Oh hey music world. Long time no see. I’m pretty sure that no one consciously follows this blog, but if you do, I am really sorry for not updating it in almost three months. Because of my intense school schedule last quarter, I didn’t have much time to write about bands. But going to a concert Downtown Brew last night sparked my inspiration due to a band called Picture Atlantic. They were amazing and I was even happier when they mentioned they were from San Jose, Calif., just a few minutes shy of my home. I’m not sure even where to begin with this band, but as a warning, this won’t be quite as extravaggant as my posts in the past. This will be more of a run-down on my thoughts and ideas of bands, rather than solely focusing on creating a summary of unsigned bands.
I was first surprised by the lead singer, Nik Bartunek’s, pure and fluid voice that rang throughout Downtown Brew. He approaches the stage in a humble manner grabbing the mic like a pro. This band isn’t in the industry for fame or money, they are in it to share a message. The title of their album, due out soon, is “Dolce et decorem est.” This title is the same as a famous poem by Owen Wilfred, who is known for his work about war. After the concert, Kelly was interested in the band and sent them an e-mail about their music and it’s meaning. Bartunek replied saying that, “I’m vehemently anti-war, and I think that poem really spoke to me in a lot of ways. I see many parallels between the madness of WW1, and the insanity of our Jingoistic military situation in the middle east.” It’s obvious that their lyrics are poetry just like Wilfred’s. It is inspirational for anyone to hear a true artist like Picture Atlantic. They have a deep connection to their words that you don’t find in many artists today (No offense Ke$ha). Overall, their performance was more than any concert-goer could ask for and I am more than pleasantly surprised with their music.
My favorite song of the night was, “Antiques Unltd,” which is off of their album which is on iTunes April 24, 2010. The song is almost like a lullaby; the way the guitar is strummed beautifully while Burtanek sings from his soul. True magic. To listen to this song see the live performace below or check out their myspace where many of their new songs are streaming for free. One thing is for sure: if they are in the Bay Area over the summer, I will be the first in line for tickets.
