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 quicker and quicker over the tracks. An enormous exhausting rockin’ locomotive has set off from its dwelling station within the province of Quebec, intent on bringing its cargo of highly effective songs and face-melting stay exhibits to audiences throughout Canada and past.
Atomik Practice brings a dose of modernity to the basic rock, basic metallic sounds of bands like AC/DC and Weapons ‘N Roses, with parts of Avenged Sevenfold and the modern metallic 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 gifted quartet got here collectively when a pair of musicians from the Quebec exhausting rock/metallic scene, Junior Bourcier and Francois Babin, determined to collaborate with the intent of creating metallic 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 have been each taking part in 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 needed 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 stated from his dwelling 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. Finally we included different musicians and one time we did a gig for a good friend of ours on this small city up north in Quebec – truly 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 huge.’ 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 develop into a proficient and prodigiously busy touring musician all through Quebec and japanese 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 mates with the primary handshake, truthfully. 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 liked his voice. He sings a bit of 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 in search of. Additionally, we have now a extremely, actually profound friendship collectively – we’re extra than simply bandmates and enterprise companions. We help one another and assist one another with something and all the pieces,” he stated, including that his pal has performed and sung lots of kinds over his practically 25 years within the music business, however that Babin’s coronary heart is rooted in pure rock and metallic.
“Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters is his greatest affect. However he additionally talks quite a bit about AC/DC like me. Onerous rock and metallic 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 undertaking and have been for the reason that starting. We’ve got 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 accordance with the bio on the band’s web site, was influenced by a combination of the soul and funk stylings of the Nineteen Sixties and early Nineteen Seventies, but in addition by Led Zeppelin’s brutishly good John Bonham.
“Alex is wonderful, and he hits exhausting and that’s one of many issues I like about him. He’s obtained a extremely good driving beat and nice approach – he’s like John Bonham a bit of bit. The way in which he joined the band is fairly cool. Francois went right into a music retailer and Alex was educating 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 obtained into the band,” Bourcier stated.
“He’s a extremely very disciplined man. He performed hockey at a fairly excessive degree, AAA when he was youthful and was superb, so he’s obtained that very same form 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 quite a bit as a result of Francois and me, we’re a bit of bit much less disciplined at instances. So, Alex introduced the thunder, the loudness that we have been in search of.”
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 truly a second Babin within the band – Francois’ son Nolan, who not solely performs bass with appropriate rumbling badassery, however contributes an awesome 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. For the time being he’s engaged on his second comedian ebook. And he did all of the logos and design and drawings for the album. And he’s completed it for the reason that starting; he did the primary Atomik Practice brand with the practice popping out of an enormous 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 quite a bit youthful. He’s a fairly first rate child and will get together with us and together with his dad, so it’s been a really, very cool journey to this point,” Bourcier stated.
The guitarist is the band’s main songwriter, however he works carefully with vocalist Babin to make sure that the band’s vibe and tone is constant.
“I do it largely myself, however generally there are songs that I write the lyrics partially and Francois helps me as a result of we have now such an awesome chemistry. After I’m with that man, it’s all the time lots 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 tune that we wrote collectively. I had a riff for the tune, so I introduced it to him, and we had a few beers and began rocking out and the tune got here quick. He was saying and singing lots of issues into the microphone as I used to be taking part in alongside, attempting 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 tune labored out after which all the pieces got here collectively after that,” he defined, including that a lot of the concepts come to him whereas he’s noodling on the guitar.
“Truthfully, it’s virtually all the time riffs first. Each time I’m taking part in the guitar I strive stuff. I’m all the time exploring and attempting completely different sorts of sounds. And when it sounds good, I preserve remodeling it and repeating it and make it sound higher. And sometimes I’ll have photos that come into my head after I play which helps outline the tune, however generally I don’t have these photos straight away. 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 evening earlier than. And in the event 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 taking part in, and I seemed on the invoice and I noticed the astronaut and it gave me an on the spot concept. I began writing stuff about an astronaut that’s misplaced in area, looking for his manner 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 center than the sci-fi adventures of a misplaced astronaut, as evidenced by the autobiographical ‘Vacation spot.’
“It’s the primary tune that I confirmed Francois once we began taking part in collectively. Vacation spot is just about a bit of little bit of the story of my life. It’s about wanting and dealing to perform my dream of creating music as a residing and taking part in in all places in entrance of 1000’s of individuals and provoking others to additionally accomplish their goals. It’s about taking your nutritional vitamins and doing all of your push-ups and getting up on daily basis and giving all of it you’ve obtained till you get to the place you wish to be. I need it to be one thing that when persons are annoyed, 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 on your goals.
“I first wrote the riff, then added the intro and I offered this with a primary verse and a few form 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 quite a bit 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 after 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 in search of 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 whenever you’re on the right track and whenever you’re selecting your self. It’s a tune about reaching one thing, being self-accomplished and whenever you’re rolling down the freeway of life and issues are good, it turns into a supersonic speedway. The obstacles filter out of your manner, and you’ll go full tile. Once you get locked into your confidence and your perception in your self, you develop into highly effective like a race automotive.”
Atomik Practice additionally selected to place a tough rock spin on a basic Canadian tune from the early Nineteen Eighties – Purple Rider’s ‘Lunatic Fringe’ – an concept offered to them by former Purple Rider band member, and the band’s producer, John Webster.
“We needed to do a canopy, as a result of there’s lots of songs that we prefer to play stay and John proposed ‘Lunatic Fringe’ as a result of he was the keyboard participant for Purple Rider when that tune got here out and was an enormous hit,” Bourcier stated.
“And I’ve all the time liked the tune. I heard it quite a bit on CHOM FM, our huge radio station in Montreal. So, when he proposed that we do it I stated to the blokes, ‘man, we gotta do that.’ In order that’s what we did, and it was lots of enjoyable.”
Webster discovered 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 possibility 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 throughout the recording of the debut album.
“We have been very lucky to work with him. Moreover being an awesome producer and engineer, he’s a extremely, actually wonderful musician. He’s obtained an awesome imaginative and prescient for every undertaking and is a good chief within the studio. And it’s humorous as a result of individuals have been telling us earlier than going into the studio to only do all the pieces 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 keep in mind once 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 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, after all, 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 develop into followers. We’re already fairly well-known for our stay present,” Bourcier stated.
“It’s been a very long time coming. All of us have day jobs that we wish to give up. We’ve invested quite a bit on this undertaking – time, cash and power. We really feel very fortunate to be the place we’re at proper now, but it surely’s solely the start. Enjoying stay everywhere in the world is what we wish to do. We love taking part in stay. We love having the reference to the group. Moreover the enjoyable we have now from writing the songs, taking part in for individuals is what we love essentially the most.”
For extra data on Atomik Practice, 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. 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.