Springsteen, Patti Smith, Buzzcocks, Wire, Talking Heads, XTC, dB's, Pixies, Pretenders, Psychedelic Furs, X, Cure, U2, Ultravox, Roy Buchanon, Roy Orbison, Steve Earle, Alvin Lee, Johnny Cash, Trip Shakespeare, Byrds, Neil Young, Urge Overkill, Webb Wilder, Dwight Twilley, Plimsouls, Jimmy Silva, Bob Mould, Bill Lloyd, Richard Thompson, Matthew Sweet, Elliott Smith, Animals, Cream, Hendrix, Connells, Clash, David Gilmour, Dave Edmunds, and far too many others ... valedictorians and drop-outs from the classes of 1959 to 2006.
Sounds Like
REVIEWS OF NORTHERN DISTORTION:
Produced by the Shoes' Jeff Murphy, this is a hot collection of pure pop tunes with enough harmony vocals to fill an ocean. These tunes are clean cut and well written, with plenty of hooks scattered throughout. Pop purists will certainly want to check this out. Twelve tunes of crystal clear pop.
-Babysue.com.
Fun With Atoms is kind of a surprising addition to the Black Vinyl Records roster, as the band's brand of chunky-chord power pop has more to do with the Replacements or prime Soul Asylum than the more polite jangle of label owner Shoes. The album title is right on, as the guitars are suitably loud and crunchy -- kind of surprising, since the album is produced and mixed by Shoes' Jeff Murphy, whose own albums are nowhere near this noisy. Guitarist Rick Smith's songs are uniformly catchy, and he has a particular knack for bridges that modulate, go into different time signatures, or otherwise vary the songs, a facility that frustratingly few power pop songwriters seem to manage, and his gruff vocals are a nice change from the usual Chris Bell-style tenors. The choruses and riffs are memorable, and Murphy and fellow Shoes singer-guitarist Gary Klebe add their trademark high harmonies to several songs. The soaring "Turn and Go" is the highlight, sounding like Hüsker Dü re-recording a classic Big Star tune. Northern Distortion is one of those albums that puts the power back into power pop, always a good thing.
-Stewart Mason (All-Music Guide).
Well, I'm in love. It's still pretty early in the year, but it will take a batch of very substantial releases for this Green bay, Wisconsin guitar pop trio not to make my Best of 1996 list. this is a rock solid album that rocks from beginning to end. The band has a mature and distinctly American sound that doesn't really sound like anyone elso to me, so coming up with a comparative reference point is difficult. I listen to this album, and I can hear lots of influences. Country and western, American roots, sixties garage, and certainly American and british pop. Bits and pieces, a phrase, or a guitar lick here and there remind me of REM, the Raiders, Flaming Groovies, Springsteen circa 'Born to Run', Plimsouls, Grass Roots, Jimmy Webb, Grin, manfred mann, and the Beatles, but the synthesized resultis a collection of distinctive and well-crafted pop songs, with layered backing vocals and dense, slightly dark, beautiful arrangements. Fun w/Atoms, as their name implies shows you can make a big noise and a 'serious' record without sacrificing the melodies, pop elements, and well, the subtle humor and Fun.
-Gary Littleton (Audities magazine).
New record Smart (BLURB RECORDS) release date August 15, 2010
“When this band was formed we had an idea and resolution to push the envelope. We haven’t stopped trying.” -Dan Collins
Founded in the frozen tundra of Green Bay, Fun w/Atoms began as an offshoot of one of Wisconsin’s most popular 5-piece cover bands. Known as John Doe and the Doo-Dads, the band was performing at a frenetic pace in clubs and at festivals throughout the Midwest. Guitarist Rick Smith, bassist Dan Collins, and drummer Curt Lefevre met as students at the University of Wisconsin. Sharing similar musical influences and appetites, and a disdain for calculus, the trio began writing songs in preparation for the launch of their new band. Extensive performance experience served as the cookbook for success in creating a new dance band, this time with original music. The synthesis of British Invasion, roots twang, and surf influences transformed the trio into a new creative partnership that remains vital today. The transition from cover band to original rock trio was preceded by a thousand hours of home 8-track demo recordings, in which jangly guitar lines and two-part vocal harmonies merged into an unpeggable musical style.
Fun w/Atoms was ready.
Green Bay’s Lefty’s Bar & Grill was home base and test lab, as the band repeatedly packed the room with sweaty swing-arm dancers and ravenous music fans that were caught up in the trio’s passion, energy, and unique style.
FWA crossed paths with Butch Vig and his band Spooner during the early days of hectic travel. Butch operated Smart Studios in Madison Wisconsin, and offered to produce the band after hearing an Atoms performance during a co-billed gig.
“We had the fortunate circumstance of being associated with Smart Studio for our first recording. Working with Butch Vig and the Boat Records crew gave us an education in what it meant to strive for excellence.” - Collins.
The sessions resulted in the debut album, entitled Main Street. The record was released on indie label Boat Records. Main Street was a tight production, becoming an instant hit on significant college radio playlists across the country. “It was our Meet the Beatles, since the songs were so well-honed on the stage for a year before the recording sessions began”, says Smith. “Butch really made that record great with his ideas and creativity”. Managed by Mid-Coast Artists International, FWA began to perform at a more professional level using the new record as a vehicle for heightened exposure. NACA showcases provided an avenue to college bookings, in addition to numerous opening slots for national bands such as Cheap Trick, Timbuk 3, the Call, the Del Fuegos, Joan Jett, and the Rainmakers.
Songs from Main Street found their way into the Top 10 on the Radio France charts. France’s Nineteen magazine called Main Street “Le disque du siecle, ou: du Wisconsin faisons table rase, Superbe premiere album d’un trio quis’ingeie a retrouver les traces des Plimsouls ou celles des Byrds. Harmonies vocals classiquement enivrantes, guitars soyeuses et profondes, melodies catchy, tout est cans Fun w/Atoms et reciproquement”.
A review in London’s NME called FWA ‘Absolute Wisconsinners’. “Rob Tannenbaum goes for meltdown with Wisconsin’s hot new breed of hits from Fun w/Atoms. Fun w/Atoms Main Street features a crisp, taut trio sound which complements guitarist/songwriter Rick Smith’s claustrophobic twitch: ‘Alaska’ invents a genre hereafter known as tundra blues (“Up here in Alaska, love is oh so cold/ Get this pipeline done before I’m old”), while ‘National Geographic Girl’ finds him in love with an indigene who may be on her way to a Siouxie concert (“She puts on her makeup/She puts a bone in her hair/She carries water in a bowl upon her head”).
The trio began recording a follow-up to Main Street, again with Butch Vig at the console. These sessions were suspended when Vig’s band Firetown left Madison for NYC to record their second album on Atlantic Records.
The hiatus that followed, allowed family priorities to be addressed. It was during this time that more 8-track song demos were recorded at a more casual pace. Curt Lefevre joined the Spanic Boys (Rounder Records) for two records and extensive tours while Dan and Rick pursued separate business interests.
“After hearing a Material Issue record called Destination Universe, we contacted producer Jeff Murphy (Shoes) and made arrangements to have him produce our new record at his Short Order Recorder in Zion Illinois. We were longtime fans of Jeff’s band Shoes, and loved the Hiwatt/Vox guitar-driven pop tones and layered vocals that became the hallmark of Jeff’s productions”. –Smith
These Short Order sessions were done over the next two years resulting in the release of the Northern Distortion CD on the Black Vinyl Records label. Again, enthusiastic reviews followed this record. “There were no bad reviews after the release, all good! Northern Distortion showcased a different side of our pop sound, thicker tones with more counterpoint and layered instrumentation.” - Lefevre
"There are definitely some major Beatles influences going on with the latest CD from Fun w/Atoms. Produced by Shoes’ Jeff Murphy, this is a hot collection of pure pop tunes with enough harmony vocals to fill an ocean. These tunes are clean cut and well-written, with plenty of hooks scattered throughout”. -BabySue.com
More shows followed around the Midwest, including opening sets for the BoDeans and the Gufs as well as showcases at International Pop Overthrow, Steelbridge Songfest, and a serendipitous opening slot for Butch Vig’s Know-It-All-Boyfriends. Backstage, Butch advised the band to “get Pro Tools” when he was asked for advice on their broken Otari tape machine.
“We were sitting on a backlog of unrecorded songs, so we each installed Pro Tools software and Macs in our home studios. We helped each other with the learning curve and started making a new record on our own time. We wanted to produce this record ourselves. We figured this was a chance to get the new songs on a CD the way we heard them in our heads. We each have enough studio experience to pull it off", says Collins.
According to Smith, “we wanted this record to capture the energy of our live shows, without a lot of overdubs and additional instrumentation. A couple of the songs were actually written in the era of the Main Street record, but not previously recorded”.
“We tried hard to keep it from sounding sterile, and it was important to us to vary the beats and grooves from track-to-track. Because we didn’t have a deadline or budget, we were able to make this record the way we wanted it to sound”. –Lefevre
The new record, entitled Smart, was mixed at Smart Studios through the legendary Trident A-Range console.
“It was cool to go back to Smart Studios for this record, since we were one of the first bands to record there 25 years ago, and now we’re probably the last since the studio is closing. Smart will be sadly missed. It has a place in music history, with so many landmark records made there over the years”. –Smith
The band is planning dates in anticipation for the release of Smart (BLURB RECORDS) in August 2010.
For publicity and booking inquiries, contact:
booking@blurbrecords.com
Facebook and MySpace:
www.facebook.com/FunWithAtoms funwithatoms.com
DISCOGRAPHY:
National Geographic Girl/I'll Be There (BOAT records) 45 single
Main Street LP (BOAT records) produced by Butch Vig
Northern Distortion LP (Black Vinyl Records) produced by Jeff Murphy
Smart (BLURB Records) release date 8-15-2010
Thank - you. You guys is swell !!!!!!!!! Do I hafta buy two CD's of the new Jeff Beck CD (Emotion and Commotion), and send one to you? Or , will you have 'ear fatigue' from agonizing over the mastering of > the next big thing< SMART ??? Can't wait for either CD,, , . . Sonic bliss, and mayhem!!
new songs, yes!! awesome job, gang. thanks again for letting me sit in on a practice, or editing session - it was cool whatever you'd call it. congratulations!! -Matty
Nice article in the newspaper today! I see you are gigging at the Exclusive Co. too. Is the new CD really only a couple months away?? (been waiting 12 years here!!) All good things to you - hope you get filthy rich off your new CD!!! We're gonna buy it, along with all our friends/mates/uncles/aunts/cousins etc..........
CURT, IT WAS A TOTAL HONOR AND MUSIC EXPERIENCE OF PLEASURE AND AWE IN YOUR DRUMMING!!!! YOU HAVE BECOME A WORLD CLASS PLAYER IN MY MIND WITH FULL CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ARTISTRY!! WILL PLAY WITH YOU ANYTIME , ANY WHERE ON ANYTHING. AFTER ZAK, YOUR THE BEST!!! YOU--W E R E ---AWESOME!!!
HELLO RICK, IT WAS A HUGE HONOR TO PLAY WITH YOU MY FRIEND!!! YOU ARE A SUPERB GUITARIST AND MY FAV SONGWRITER!!! STRANGE THINGS WAS THE MOST FUN FOR ME. YOU AND CURT ARE WORLD CLASS PLAYERS WITH WORLD CLASS MUSICAL HEARTS N SOULS. I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY, JAM AND WRITE WITH YOU ANYTIME--ANYWHERE!! IT WAS A HONOR. FUN WITH ATOMS IS GREEN BAYS BEST BAND AND IN THIS STATE THERE IS NO ONE BETTER OR MORE TALENTED. IT TAKES A BOAT LOAD OF GUTS TO PLAY YOUR OWN MATERIAL WHILE ALL THE SO CALLED HOT BEST BANDS PLAY NOTHING BUT THE SONGS THA APPEAL TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR. THOSE BANDS ARE WORTHY OF PLAYING FOR ANY TEA BAGGER RALLY OR AMERICAN IDOL CROWD. KEEP UP THE ARTITIC WORK!!!!
Just wanted to say once again.What a joy it was for me to mix your show last night.It brought back so many memories of all the great and sometimes scary times at all the shows we did together in the late 80's and early nineties.For me it truly was a musical homecoming. My friends anytime anywhere.My skills are at your command. You friend and fan FISH
Hey Fun With Atoms!! Come check out Von Din THIS SATURDAY NIGHT at Cherry Lanes 127 N. 4th Ave in beautiful down town Sturgeon Bay as a part of the Steel Bridge Songfest 09! The show starts around 9:00! Be there and help support the bridge!
Sheet,, it's "the" party tonight, and with my broken leg I won't be able to keep youse guys from "re-living your youth".. I hope the gig was GREAT, and you behaved!
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