MxPx Cover “San Dimas High School Football Rules” • Page 2

ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaa

 

I personally think they blew it with So Long Astoria. It was much poorer than their earlier efforts and not quite good enough to really capitalise upon the pop punk craze that was happening at the time. Look at how weak their two lead singles were (one being a bad cover of a song that horrible to start with). A better written pop punk record would have gotten them really huge at that time. Some really good songs would have made them look better after signing for a major (something they earlier stated they would not do in widely read publications like Kerrang).

Also another good podcast along those lines is 'This was the scene' with the guy from Lanemeyer.

 

Yeah, The Ataris have definitely had a very interesting career, and although they did get kinda screwed when Columbia merged, most of their downfall was self inflicted by Kris. So Long Astoria will undoubtedly be a very iconic pop-punk album of the 2000's, but I don't think the world was ready for Welcome the Night. Welcome the Night is one of my all time favorite albums, but they took too big of a jump between SLA and WTN in genre differences. It was a tough spot for them too because a lot of the pop-punk kids weren't into it, but it didn't really have the "indie" cred for the ex-pop-punk kids who grew out of the genre. There should've either been a few album progression to that point, or like it was mentioned (and I think was discussed during the sessions) to have it released under a different name.

Now as far as Kris constantly shooting himself in the foot... that dude should have released Graveyard back in 2009 or 2010 (when it was "supposed" to be released) but they just keep doing the same 200 cap dives and no one really cares a whole lot about them anymore. It's just sad. At least Hawthorne Heights who also had success and a downfall still constantly released new music and even though they're playing the same venues, they push forward as a band.

If I were Kris' manager, I would have slapped him in the face a few times over now.

 

I'm pretty sure situations like this ianwhy Kris/The Ataris never blew up like they were expected to:

Kris Roe (The Ataris) loses it, plays rest of show solo

 

Man, I need more of my favorite bands covering former favorite bands I've completely forgotten about...listening to some Ataris today for sure!

 

My band covered this when I was like 15. I did bass and vocals, haha. It’s a blast, and a really easy song to learn.

We also covered Blink 182’s “Fentoozler” and Green Day’s “Jaded” at that show. Good times.

Whoops, I got a little nostalgic there. :)

 

That's a bummer. I saw them a couple years ago in LA and Kris sounded fantastic and seemed extremely pumped to be playing. One of my favorite shows ever.

 

This is fantastic. Love the small alterations they made with the lyrics.

 

Yes! 100%! Though, I'd say their trajectory is more disappointing than mysterious. After the success of Astoria, I think they experienced a mass exodus of band members in '05, and Kris Roe was the only one left, which ultimately derailed a follow-up. It is a bummer, they peaked just one or two years before FOB brought pop-punk to the top of the mainstream. The Ataris could have been huge.

 

They should have a "Punk Rock Is Your Friend" tour with all the old Kung Fu Records bands.

 

I co-sign on Lead Singer Syndrome. I usually pick and choose which episodes to listen to based on whether I'm familiar with the band, but they always seem to do a good job giving some "behind the scenes" and history of the bands.

 

That’s their most popular album by a massive mile.

 

Started listening to This Was The Scene, and it's been pretty fun so far. The list of guests had me immediately subscribing... Thanks for the rec!

I don't think the Ataris blew it with Astoria. For me, that record is exactly what I expected the Ataris to sound like with a major label budget. It exceeded my expectations, if I'm being honest about it... And, IMHO, has some of their strongest tracks (including "In This Diary").

It was the time lapse between that record and the follow-up, coupled with a relatively small (and strange, if I recall) amount of touring on Astoria that they did. It did a lot to distance themselves from the fans. People just moved right along...

Your thoughts on Welcome The Night are spot-on. They lost the vast majority of their old fans and didn't win any new ones. I was honestly pretty lukewarm on the record, myself, when it came out. It had a few songs I listened to regularly at the time... But it's an album that I've grown to like more and more as time wears on. Probably my second least favorite in their discography, but I enjoy it quite a bit.

I always try to compare them to other bands who had a brief "moment" in the mainstream (a la Hawthorne Heights and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus) but are still around today. And you're right -- something about the way those bands handle it just feels different compared to the way the Ataris (or, I guess you could say, Kris) went about it.

As an artist, he can do whatever the hell he wants... I just find it very interesting how it's all played out over the years.

 

I probably come back to Welcome the Night the most out of all of them, these days. And I loathed it when it came out. Tastes change I guess!

 

I know this is just your opinion, but a quick Google of the numbers that SLA did say that the album was pretty huge for the genre. Not Blink 182 numbers or anything, but it sold over Gold certification and those songs were all over the radio even in small town Alabama where I grew up. Personally, I loved it.

This is me sending you a hug over the internet because you're the first person I've read say these words. I've always been the only person I know who loves WTN with all my heart.

 

I like it a lot, but I'm not capable of love. Well, at least the kind of love I felt when I was 21.