The Ataris’ Kris Roe on Upcoming Tour, Solo Work, and Jack Kerouac

by Tim Wenger

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Long-time pop-punk front runners The Ataris are heading out on a ten-year reunion tour for their record So Long, Astoria in March, playing the album in its’ entirety and (for loyal but aging fans like myself) hoping to bring back to light, even if for just one night, that epic feeling of youthful camaraderie and the days when bands with two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, some power chords and a few ex-girlfriends to write songs about became an international phenomenon. The tour will feature the original lineup from the recording of So Long, Astoria.

The Ataris, like most long-term bands, have undergone lineup changes over the years. Front man and founder Kris Roe even caused a bit of a ruckus by throwing former drummer Rob Felicetti’s equipment offstage during a 2012 gig in New Jersey. That was over the top. But he has kept his band relevant in the punk arena for nearly two decades now and when I spoke with him about the upcoming album reunion tour, the impression I got from him confirmed my long-standing suspicions that he is one of the hardest working guys in the scene and does what it takes to keep his baby alive, doing it by himself when he needs to.

Roe and his songs, to me at least, were and remain to be a beacon of what life should be about. Partying, girls, and that epic feeling you get inside when you spend your life pursuing your passions and making your own way. While his lyrics were often cynical and full of adolescent spite, if I looked deep enough, I was always able to pull out that candy coated silver lining. So I was more than excited when the opportunity arose to interview Roe, for what I knew would be a good story, and to preview one of the touring shows Colorado Music Buzz is most excited about in 2014.

He spoke about his songwriting, the tour, and where his solo work is headed after the tour’s conclusion.  “The best songs and the best music to me is the music that still has a lot of honesty and sincerity, has a lot of imperfections,” says Roe. “It has the beautiful mistakes that make things good. Too much autotune bullshit these days.”

So Long, Astoria, released in March of 2003 during the latter end of pop-punks reign of mainstream popularity, is the album that Roe feels brought The Ataris into their own light. “If I were turning someone on to The Ataris, I would definitely give them So Long, Astoria,” says Roe. “It’s the album that I feel defines what our band is about. We had three independent albums out before that and we really built up a grassroots following, but it was that album that I felt I was growing and figured out how to come into my own as a songwriter.”

Leaning hard on his signature picturesque lyricism, the album served to trademark The Ataris’ style. “I learned how to focus on the strong points, which for me was always telling personal, vivid stories,” says Roe. “That was one time in my life when I felt I was really able to hone in on that part of my life and everything that I was going through, and tell the most descriptive stories that I could.”

The Ataris have called California home for the majority of their career, but Roe is originally from Indiana and lets his roots seep into his music. “I think it obviously fits our songs,” says Roe. “There are so many bands that are what they are because they are from Southern California, or from New York, or wherever. I always carry a piece of the Midwest in what I write because for me, being it the photography that I take or the songs I write, I like the kind of sad, broken down beauty of these places that were once in their heyday, and that time has passed. That’s definitely in the songs, but I think moving to California helped me grow as a person and show a bit more hopeful side in my writing.”

The most recent release for fans of the band to grab was Roe’s acoustic album, Hang Your Head in Hope. Roe just came off a solo acoustic tour across the Midwest and South, where he performed songs from The Ataris as well as his acoustic album and showcased his photography. “The normal band, when we go tour, we’ll tour for a couple months then take a couple months off,” he says. “In that time I’ll go do shows on my own. “

The recent Polar Vortex was a companion on that tour. “The shows were great,” Roe says. “It was a lot of fun with really good turnouts. Aside from one show, in Austin, Texas of all places, where there was an ice storm. It was like I was following the polar vortex everywhere I went.” Roe plans to do a solo tour in the UK, Europe and China. “Keeping it back to back, then we’ll record and tour with the band after that.”

Roe and company are back on the road in March, hiting Summit Music Hall March 15. Lucky for us, the Mile High City stands out for Roe and his band. “I’ve always loved Denver,” says Roe. “As somebody that reads, my first memory of Denver was reading Kerouac’s On the Road, and playing the Bluebird Theatre, and being on Larimer Street, and all that area where Kerouac talks about. For me, that was big. I also always felt that Denver has a great music scene.” You might just find him around the campfire this summer. “And I love camping and camp a lot in Colorado.”

Online: facebook.com/theataris

Tags: summit music hall, Tim Wenger, bluebird theatre, denver, pop punk, the ataris, punk rock, Kris Roe, Jack Karouac, So Long Astoria, Rob Felicetti, On The Road, acoustic, Hang Your Head in Hope, camping

Category: National News