Attic Light has become known for their vigorous and eccentric live performances which have made the band a distinct presence in the Midwest since the release and tour of their debut EP, Different Shades of Black. The Kansas City based band recorded their most recent album, The EXILE EP. This album features the single "Whiskey Love" in Nashville with producer Dohse of AGD Entertainment. After the release of EP, the band spent months touring the Midwest, performing and appearing at many prominent venues, regional radio stations, television programs, and publications. Attic Light is currently working on their third EP, beginning with the release of the single "Wasted" in 2019. Continuing Attic Light's journey of fusing elements of both dance and rock, "Wasted" depicts thinking of someone so obsessively that it becomes debilitating, as if being wasted on intoxicating thoughts.
This midwest band is putting Kansas City on the map! A country rock sound with strong lyricism and amazing instruments. “Wasted” has a really dance rock feel. I hear some old school 80s rock tones with some electronic pianos and other choice sounds. You can feel the wasted thoughts through the production of the song. It is really eclectic and one that you can catch yourself singing in your head later. The lead vocals give a nice blend of heavy, rock, and electronic dance bridging an old sound with a new sound that creates their epic sound!
Listen to "Wasted" here, and learn more about Attic Light in our interview below!
Hey guys! Please, introduce yourself to our readers!
Hi there! We’re Attic Light, a dance-rock band based out of Kansas City, MO. The band is led by singer/songwriter Nathan Bowman with Patrick Rippeto on bass, Mike Pittman on guitar, and Joseph Dillman on drums. After our debut EP Different Shades of Black, and months of touring, we recorded our second album, The EXILE EP in Nashville with producer Dohse of AGD Entertainment.
Our most popular single,the hometown inspired dance track “Hot in Kansas City," was recorded during a break we had on The EXILE Tour. A lot of bands say this, but we are all about giving audiences a great live show. To quote a review "The band is barrels of fun with endless energy, and...onstage flair. It’s rare for us to sexually scrutinize a musician, but Christ Almighty, Bowman is one hell of a guitarist, with a fiery and passionate rock and roll persona to match." (I Heart Local Music)
What’s the story behind your band name?
I wish I could say it had some deep meaning behind it, but I can’t. We sat around a table brainstorming names, picking ideas we liked, tossing around synonyms. I think in a car ride someone said “what about Anchors and Balloons” and I thought “balloons float high, what else is up high? Attics, those are up above things too. How about that?” And it sort of spiraled from there…yeah, great story right?
How would you describe your sound? Do you have any music inspirations that help you channel your music?
We like to call ourselves “dance-rock.” Some of the more significant influences on my writing are Prince, Depeche Mode, and Nine Inch Nails. I love music with a driving beat, something you can really move to. Prince is a great example of blurring genres. Most of his music is pop, and rock, and dance, and jazz, and so on. I like that. While Attic Light is definitely a rock band, I like integrating elements of dance and pop. The same with Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. Most of their songs have really dark content, but it’s all driven by a club-style dance beat. That’s what I aim for when I’m writing Attic Light songs. I think our songs “Hot in Kansas City” and “Help Me Darlin” are good examples of that.
How was the creation process behind your new single "Wasted"?
For all of our previous work, we worked with outside producers, a production team, and recorded in the traditional studio. “Hot in Kansas City” was different as it was the first time I took over the reins of producing. For “Wasted” we went the opposite direction and took a DIY approach. I wrote the song on acoustic guitar, and played it around open mic's to see what worked and what didn’t. The lyrics changed almost night-to-night. Once I thought we had something, we gathered our equipment, soundproofed my basement, and went from there. I wanted “Wasted” to have a more lo-fi quality to it (something about the idea of being wasted made me think lo-fi don’t ask me why). There was a lot less stress recording when we weren’t confined by the amount of time we paid a studio for. Patrick, our bass player, could come over and record his parts one day, Mike on guitar another.
Can you tell us personally the meaning behind "Wasted"?
“Wasted” is about an unhealthy obsession with someone. The song depicts thinking of someone so much that it becomes debilitating, as if being wasted on intoxicating thoughts. I think the metaphor of being wasted is pretty apt for describing how people get caught up in their feeling for another person, without considering why it might be a bad thing. You keep consuming it, even though you shouldn’t.
How has Kansas City influenced your band?
Historically, Kansas City is known for jazz. There are a ton of jazz clubs here. Attic Light is definitely not a jazz band. But I think the mentality behind jazz permeates the culture here, and certainly our approach to music. Jazz developed as a response to classical and big band music that working-class people, particularly people of color, were left out of. It’s music for the people, not elites, the opposite of pretentiousness and highly produced music. For me, I just want to write music people can move to. People like to move. I’m not trying to write the super-produced artistic masterpiece. I don’t want people to think about our music, I want them to feel it. I think that is the heart of jazz, and I think that’s Kansas City at its finest.
What are your goals for this year?
2019 is going to be a busy year. After a year off, we have a lot of new music we will be releasing. “Wasted” is the first in a series of singles we will be releasing throughout the year which will culminate in our third EP release. On top of that, we’ll be releasing acoustic versions of some songs as well. The upcoming EP will be followed by a tour in 2020, but until then, we’ll be playing a lot of shows in the KC area to hype the new music and build a good set list for the tour.
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