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Atomic Bitch are one of my favourite American Indie bands and it's been a while since I caught up with this duo so I thought it was time for another interview. Here's what Ursulla had to say.
Street Voice: Apart from the new album what else have you guys been up to since we last spoke?
Well, we put out 4 releases in 5yrs all the while continuing to gig extensively on the West Coast and New Orleans and keep full time jobs. So, Brad and I are taking a much needed rest for a few months after completing a great CD Release Party at the famed ROXY theatre in June.
I also just finished an on- air acoustic performance/interview including three songs from the Atomic Bitch catalog for WPMD local college radio and podcast in Cerritos, CA. The response from that show was bigger than expected. Therefore, I am going to do a series of first ever acoustic gigs in L.A. with my guitarist/ good friend ABBY KINCAID (of the band Penny Relentless). These shows will be an eclectic mix of Atomic Bitch/Penny Relentless tunes, and some great covers. If you didn't get a chance to catch either the radio show or Roxy performance mentioned above they have been archived on our MySpace page at www.myspace/atomicbitch. com.
Street Voice: Talking of "PromNite" how has it gone down with your fans and the press?
The new record has been well received. You (DIY Steve of Street Voice) were the second music critic to give a smartly written and positive review in JAN of 2008. We were pleased to get that same kind of feedback from other critics like former Village Voice editor and current BILLBOARD Editor Chuck Eddy, Bluesbunny. com music blog, Radio Maribu's Don Campau, and Tee-M and Mike Stark of Radio 50. Those same music lovers, DJ's and writers were also receptive to our last record "BodyShop" in 2006. It helps to launch a record when you have such a dedicated ground swell of support and anticipation among indie music lovers and DIY folks.
Our fans really dug some of the artistic stretches we took on the record like track6 HILLBILLY SWING and track 7 Spendlove. Those songs we think express our ability and fearlessness to do any genre of music. Whether its country or a ballad, we are striving to keep the sound we've developed with Atomic Bitch.
The album's artwork and general overall concept got great reaction too. The actual CD resembles a Vinyl 45 for an old –school touch. The cover pics were taken by friends, the set, and track font listings were designed and hand-written by Brad. Believe it or not the most expensive part of the entire shoot was the helium balloons (LOL.)
Getting it done against tremendous odds is what we do best. We do a lot with a little; I think being from New Orleans has given us resourcefulness and drive. (Katrina Hurricane couldn't wash us away!) Also we were both raised by hard working single moms.
Street Voice: Once you had the finished product in your hands how did you feel about it yourselves?
I guess I may have inadvertently summed that up in my last answer but it was a real sense of accomplishment and humility. It never gets old to see the culmination of hours of work turn into an actual album. (For us it is analogous to getting a degree)
In addition to that, our band has always run on fumes financially so to have our most ambitious and expensive album to date completed was very gratifying. Needless to say, family is very important. Brad and I have relied on their kindness, support and generosity for years.
In any case, we hit the ground running, and played several shows to support PromNite. It was cool to hear those new songs live as we wrote everything in the studio. Brad and I never spend years pouring over the songs till their perfected. In fact, we write only in the studio laying tracks as we become inspired in the creative process. We know it is quite unorthodox but that's what made Atomic Bitch organic and fun. After all, if we can't shake our ass to the beat (which is the focal point for any AB song) then we won't be psyched to put the material out.
We also wanted to continue the concept of no fillers or repeat ideas on a record. In fact to create an album that touched on some autobiographical themes which is something we had never done. Brad and I have usually played it coy when writing lyrics but a song like "What a Lifetime" was especially cathartic for me to sing. One line says "I'm just glad we're both still in it." Those words resonate with us since we never fit into any scene (too Pop for the indie crowd and to far out for the mainstream).
Street Voice: Have you done any touring off the back of the album or are you still planning dates out?
We have performed in LA to support the record but would definitely like to tour in NYC and the UK. If we had some label support it would definitely be easier to make happen. The irony is the Brits and New Yorkers have typically been our biggest fans but we've never actually played there.
Thank god for the web!
Street Voice: I noticed you have plans for an EP so will these be brand new songs or will some be taken from the album?
No new plans for an EP but we did put out one in 2004 that you've never heard. It's a five song record with some tracks we've done in our live show for years. It can only be purchased on www.interpunk.com a great indie site for punk bands of all types. It will be made available on www.atomicbitch.com and cdbaby for purchase soon.
Street Voice: It must be really annoying putting out great music and not get label backing or do you prefer to do it all yourselves?
Annoying is one way to put it, thanks for the compliment by the way it makes us feel good. At this time, we do prefer making the artistic decisions our selves but on the business side it would be tremendous to have an indie label with major label distribution interested. We just have not gotten the opportunity to be offered a solid deal that shares our vision and will take the risk. We know the music industry is on life support so we'll just keep working on the things we can control vs. the things we cannot.
Oddly enough, we never insisted we do it ourselves it just seemed a natural progression after so many bad recording experiences and crappy production deals. After leaving New Orleans, Brad and I realized that the next band we created had to be completely ours. It helped us keep our sanity and it fostered a certain sense of personal growth for the both of us. Most of the time, musicians are completely bilked by charlatans that claim to be producers, engineers, etc. and their final product is a disaster. Therefore, we stopped our reliance on others and kept the circle small. We worked in a real collaborative state to make something we had never heard. Happy accidents and continuous trust became the lynch-pin that held us together.
Though, I can't say we did everything alone. We had a great mastering engineer in Hans Dekline of SoundBites Dog Mastering in West LA. He was invaluable in tweaking our last two records for the best results and his prices were a fantastic value for the indie musician.
Street Voice: So you guys got any plans for a summer vacation? If so heading anywhere cool?
Brad's in New Orleans for some Crawfish Etouffee' and family time and I'll be heading to Encinitas in Orange County for a much needed ocean view with less smog and great friends.
Street Voice: Isn't it about time you headed in to the UK and the rest of Europe to do some shows?
I guess this one was already answered, we'd love too should I start my private escort service now to fund the trip? Let me know, I'll give you a great rate… (Xoxo)
Don't tempt me:-)
Street Voice: Anything you'd like to add?
Only that we wouldn't change a thing, and we are so happy to have music lovers like you expanding our reach across the pond and on the web. Thanks for taking the time to posit great questions and we wish you continued success. Oh yeah if you're ever in L.A. or Louisiana then let us know we've got some eating and drinking and rock n roll for you to enjoy! Hopefully we'll be able to bring the Atomic Bitch Love Train over to your side of the globe.
Thanks to Ursulla and Atomic Bitch for doing the interview. If you're looking for something a little different then check out Atomic Bitch they may be just your thing!!
Click On Image To View PromNite Album Review
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