It’s shortly after 3AM and I still can’t go to sleep. While I never had the pleasure of meeting Steve Jobs, I am deeply saddened by his passing. Steve was my hero. Without his products, I don’t believe that I would be the writer or the person that I am today. There isn’t an artist out there whose life hasn’t been touched by Steve’s work in some way. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. The world won’t be the same without him. He will truly be missed.

Mason

Date: Saturday, 9/24
Time: 6:00PM
Venue: Soho Gallery for Digital Art
Location: 138 Sullivan St.  New York, NY 10012
Tickets: $12 in advance at http://t.co/dLBqrAmz

-Mason

Listening to a’tris reminds me of the time I discovered Aphex Twin and Radiohead. Sophisticated beats, smooth synths and psychedelic guitars create a suave atmosphere that is distinctive and also pleasurable listening experience. a’tris is the brainchild of Mason Taylor, from the Berklee College of Music, and producer/songwriter Michael Kreher. Taylor and Kreher added co-writer/guitarist Ben Azar,then came Nate Lueck on Bass and Travis Abel on drums. Since then the band have drawn from interesting styles to create their own music that not moves the crowd to their feet but also makes on ponder about existential angst .

SM – Your music is very atmospheric and I love your occasional use of female vocals . What influenced you to create this direction as opposed to the current trend in your bands right now?

Thanks! We honestly just try to write and record music that we’d want to listen to. Our thought is that, by taking this approach, regardless of how different the arrangements are or esoteric the music may be, there are going to be people like us out there who will want to buy it and share it with their friends.

SM – You seem to be doing a lot of things left and right. What are your rules about performing, composing and taking time off?

This is a full-time job for us. There just aren’t any medical benefits or vacation days. This year, we launched a project that saw us releasing a new song and music video each week. That is currently on pause as Nate is touring with Ted Nugent. Usually we take breaks when opportunities for collaboration come up or members tour with other artists. The Ted Nugent tour, for example, was something that we just couldn’t let Nate pass up. If your readers would like to check out what we accomplished so far with this project, I hope they’ll take a moment to visit atrishq.com and/or youtube.com/atrismusic.

-Mason

Thanks for all of your support, Courtney! a’tris loves Hollywood Girl

-Mason

To download free music and a karaoke version of this demo, visit a’tris HQ and sign-up for our mailing list.

To submit a cover of this cover, please post a video response on our YouTube page.

Here are the lyrics and chords to this week’s tune:

Taste So Sweet

You are a vulture dressed in women’s clothes.
With a child’s eyes and the heart of steel,
you spend your days sucking blood from a stone.
and your words reek of death
I’d love to see you rot.

That would taste so sweet.
That would taste so sweet.

You shove anyone who you think will go down.
But someday you’ll be the one who’s on his knees.
Everyone will laugh at you and leave you there to cry.
They’ll go too easy on you.
I’d love to see you burn.

That would taste so sweet.
That would taste so sweet.

It will all come back to haunt you. I promise.
It will all come back to haunt you when you sleep.
You wont be able to escape it if you try.
It will hunt you down.
I’d love to see your face when it happens.

That would taste so sweet.
It would taste so sweet.

As always, T-shirts and ringtones can be purchased at our web store.

To download free music and a karaoke version of this demo, visit a’tris HQ and sign-up for our mailing list.

To submit a cover of this cover, please post a video response on our YouTube page.

Here are the lyrics and chords to this week’s tune:

I Will

I will
Lay me down
In a bunker
Underground
I won’t let this happen to my children
Meet the real world coming out of your shell
With white elephants
Sitting ducks
I will
rise up
Little babies eyes eyes eyes eyes
Little babies eyes eyes eyes eyes
Little babies eyes eyes eyes eyes
Little babies eyes eyes eyes

As always, T-shirts and ringtones can be purchased at our web store.

Image by M. Keefe via Flickr

A week of so ago, I had the pleasure of having a phone chat with DJ Raine of HomeGrown Radio. In case you missed it, DJ Raine kindly sent us a recording which I’ve included below. I had a blast discussing everything from past a’tris tours to our current #songaweek project and hope you’ll enjoy the interview.

-Mason

To download free music and a karaoke version of this demo, visit a’tris HQ and sign-up for our mailing list.

To submit a cover, please post a video response on our YouTube page.

Here are the lyrics and chords to this week’s tune:

I Wasn’t Here

Somewhere there’s an artist who’s putting on a show
for a room full of empty tables.
And somewhere there’s an astronaut
asking someone at a yard sale if she’ll take a dollar for a picture of the moon.

Somewhere there’s a pageant and all of the contestants are putting vaseline on their teeth so their mothers will be proud.
Somewhere there’s a martyr who’s having second thoughts.
What is there to die for these days?

Somewhere there must be someone working in a sweat shop
to efficiently manufacture good news.

As always, T-shirts and ringtones can be purchased at our web store.

To download free music and a karaoke version of this demo, visit a’tris HQ and sign-up for our mailing list.

To submit a cover, please post a video response on our YouTube page.

Here are the lyrics and chords to this week’s tune:

This is Not Going to End Well

You say that you won’t hurt me; but your words are words of fire.
You stab me with your burning eyes and your voice has the clap of thunder.
And you say “this is not going to end well.”

I don’t care if you’re nothing. We’ll be nothing together.
I’ll be in your corner; but don’t test my limits.
Otherwise, this is not going to end well.

Why do you demand so much. Do you want to make this escalate?
One wrong move and that’s the end of it. The writing’s on the wall.
This is not going to end well.

You don’t want to wander here. This fire is serious.
I can sit and wait out this storm through the pain in my side.
I know this is not going to end well for you or for me.

This is not going to end well.

As always, T-shirts and ringtones can be purchased at our web store.