By Jim Barber
Are you able to hear the chug, chug, chugging of the massive iron wheels, the rumbling of the engine, the shuddering floor, the clackety-clack because it passes sooner and sooner over the tracks. An enormous arduous 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 stay reveals to audiences throughout Canada and past.
Atomik Practice 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 up to date steel bands of the 21st 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 proficient quartet got here collectively when a pair of musicians from the Quebec arduous rock/steel scene, Junior Bourcier and Francois Babin, determined to collaborate with the intent of constructing steel music for the plenty – straight forward bangers, lyrics that linked with the hearts and minds of everybody, and songs that might translate much more powerfully when carried out stay.
“We had 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 trying 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 wished my band to open for somebody that was recognized. We additionally occurred to have the identical bass participant, so we met and there was a spark proper there,” Bourcier mentioned from his residence in Victoriaville.
“So, we did that present after which after that we began doing a bunch of reveals the place it was simply him and me – acoustic and electrical. Ultimately we included different musicians and one time we did a gig for a pal 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 large.’ And that’s when Atomik Practice was born.”
Babin has the most important public profile of the 4 members of Atomik Practice. Again in 2003 he was a finalist on the favored Quebec expertise/singing present Star Academie and went on to grow to be 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 turned pals with the primary handshake, actually. I at all times dreamed of getting a frontman like Francois in my band. He has that frontman vitality and he’s good wanting and he strikes properly onstage. And I beloved his voice. He sings a little bit like Brian Johnson [AC/DC] generally. He sings together with his balls and he’s a gutsy man and that’s what I used to be on the lookout for. Additionally, we have now a extremely, actually profound friendship collectively – we’re extra than simply bandmates and enterprise companions. We assist one another and assist one another with something and the whole lot,” he mentioned, including that his pal has performed and sung a number of types over his almost 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. Laborious rock and steel are crucial 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 for the reason that starting. Now we have the identical craziness but in addition the identical want to go very far with this band.”
The aforementioned Guilbault has been a drummer since his early groups, and in response to the bio on the band’s web site, was influenced by a combination of the soul and funk stylings of the Sixties and early Seventies, but in addition by Led Zeppelin’s brutishly good John Bonham.
“Alex is wonderful, and he hits arduous and that’s one of many issues I like about him. He’s received a extremely good driving beat and nice method – he’s like John Bonham a little bit bit. The best way 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 scholar and waited round to fulfill him afterwards, and that’s how he received into the band,” Bourcier mentioned.
“He’s a extremely very disciplined man. He performed hockey at a reasonably excessive degree, AAA when he was youthful and was excellent, so he’s received that very same type of self-discipline and work ethic of a high athlete. And naturally, he’s robust too due to that, and has stamina. He being so disciplined helps us so much as a result of Francois and me, we’re a little bit bit much less disciplined at occasions. So, Alex introduced the thunder, the loudness that we had been on the lookout for.”
Atomik Practice 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 amazing deal to the band’s visible picture and branding.
“He’s a extremely good artist in addition to a extremely good musician. He’s into arts full time. In the mean 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 executed it for the reason that starting; he did the primary Atomik Practice emblem 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 extremely 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 experience to date,” Bourcier mentioned.
The guitarist is the band’s major songwriter, however he works carefully with vocalist Babin to make sure that the band’s vibe and tone is constant.
“I do it principally myself, however generally there are songs that I write the lyrics partly and Francois helps me as a result of we have now such an amazing chemistry. After I’m with that man, it’s at all times a number of 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 a number of issues into the microphone as I used to be enjoying alongside, attempting to get to the lyrics. At one level he mentioned, ‘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 the whole lot 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 nearly at all times riffs first. Each time I’m enjoying the guitar I strive stuff. I’m at all times exploring and attempting totally different sorts of sounds. And when it sounds good, I maintain transforming it and repeating it and make it sound higher. And infrequently I’ll have pictures that come into my head after I play which helps outline the track, however generally I don’t have these pictures immediately. After 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 after I emptied my pocket the night time earlier than. And should you keep 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 thought. I began writing stuff about an astronaut that’s misplaced in house, looking for his means 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 a little bit little bit of the story of my life. It’s about wanting and dealing to perform my dream of constructing music as a residing and enjoying in all places in entrance of hundreds of individuals and provoking others to additionally accomplish their goals. 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 received till you get to the place you wish to be. I would like it to be one thing that when individuals are pissed off, they’ll go sit of their automotive and crank it to the very best degree. 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 in your goals.
“I first wrote the riff, then added the intro and I offered this with a primary verse and a few type of a refrain to the blokes, however at first, they weren’t that ; they didn’t wish 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 occasions, and ultimately they actually began to dig it. And after I received to ending the lyrics, I used to be with Francois, and I already had a few phrases written. However for the refrain, we had been on the lookout for one thing that was rhyming with the ‘A’ sound, and at one level he mentioned, ‘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 not off course 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 means, and you may go full tile. Whenever you get locked into your confidence and your perception in your self, you grow to be highly effective like a race automotive.”
Atomik Practice additionally selected to place a tough rock spin on a basic Canadian track from the early Eighties – Pink Rider’s ‘Lunatic Fringe’ – an thought offered to them by former Pink Rider band member, and the band’s producer, John Webster.
“We wished to do a canopy, as a result of there’s a number of songs that we prefer to play stay 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 mentioned.
“And I’ve at all times beloved the track. I heard it so much on CHOM FM, our large radio station in Montreal. So, when he proposed that we do it I mentioned to the blokes, ‘man, we gotta do that.’ In order that’s what we did, and it was a number of enjoyable.”
Webster discovered his commerce on the toes of two of Canada’s most prolific and profitable report 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 Practice in the course of the recording of the debut album.
“We had been very lucky to work with him. Moreover being an amazing producer and engineer, he’s a extremely, actually wonderful musician. He’s received an amazing imaginative and prescient for every challenge and is a good chief within the studio. And it’s humorous as a result of individuals had been telling us earlier than going into the studio to simply do the whole lot John says, and it’ll prove wonderful. And we did, however he was actually good about listening to our concepts. He undoubtedly received the perfect out of us. I keep in mind after we listened to the stuff after he labored on it and in contrast it to what we had been doing earlier than I mentioned, ‘okay, now we’re getting someplace,’” Bourcier mentioned.
With the self-titled debut album set to return 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 wish to go in all places. We wish to go to the States. We wish to go in all places in Canada and Europe. South America, in fact, can 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 individuals to listen to. And I do know as soon as they see us stay, they’ll grow to be followers. We’re already fairly well-known for our stay present,” Bourcier mentioned.
“It’s been a very long time coming. All of us have day jobs that we wish to stop. We’ve invested so much on this challenge – time, cash and vitality. We really feel very fortunate to be the place we’re at proper now, however it’s solely the start. Taking part in stay all around the world is what we wish to do. We love enjoying stay. We love having the reference to the gang. Moreover the enjoyable we have now from writing the songs, enjoying for individuals is what we love probably the most.”
For extra info on Atomik Practice, together with launch date for the album and upcoming reveals, go to the band’s socials or www.atomiktrain.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and writer based mostly in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. Moreover his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising and marketing specialist and is an avid volunteer in his group. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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