#atomga

Bonus Track

ATOMGA - AGA - Afrobeat from Denver

#TGTfeature 003: ATOMGA [Denver, Colorado, USA] After an intriguing discussion about beats, bass, and boom with renowned American dubstep DJ Joe Nice, #TGTfeature 003 gets Afro-funky with Colorado nine-piece ATOMGA. This and forthcoming #TGTfeature articles will highlight dedicated musical talents by featuring their recent work as well as an in-depth interview. Equally known for their high-energy performances and dedication to Afrobeat authenticity, ATOMGA have been making a name for themselves well beyond Denver through headlining shows and supporting the likes of Seun Kuti & Egypt 80. Having previously reviewed their Black Belt album, it was great meeting up for a chat at Grandma’s House with band members Frank Roddy (Tenor Saxophone) and Leah Concialdi (Baritone and Soprano Saxophone, Flute, EWI), who shared their love of the music while also discussing the wider American Afrobeat scene, their namesake beer, and the benefits of playing in a larger project. A bit about ATOMGA [pronounced uh-TOM-guh]: - arguably Colorado’s leading proponents of Nigerian Afrobeat, ATOMGA have been performing a unique blend of authentic Afrobeat/funk music since 2011 - have released two studio albums: a SELF-TITLED 2014 EP followed by 2015’s BLACK BELT, mastered by Craig Welsch and Grant Phabao, respectively - HEADLINING this Saturday, January 21, at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom's The Other Side with Sisters of Soul and The Sextones

TGT: How did you first get into Afrobeat and Afrofunk-related music, and why has it become such an important part of your lives? FR: I’ve been playing guitar for years, so I grew up kind of in Detroit, I was playing rock primarily. I put a bunch of rock bands together and had a lot of fun doing that. Interestingly though, when I picked up saxophone, shortly after that one of my friends – and I was in Nashville, I was taking lessons – gave me a Fela Kuti record. He goes, ‘now that you’re a horn player you need to listen to Fela Kuti.’ I had never heard of him before. This had to go back, fifteen/sixteen years ago, somewhere in there, and I listened to it and I liked it and it got shuffled around and I forgot about the CD for a while and then the CD kind of found its way to the forefront when we were talking about putting a new band together – what should we do? I started listening to Fela Kuti and I’m like ‘God, this is what we should do,’ right here you know. So, that’s how… when ATOMGA started I had never played the genre before, and it was really interesting to kind of learn how it operates. That genre is so far removed from just the three or four-piece rock bands that I was doing… a hugely fun challenge, it was amazing. And especially the dynamics with the big band and the horn section and the percussion section. For a long time the horn section had four horns in it, and that was bigger than most of the bands I ever had – just the horn section! The original conversation was Casey [Hrdlicka; guitar] and I were talking – that kind of gets in to ‘how did the band start’ – but me and Casey were just kicking it around, and he was kind of asking me what I was thinking about musically, and I brought up that Fela Kuti CD, and I’m looking around Colorado – there’s a couple of bands dabbling in Afrobeat, and some of them were all Afrobeat – but it didn’t really look like too many people were just like seriously paying homage to Fela Kuti... we wanted to share the music, and possibly give the audience something that they wouldn’t normally be able to listen to live. LC: I play in several other groups, where I might be the only horn or might play the EWI, the electronic wind instrument. You have some liberties there, but I’d rather play in a full section than by myself… I’d say not even putting a label on it [ATOMGA] – it’s a dance music, you can shake your ass and have fun, and get down with other like-minded people. Try it, you’ll like it! FR: You can’t really explain what [live] afrobeat sounds like… just come out, see a show, have fun and shake your booty, get sweaty with us – that’s the only way you’re gonna hear how we sound like from a live standpoint.

Black Belt by ATOMGA

TGT: What’s the band’s approach to song-writing, both lyrics and instrumentation? There’s obviously personal (“Sly Devil”) and political (“Alaskan Pipeline”) overtones. How do you wear your influences proudly while avoiding being ATOMGA Kuti? FR: I feel like you can get a really strong message out there without being so belligerent, in-your-face… LC: So many of our songs aren’t brazen, in-your-face, harsh, ‘stand with us or else’… like we have one song, “New Currency,” like, love is the new currency: don’t count money and possessions, let’s just all love each other… treat love as a currency and pay it forward and be good to your fellow man and woman – we’re all going to thrive together. It’s just something that we naturally do, and Kendra [Kreie] – our vocalist and primary lyric writer – I think that’s her natural direction as a songwriter. She’s not looking to write about politics, and she’s not looking to write about social injustice, but what’s in her heart, mind, and soul at all times – it’s just what comes out, and I think it’s super genuine and approachable and relatable. Lots of people take note of those lyrics. FR: She does a great job at actually creating a message, but she’s not – even as an individual – she’s not the type to smash you over the head with two-by-four to get the message across. She doesn’t need to do that, but her set of lyrics she can – not softly, either, it’s kind of a medium approach… LC: … it’s balanced and authentic. [On “Alaskan Pipeline” specifically] FR: All the lyrics aren’t about this pipeline, it’s weird – that song it seems about two-thirds of the lyrics aren’t… she really doesn’t even bring up “Alaskan Pipeline” that much you know? But when she does, it is, it’s just like *boom* – nice little strong jab in there. LC: Unofficially we renamed that “Dakota Pipeline”… FR: … we did the benefit, we call it “Dakota Pipeline"… LC: … it was at the Oriental Theater… FR: … that was the Stand Up For Standing Rock, a month ago. TGT: What advice do you have to up-and-coming bands, especially those that are looking to play African-influenced music? LC: Really play into each others’ strengths. Everyone needs to contribute in some way; it can’t be one or two people pulling all the weight. If you have people that are really good at production and pseudo-stage management and loading – have them go in that element of the band – if like one or two people want to take control of marketing, PR, booking, all that – have them handle that. You know, making sure everyone contributes; everyone feels their worth, and all that good stuff. PR and social media and digital marketing are my day job, so might as well apply it to my band, and I geek out over it… it’s cool, Frank does a great job – I’d kind of call him CFO – of handling money… handle shows, work with the CPA. Some guys in the group are great at Tetris-ing instrument cases together, where I’m just like ‘here’s my horn, put it somewhere!’ FR: Yeah, I cannot load a trailer [laughs]. LC: And as far as those looking to play African-infused music, or bigger bands, just always remember that you’re doing it for the love of it. As kind of cheesy and cliché as that sounds, you know, when there’s that many people individual pay isn’t that high, but I’d much rather make music playing my favorite style of music – afrofunk – with these eight/nine other people depending on the night, then be a trio or by myself... I’d rather play in a full section than by myself, it’s kind of awkward being a single bari[tone], it’s like a low timbre horn – ‘can you even hear me?’ FR: [chuckles] Right. To add to that, it’s impossible to create the sound of a big band if there’s only three or four people in the band. You have bass guitar and drums and guitar, and a vocalist, you just can’t reproduce that kind of sound. And then when you add on percussion and you add on some horns… as the band gets bigger you’re able to do more things, but when it comes down to brass tacks, there’s just no way you can create this sound without that many people in the room. And I love it. LC: Just keep that in mind, always have end goals and remember why you started to begin with, just in case you ever lose sight of that…

ATOMGA EP by ATOMGA

Ten-deep afrobeat unit ATOMGA bring out a raucous-yet-nuanced set of horn-led funk on Black Belt, their second studio release in as many years. While well-balanced just like its self-titled predecessor, this album from the Colorado, USA-based band presents a more richly layered sound - one surely brought out by the capable hands of French groove guru Grant Phabao (of the Paris DJs label), who handled the mixing and mastering duties. Lyrically the themes are purposefully vague yet clearly contemporary, examining elements of both the human condition and society.

  Black Belt by ATOMGA

  It's all about the bass to open, as "Salt and Pepper" provides a short two-minute preview of concepts to be explored in further detail throughout the album: tight interplay between horns, a tough rhythm section, and a keen ability to switch the jam at just the right moment. However, its the silky subtleties in "Sly Devil" that show how ATOMGA can captivate, making the vocals of Kendra Kreie even more powerful when they finally enter near the three-minute mark. 'You're a sly devil, aren't ya?' she asks, knowingly, between examples of said slyness.

  Horns united? "Cressidation" is full up, seeming to start mid-jam, before stepping into the moodier main sax theme. Vocally the focus is on self-improvement: 'you've got to right yourself, right yourself, better get yourself right;' later it's 'got a mind full of judgement, for this world, yourself, for everyone, in need of some redirection, happiness is how it should be spun,' all sung with a sultry sense of optimism. The closest track to afropop as far as strong structure and length, "Wacks" lets the guitar melody lead, paired with congas and other restrained percussion, all of which aligns quite nicely.

  "Cobra Kai" has a Budos Band-esque brood (and song title), with darker horn lines mingling with the hypnotic guitar and meandering keys, yet the layered composition still allows sufficient space for some nice Eastern-tinged cries to emerge between the poignant and on-point work of the band. "Reisster Eggs," presumably named after drummer Jeff Reiss, is another lush arrangement; features include: a fast-paced call and response, a blistering trumpet solo, and a stomping-yet-sparse breakdown section. Given the recent US Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, the chant of 'we've got to love' is also very timely!

  On "Alaskan Pipeline," all things ATOMGA come together to create the album's magnum opus, a thorough indictment of modern society and its priorities. The horns ripple in just the right ways, the solos are given ample time to breathe and explore, the percussion section combines with Samuel Lafalce's tight bass to masterfully control the groove... and for those who listen carefully, both verse: 'we don't blame you for seeking solace, relaxation in the form of a pill, we all feel like underachievers, like we're never over the hill, we are blinded by our duty, punch the clock from 9 to 5;' and chorus: 'the TV tells us what to buy, what to wear, who to love, and what to live for, close your eyes, close your eyes, and go to sleep' are scathing, although it would seem in 2015 that screens of all sizes are just as threatening as TV is. The title comes into play in the final verse, as poor environmental policy is equated with supporting society's inherent laziness.

Black Belt by ATOMGA - Afrobeat from Denver

ATOMGA- Black Belt -dynamic afrofunk from the mile high city!

Released June 6, 2015