By Jim Barber
Are you able to hear the chug, chug, chugging of the large iron wheels, the rumbling of the engine, the shuddering floor, the clackety-clack because it passes sooner and sooner over the tracks. An enormous laborious rockin’ locomotive has set off from its residence station within the province of Quebec, intent on bringing its cargo of highly effective songs and face-melting reside exhibits to audiences throughout Canada and past.
Atomik Prepare brings a dose of modernity to the basic rock, basic steel sounds of bands like AC/DC and Weapons ‘N Roses, with components of Avenged Sevenfold and the modern steel bands of the twenty first century thrown in for good measure. The band has already issued its bombastic debut single, ‘Supersonik Speedway’ with a follow-up monitor, ‘Again on Earth’ coming quickly in anticipation of the launch of their self-titled inaugural album, set for each bodily and digital launch within the early autumn.
The gifted quartet got here collectively when a pair of musicians from the Quebec laborious rock/steel scene, Junior Bourcier and Francois Babin, determined to collaborate with the intent of creating steel music for the lots – straight forward bangers, lyrics that linked with the hearts and minds of everybody, and songs that might translate much more powerfully when carried out reside.
“We have been each enjoying gigs across the space, and it was round 2015. Francois had his solo band as a result of he was already fairly well-known, and he was seeking to have one other band play with him on the invoice. I used to be a lead singer in one other band in addition to the lead guitarist and I needed my band to open for somebody that was identified. We additionally occurred to have the identical bass participant, so we met and there was a spark proper there,” Bourcier stated from his residence in Victoriaville.
“So, we did that present after which after that we began doing a bunch of exhibits the place it was simply him and me – acoustic and electrical. Ultimately we integrated different musicians and one time we did a gig for a good friend of ours on this small city up north in Quebec – really we did two gigs in the identical day up there, with Alex Guilbault on drums and after that we thought, ‘man we gotta so one thing massive.’ And that’s when Atomik Prepare was born.”
Babin has the largest public profile of the 4 members of Atomik Prepare. Again in 2003 he was a finalist on the favored Quebec expertise/singing present Star Academie and went on to develop into a proficient and prodigiously busy touring musician all through Quebec and jap Canada, in addition to making some forays into the U.S. together with a present on the legendary Whiskey A Go Go in Hollywood.
“We grew to become buddies with the primary handshake, actually. I all the time dreamed of getting a frontman like Francois in my band. He has that frontman power and he’s good wanting and he strikes properly onstage. And I beloved his voice. He sings slightly like Brian Johnson [AC/DC] typically. He sings together with his balls and he’s a gutsy man and that’s what I used to be searching for. Additionally, we have now a very, actually profound friendship collectively – we’re extra than simply bandmates and enterprise companions. We assist one another and assist one another with something and all the things,” he stated, including that his pal has performed and sung numerous kinds over his practically 25 years within the music trade, however that Babin’s coronary heart is rooted in pure rock and steel.
“Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters is his largest affect. However he additionally talks so much about AC/DC like me. Onerous rock and steel are a very powerful musical influences for him. Like Dave Grohl, Francois is an effective chief and a enjoyable man to be round. We’re companions on this challenge and have been because the starting. We’ve the identical craziness but additionally the identical want to go very far with this band.”
The aforementioned Guilbault has been a drummer since his early groups, and based on the bio on the band’s web site, was influenced by a mix of the soul and funk stylings of the Sixties and early Nineteen Seventies, but additionally by Led Zeppelin’s brutishly sensible John Bonham.
“Alex is wonderful, and he hits laborious and that’s one of many issues I like about him. He’s obtained a very good driving beat and nice method – he’s like John Bonham slightly bit. The way in which he joined the band is fairly cool. Francois went right into a music retailer and Alex was instructing within the basement and Francois heard him rehearsing earlier than his subsequent pupil and waited round to fulfill him afterwards, and that’s how he obtained into the band,” Bourcier stated.
“He’s a very very disciplined man. He performed hockey at a reasonably excessive stage, AAA when he was youthful and was excellent, so he’s obtained that very same type of self-discipline and work ethic of a prime athlete. And naturally, he’s sturdy too due to that, and has stamina. He being so disciplined helps us so much as a result of Francois and me, we’re slightly bit much less disciplined at instances. So, Alex introduced the thunder, the loudness that we have been searching for.”
Atomik Prepare is a household affair too, not simply because Babin and Bourcier are as shut as brothers on and off the stage, however as a result of there’s really a second Babin within the band – Francois’ son Nolan, who not solely performs bass with appropriate rumbling badassery, however contributes an important deal to the band’s visible picture and branding.
“He’s a very good artist in addition to a very good musician. He’s into arts full time. In the intervening time he’s engaged on his second comedian e-book. And he did all of the logos and design and drawings for the album. And he’s performed it because the starting; he did the primary Atomik Prepare brand with the prepare popping out of a giant gap or tunnel there. So, we’re very lucky to have him with us. He’s a very good bass participant, has nice ears and nice instincts, even when he’s so much youthful. He’s a reasonably respectable child and will get together with us and together with his dad, so it’s been a really, very cool journey thus far,” Bourcier stated.
The guitarist is the band’s main songwriter, however he works intently with vocalist Babin to make sure that the band’s vibe and tone is constant.
“I do it principally myself, however typically there are songs that I write the lyrics partially and Francois helps me as a result of we have now such an important chemistry. Once I’m with that man, it’s all the time numerous enjoyable, however I additionally know we have now the identical imaginative and prescient for the band. ‘By no means Once more’ was the primary track that we wrote collectively. I had a riff for the track, so I introduced it to him, and we had a few beers and began rocking out and the track got here quick. He was saying and singing numerous issues into the microphone as I used to be enjoying alongside, making an attempt to get to the lyrics. At one level he stated, ‘by no means once more’ and it was like, ‘that’s it. That’s the refrain.’ In order that’s how that track labored out after which all the things got here collectively after that,” he defined, including that a lot of the concepts come to him whereas he’s noodling on the guitar.
“Actually, it’s virtually all the time riffs first. Each time I’m enjoying the guitar I strive stuff. I’m all the time exploring and making an attempt totally different sorts of sounds. And when it sounds good, I hold transforming it and repeating it and make it sound higher. And sometimes I’ll have photos that come into my head once I play which helps outline the track, however typically I don’t have these photos immediately. Once I wrote ‘Again on Earth’ it was a Sunday morning. I used to be having my espresso sitting on the kitchen desk with my acoustic guitar. And there was a five-dollar invoice on the desk. I put it there once I emptied my pocket the night time earlier than. And in case you bear in mind what’s on the again of the brand new five-dollar invoice, it’s an astronaut. So, I used to be enjoying, and I appeared on the invoice and I noticed the astronaut and it gave me an immediate concept. I began writing stuff about an astronaut that’s misplaced in house, looking for his approach again, and the way he by no means surrenders and by no means loses hope and all that stuff.”
Some concepts are extra private and nearer to the guts than the sci-fi adventures of a misplaced astronaut, as evidenced by the autobiographical ‘Vacation spot.’
“It’s the primary track that I confirmed Francois after we began enjoying collectively. Vacation spot is just about slightly little bit of the story of my life. It’s about wanting and dealing to perform my dream of creating music as a dwelling and enjoying in all places in entrance of hundreds of individuals and provoking others to additionally accomplish their desires. It’s about taking your nutritional vitamins and doing all your push-ups and getting up every single day and giving all of it you’ve obtained till you get to the place you need to be. I need it to be one thing that when individuals are pissed off, they’ll go sit of their automobile and crank it to the best stage. For me, I placed on [classic AC/DC banger] ‘For These About to Rock (We Salute You),” Bourcier defined, including that the lead-off single from the album, ‘Supersonik Speedway’ can be about going hell bent for leather-based on your desires.
“I first wrote the riff, then added the intro and I introduced this with a primary verse and a few type of a refrain to the fellows, however at first, they weren’t that ; they didn’t need to play it that a lot. I’ve laughed so much about this as a result of I needed to come again to them a few instances, and finally they actually began to dig it. And once I obtained to ending the lyrics, I used to be with Francois, and I already had a few phrases written. However for the refrain, we have been searching for one thing that was rhyming with the ‘A’ sound, and at one level he stated, ‘speedway.’ And the sunshine went on in my head, and shortly I had the remainder of the story of the ‘Supersonik Speedway.’ It’s about while you’re on the right track and while you’re selecting your self. It’s a track about attaining one thing, being self-accomplished and while you’re rolling down the freeway of life and issues are good, it turns into a supersonic speedway. The obstacles filter of your approach, and you may go full tile. Once you get locked into your confidence and your perception in your self, you develop into highly effective like a race automobile.”
Atomik Prepare additionally selected to place a tough rock spin on a basic Canadian track from the early Nineteen Eighties – Pink Rider’s ‘Lunatic Fringe’ – an concept introduced to them by former Pink Rider band member, and the band’s producer, John Webster.
“We needed to do a canopy, as a result of there’s numerous songs that we wish to play reside and John proposed ‘Lunatic Fringe’ as a result of he was the keyboard participant for Pink Rider when that track got here out and was a giant hit,” Bourcier stated.
“And I’ve all the time beloved the track. I heard it so much on CHOM FM, our massive radio station in Montreal. So, when he proposed that we do it I stated to the fellows, ‘man, we gotta do that.’ In order that’s what we did, and it was numerous enjoyable.”
Webster realized his commerce on the toes of two of Canada’s most prolific and profitable document producers; the late, nice Bruce Fairbairn, and Bob Rock. He’s had the prospect to work within the studio with the likes of Aerosmith, Motley Crue and Alice Cooper, amongst others, and introduced not solely his spectacular catalogue of hit albums, however a way of professionalism and encouragement for the members of Atomik Prepare through the recording of the debut album.
“We have been very lucky to work with him. In addition to being an important producer and engineer, he’s a very, actually wonderful musician. He’s obtained an important imaginative and prescient for every challenge and is a good chief within the studio. And it’s humorous as a result of folks have been telling us earlier than going into the studio to only do all the things John says, and it’ll end up wonderful. And we did, however he was actually good about listening to our concepts. He undoubtedly obtained the very best out of us. I bear in mind after we listened to the stuff after he labored on it and in contrast it to what we have been doing earlier than I stated, ‘okay, now we’re getting someplace,’” Bourcier stated.
With the self-titled debut album set to come back out in late September or early October, plans are afoot to not solely tour extensively all through Quebec and the Maritimes, however get into Ontario and, hopefully, additional afield.
“We need to go in all places. We need to go to the States. We need to go in all places in Canada and Europe. South America, in fact, could be a superb place for us to go. Pay attention, we’re prepared for this. We’ll go wherever we have to, to get our music on the market for folks to listen to. And I do know as soon as they see us reside, they’ll develop into followers. We’re already fairly well-known for our reside present,” Bourcier stated.
“It’s been a very long time coming. All of us have day jobs that we need to stop. We’ve invested so much on this challenge – time, cash and power. We really feel very fortunate to be the place we’re at proper now, however it’s solely the start. Taking part in reside everywhere in the world is what we need to do. We love enjoying reside. We love having the reference to the group. In addition to the enjoyable we have now from writing the songs, enjoying for folks is what we love probably the most.”
For extra data on Atomik Prepare, together with launch date for the album and upcoming exhibits, go to the band’s socials or www.atomiktrain.com.
Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and writer primarily based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. In addition to his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising specialist and is an avid volunteer in his neighborhood. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
SHARE THIS POST:
