Well hello everyone!
I'm back and writing again. It has been quite some time, but work and a number of other things have taken up my time. I thought it fitting to return with an interview. Even more fitting, is to do it with Bay Area Indie-Pop act Picture Atlantic. I sat down with lead vocalist Nik Bartunek and had a great talk about everything from A-Z:
B-Sides: Well thank you for sitting down with me!
Nik:No problem. I'm happy to do it.
B-Sides: Just to get a general feel for the band, what have you been up to recently?
Nik: I wish I could say that we've been doing new an interesting things, but the reality is that we're, uh, how to say it...doing the broken record thing.
B-Sides: What would the entail?
Nik: Well, we've been basically playing the Westcoast over and over, and as much as possible. Broken record. Around and round kind of stuff. I'm not complaining by the way, if it sounded implied. Its totally necessary, and we have a blast doing it. Its just not very fresh when you explain it to someone.
B: I'm sure you get a lot done though
N:Oh for sure! We do.
B:So, I know everyone asks this probably, but what does 'Kleos' mean?
N:You're totally right. I do get that a lot *laughs*. Well, to try and put it in a nutshell, its basically 'Glory' or 'Fame'. In Greek mythology, warriors strove for 'Kleos'. Achilles in particular. He wanted to be remembered. It could also hold connotations to having a legacy as well. It just struck me that all bands want so badly to be remembered, and have this grand legacy. It was fitting I think.
B:Rightly so! I can see a lot of bands doing that with the whole online presence thing. More video blogs and pictures.
N:Its all pretty egotistical don't you think? But I'm just as guilty of it. Its kind of something you have to do. Have pictures and stuff like that. Maybe not the video blogs for me *laughs* I'm horrible with that stuff.
B: I always love to know what other bands are listening to. Anything new you're getting into?
N:That's hard...because oddly enough I don't listen to that much music. Or I should rephrase that and say that I don't find new bands to listen to very often. Lately though, I've been listening a lot of The National's album "Boxer", the new Horrors album, and Grant, our live guitarist turned me onto this band Republic Tigers. Damon Albarn too. His "Mali Music" album.
B: Would it be safe to say that you have a more British music slant?
N:Yeah, I would say that is fair. I'm not sure what it is. I do enjoy American bands most definitely, but I think if I really thought about it, the majority of the bands I like are British.
B:You seem to write about some very personal things in your songs. Maybe I'm wrong, but I get that impression immensely from songs like 'Thats Just Me..' and 'The Softest Picture'.
N: I'm transparent aren't I *laughs* Yes, you're right. I do write about personal things. It just happens. I've tried sometimes, to sit down and write about a specific topic. I guess, maybe trying to pull a Bob Dylan or something and write about some horrible injustice in the world, but then when I just kind of jam on the song, and free style lyrics just to have something to sing, I find myself saying really deep stuff.It actually kind of shocks me what I say sometimes. I can only assume that its subconscious stuff floating up.
B:Any examples?
N:Not ones I want my mother reading.
B:Fair enough. You guys are really getting a lot of attention, and from what I've heard so far, lots of respect from people. Do you find that to be true?
N:Hrm. Not at all. I mean that in the sense that I am IN the band, and rarely hear or see what people say about us. I can only assume there are people out there loving, and not to exclude, hating us a lot. Just recently we went out of town, and played some shows with this band up north. We played about two dates on their headlining, CD Release tour. I didn't think anything of the bands. I knew they were bigger than us, but the shows didn't strike me as anything out of the ordinary. We just played, and had a great time, and they were really nice guys. But when I got back, a friend had left a comment on our facebook saying "I can't believe you played with them! you guys are like famous now!" or something like that. I honestly had no idea that some people saw that as big. Obviously they knew the band previously, and liked them, and that translates different to them. I mean this in utmost respect, but I don't know much about up and coming bands, and know even less about local music scenes, so to me it doesn't surprise me..I think out of just being out of the loop.
B:Can I ask which bands those were?
N: Sure. It was Falling Up, Ruth, and Archeology.
B:What goals do you have right now?
N:Well now that I think about it, I guess we are doing much more than I made it seem like. Much more means writing *laughs*. We just did a bunch of demos, and are working on writing. I guess you could say one of our goals is just to keep writing, and to keep playing.
B:Do you feel there is a new sound emerging with your demos?
N:Hrm...I suppose. It all sounds like Picture Atlantic to me. I'm sure in production, it will take on a much more defined sound..or new sound. But then again, who can say. We could just write 'Kleos 2'and not know it.
B:And last question so I can let you go, what upcoming plans or shows do you have?
N: Actually, we have a lot of cool free shows coming up. We're going to be playing two Urban Outfitters, and also a hot topic. Kind of the 'Hipster vs. Scene Kid' segment of shows *laughs*.
B:Sounds great! Thank you so much!
N:Thank you! Be blessed.
There we have it. Please check out Picture Atlantic on their URL at www.pictureatlantic.com.
Keep rocking out!
-Bsides
