Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story! Direct from your favorite country artist!

From FedEx Cab to Nashville Stage: Atlus on grit, grief, and songs that stick

• Skip Clark

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SPEAKER_00:

Hello, everybody, and uh welcome back to another episode of the Inner Harbor Cast. Of course, I'm Skip Clark. I'll be your host. Uh today I've got somebody whose story is as real as the song he writes, from driving trucks to racking up over a billion streams. Uh, his name's Alice. He's become one of the most talked-about new voices in Nashville via Colorado. We'll talk about that here in a bit. Signed with BBR Music Group, BMG Nashville. Uh, his debut Stony Creek single, Devil Ain't Done, is out. It's already making waves, and his upcoming EP, Second Hand Smoke, drops on the 10th of October. It's like just a couple of days away. Uh, we're talking uh perseverance, real life struggles, and the music that's connecting with fans everywhere. It's time to dive in. Atlas, what is up, man? How are you doing? See, that's the best intro I've ever gotten. Really? Well, I need you to don't go everywhere with AI. Just you know, but it's all good. But uh, let's talk about you a little bit. Um, man, so how long have you been doing music? Let's start right from the beginning.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I mean, uh, I'll say four years old is where I started to pick it up. Really bad though. I was terrorizing anyone I was in a car with. I was just singing the same part for two hours terribly. I think around 12, I've started finding like Gary from you know Rascal Flight, Gary Lavoxy. Yeah, there was um it was Gary, Mark Chestnut, Mark Wills, and Phil Vassar. I really loved Phil Vassar. I love Mark Wills too. Yeah, they were all great. Everyone you just mentioned. I loved all like that. That was that was who I was listening to when I was like 12. Oh wow. And I really wanted to be Gary, so I tried to sing every note just like him. Good luck. I got to the point I almost had it. I was so close. I probably wasn't close because I'm 12 and I just thought, you know, I thought, but like I remember I had it, and I was like, I am Gary, and then puberty hit, and you were no longer Gary. I could never hit those high notes ever again.

SPEAKER_00:

I had to was there a particular Rascal flats song that you were singing to be Gary?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh, what hurts the most? That hurts. I thought that was that one that one hurt as a song. That was a breakup song, and I watched the video and I was like, oh, it tore me apart. Dude, you were how old at that point? And it tore you apart. I know. I always love the sad stuff. Yeah, I'm not gonna lie. I like to get emotional.

SPEAKER_00:

And we saw that uh before we went out with the podcast. Uh we had you in the Wolf Studio and uh we were listening to some of the music and and the songs off of that EP. Um, every single one of those six songs that were available to us, we listened to what, how many four, four, four, four, all four are hits. I'm just I'm just gonna tell you right off the bat from somebody that's been doing this a long time, and I've had others in the radio station go, What is that? Oh my god, he's so good. But uh yeah. Did you? I mean, do you think you're that good? I don't know. I don't want to say, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

I think I have a good project. I'm excited about it. Yeah, I think you got an awesome project. I think it's I think it's dope. I don't know if it's like oh it's dope.

SPEAKER_00:

There's no there's no doubt, there's no doubt. All right, but you've had uh a lot of success independently over a billion streams, over a billion streams. It's crazy. And what convinced you that it was the right time to sign with a major label?

SPEAKER_01:

I think when the ZP started coming together, like these songs are really special, but also I think it was timing, you know. Like I had met him with a lot of labels beforehand, yeah. And I just when I met with you know BBR and you know, John Loba, Katie, and Joe Jamie.

SPEAKER_00:

Just did you get invited to Loba's wedding?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, he he knows so many people. I don't think anyone can get invited. I think I read no kidding. That'd be like an arena, arena wedding.

SPEAKER_00:

I was reading about the wedding, and I think he had on his guest list over 700. Yeah, so yeah, a lot of artists, a lot of writers, you know, everybody, everybody along the way. But let's Devil uh Ain't Done is the single uh marks your debut with Stony Creek Records. Uh, what has that transition from independent artist to a label artist been like for you?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm gonna say it's been amazing because I was always scared of signing, but it's been an incredible experience for me because I think when you're independent, for me, it was like my music and you've heard it, it's very personal, it's very emotional. Very, yeah, it's just about my life. And forever it's like you write all these songs, you put them out, and you have a moment, and they're all personal to me. This career's personal to me, and then you meet labels and they're like, It's business, and it's like well, it's business to them, yeah, but it's personal for me, but it's personal to me, and it's personal to BVR, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

I think that's where and it's personal to the listeners of the radio stations because they're gonna be able to connect with these songs, you know. You you said you have one in there about addiction, and immediately it was hard to listen to, yeah, but it was so good because we all know that that's a tough subject on both sides, and that's what the song was about. So it's just how we connect.

SPEAKER_01:

You you you so many people know people who are struggling with addiction, and so many people are also uh feeling the effects of loving someone with addiction, and it's a it's a two-sided coin that no one wins. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's uh one of the songs on the EP. So we when that drops on the 10th of October, make sure if you're watching this, make sure you get it. If you want to cry, if you want to get it, but you don't want to cry. If you touch the hearts of listeners, you've got a fan, and it's always one fan at a time, it just grows from there, you know. Just yeah, and I can't believe you're sitting here next to me. Atlas is right next to us here in the Wolf Studio. He goes from driving an 18-wheeler to writing songs and now signed with the label. It's it's crazy. I don't know how I got here. Sometimes I gotta pinch myself.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so where are you from originally? So I'm from Colorado, uh, outskirts Colorado, Commerce City. Okay, all right. Good smelling place by the Karina Dog Food Factory. I can only imagine. Really get the whiff in there. I've never seen a star in my life with all the industrial around me. Really?

SPEAKER_00:

Do you see the mountains at least from where you are?

SPEAKER_01:

You would see through the billows of smoke, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Really?

SPEAKER_01:

But if you drive like five minutes, I mean the snow-capped mountains in Denver, Colorado's gotta be absolutely beautiful.

SPEAKER_00:

It's a it's incredible.

SPEAKER_01:

It's gotta be taking a good drive up there is always a good way to just clear your mind.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, you worked, like I said, as a commercial truck driver um to support your family while making music. Um, what do you think that grind taught you about discipline and perseverance?

SPEAKER_01:

I think it you know, it's funny because I think a lot of my a lot of any grind or any work ethic I have is from my mom because she worked two jobs her whole life to support us. So when I started, when I finally got to get out of high school and started working, I just wanted to work a lot because I just was following in her footsteps. It's funny because I was working two jobs, truck driver to pay the bills and another trucking job, and everything went to studio time. Because when I finally wanted to make the music, if you want to make it that quality, you gotta spend money and putting everything I could into that studio and making the songs. And truck driving was perfect because I got to pretend I was a songwriter, like FedEx was paying me to drive, but like but you had to stop and take a break, and during that break, yeah. Well, five hours that way, five hours this way. I would just that's a lot of time, I would write the entire time. Yeah, so I was like, they're paying me to be a songwriter and a truck driver. Thank you, FedEx. Shout out to FedEx, yeah. Shout out to FedEx, school of FedEx, music school of FedEx.

SPEAKER_00:

You know the funny I don't know if I should mention this or not, and we can always cut it out if you don't want me to mention it, but you also drove for UPS.

SPEAKER_01:

I did, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean so you're like going, I mean, you had the competition.

SPEAKER_01:

Just couldn't tell. I just couldn't. So no. When I had to pick one though, FedEx?

SPEAKER_00:

They treated me so good. You gotta love that. So, you know, when we listened to your music a little while ago, it sounds like you're pulling uh country pop and even hip hop elements together. Uh, what music did you grow up listening to and who shaped the songwriting style? You already mentioned Mark Wills and others like that, so is that that's where it all this one's a long answer.

SPEAKER_01:

I'll say started with country with okay, the okay, you know, Mark Wills, Rascal Flats, and then I discovered the fray, and I really got into the fray. They were awesome. The first bat band I heard about that could sell out Red Rocks from Colorado.

SPEAKER_00:

It's on my bucket list, by the way.

SPEAKER_01:

See our bucket list, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Dude, here's the deal. You let us know. I'll talk to your label. You let us know when you hit Red Rocks, and you're gonna be headlining. I think you need the staff needs to go out there and watch your show. Y'all are on the list. Y'all are on the list. Don't know how we'll get there yet, but we'll be there.

SPEAKER_01:

So but um it started with the Frey because the Frey was the first band that was like, Oh, you can do it from Colorado, you don't have to be in LA or this place. Like, I'm watching the Frey do it right now, and then it was like One Republic, which was another band was another group from Colorado, Ryan Tedter, legend. Then I got into like a little bit of hip-hop because I love what I love about hip-hop is everything is very like autobiography type. Like a rapper is always rap about his life specifically, and what I love and what I like in music, what I really want to do with my sound is like marry the two. The uh the very personal part of hip-hop, but the story song writing of country. Because I think being able to because I think country is the best writing in terms just word for word, the way everything's rewritten and made sure there's so many meanings, but hip-hop also does that at that same level, but more very about storytelling, storytelling about the person, yeah, in a different way.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, exactly. In uh three words, how would you describe the Atlas sound?

SPEAKER_01:

It's tough. I don't know, I don't know. Uh different, it's freaking awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

See, there we go. That's what we're gonna say. That's how you can do it's all right. Uh so let's go back. Devil ain't done being the single, it's coming out to radio. Can't wait to get that on the air. I I just know our listeners are gonna love that. Uh you sing about self-doubt and perseverance. Uh, was there a particular moment in that story that parked or sparked? Can't talk because I'm like starstruck. Sparked.

SPEAKER_01:

I think it was like things. So the way I grew up, it was like I grew up super poor, single parent household, things always going wrong, and things for the first time my life really started going right. And I just remember I was having a conversation with some with the writers in the room, some of my friends, and they were just we're just like, you ever wonder if if it's all gonna go away and you gotta look over that shoulder and just but like just because things are going good, the devil ain't done. You gotta stay ahead of it and you gotta just keep working and you know don't get too comfortable, which I think is how do you keep the devil at bay?

SPEAKER_00:

You just you just you just do just keep working, just don't look, don't even look at him.

SPEAKER_01:

Don't look back, don't look at him, just keep moving ahead. Um just don't have any free time. It was the idle hands.

SPEAKER_00:

Who the guys who the guys that helped you with the production on this?

SPEAKER_01:

It was uh David and uh David Garcia, uh Andrew Bayless and Jeff Warburton. And how did they help bring that to a new level? Oh, I mean, David Garcia just drums are bigger than life. Bayliss has produced my whole project that's got the whole EP, and he's he's incredible too. He had like Dead Man Walking with Jelly Rolling, yeah, some coets, old Kobe. I mean, they're both just legends, and then Jeff Warburton just as a songwriter, Sean Mendez. I mean, just so many oh my goodness. Yeah, there's oh yeah, his his his like melodies, like I just love to watch them work. Like when he comes up with the melody and starts like spew, I'm like, whoa, that what kind of reaction you getting?

SPEAKER_00:

Devil ain't done.

SPEAKER_01:

It's really good right now. I mean, people are loving it. I love seeing like when I get to show, like you guys and everyone, like just the reaction in person, just like whoa, like it's nothing better than that. The balanced little dance, you know. I'm always doing doing one of these, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Except when you're driving FedEx, so the truck was it was it a tandem or no, just don't don't tell anybody that um quickly though, driving for FedEx was it a tandem, the two trailers, or you just did the one?

SPEAKER_01:

I did two sometimes. I don't really I never did three. I was supposed to there were I don't like those because they blow all over the highway. And so we had a run, it was from uh Denver to Wampsutter, Wyoming. I have no idea, and it gets super windy, and in the winter it's icy. So, and like you come back with empty once. Yeah, it's got to go all over the road everywhere. So I if it got too bad, I would just blow over and be like, I'm staying the night. No, yeah, good move. I'd be unhooking it and saying, Oh, you come and get it. I'm done. You would drive them past three semis that flipped over, and you'd be like, I think that's a good sign. I need to stop. That's crazy, dude. All the time. I saw them flipped over all the time.

SPEAKER_00:

That's that did anything like that ever happen to you as a driver.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I got lucky.

SPEAKER_00:

I was driving slow, I drive painfully slow, especially when it's windy. Yeah, I can see that around here, it's not too much of a problem, but maybe in the Midwest it would be crazy. Uh secondhand smoke is in the name of the um the EP that's coming out. Um what uh are there particular songs that you're most excited for the fans to hear off of that? Now I uh we heard four out of the six, but I was excited to hear each and every one of them.

SPEAKER_01:

But I'll say just the EP title, Second Hand Smoke. Yeah, I just think is a really, really cool song. About tell us. It's uh it's it's funny because people always talk so negative about cigarettes and secondhand smoke and the effect it has on people. But literally, secondhand smoke is like such had such a positive impact in my life, which I know sounds weird, but it's like my mom is working two full-time jobs, raising three kids. You know, she was paying a house mortgage, car payment, like she's doing it all by herself. And like we made it hard on her, you know. I'm telling you, my sister. I'm telling you, she was trying to break a world record on how many boys she could date with active warrants before turning 18. My brother was friends with a pyro down the street, they're burning down a forest in the back of our trailer bar.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a part of growing up. I mean, you know, we always say skip happens, so that's that's like part of it. Skip happens, it does, it's you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm on that lottery plate, she didn't have a lot of minutes, but the very few that she did pack of cigarettes, our front porch, that was her mental health, and that's the that's the glue the house together, and that's what that song was about. That song's about there's so many things in life and so many struggles, and so many things that are bigger than second hand smoke, that it was the least of my worries. Now you never smoked. I didn't, no.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, I was trying to be but you would go because mom smokes so much that you know people don't realize it. But you walk into a place after maybe hanging out with your mom, it's like, wow, I smelled like smoke.

SPEAKER_01:

It's like dude, I might not have smoked, but I yeah, I smelled like smoke.

SPEAKER_00:

The kids let me know. I love what you did here though, with the secondhand smoke, having you know, title track off the uh the EP and then other songs on that EP, and you you need to check this out. Uh, so emotional, and it grabs your heart, and it's every single song in that EP. Mark my words, Skip Clark is saying right now that every one of those songs is gonna go to the top of the chart. Oh my, you're saying that? Well, I said it. He said it, he said it. Um I'm I'll dude.

SPEAKER_01:

We'll keep in touch.

SPEAKER_00:

We're gonna keep in touch because we've got to put a betting line on it. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm gonna throw five bucks against me.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm just kidding, I'm just uh I don't have five bucks, but all right, no, no, that would definitely do something like that. But um, you know, what is one thing that you're hoping people take away from your music is you enter this new chapter in your life. I mean, you're still young, you're in your low 30s. Uh, you've got these songs which are phenomenal, uh, back to back. And this is a whole new chapter for you. This is I know, I know you've been doing music for a little bit and you went to truck driving to pay for certain things. I I totally get that, but now you're not doing that. This is a whole new chapter. You got a major label behind you.

SPEAKER_01:

Isn't it crazy?

SPEAKER_00:

Like, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

You tell me I was just driving trucks, I thought I'd be a truck driver my whole life. My mom was like, Hey, your plan, your plan A can be music, but be happy with your plan B. Be ready to be plan B for the rest of your life.

SPEAKER_00:

Everybody should have a backup plan, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Which is why I was like, I was happy being a truck driver, and it made to why I didn't have to rush it. I got to like get there when I got there. It wasn't like a I have to be there now, and it slowly happened for me.

SPEAKER_00:

So, um, has Jelly Roll reached out to you to collaborate yet?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh, not yet to collaborate, but he has helped me in a lot of ways, which is the cool story. You were telling us that he called you.

SPEAKER_00:

I tell everybody the story, that was really cool.

SPEAKER_01:

So, like, I'm on my grind, I'm putting out covers, I'm putting out originals, and one song finally goes. And I remember it's like at 2 a.m. I'm I'm sleeping on my bed. I wake up to like a message on my phone on Instagram, and it's like jelly roll messaged you, which is really funny because at first I thought it was a dream. I went right back to bed and like for two days I didn't even look at my phone. And then that thought popped in my head, and I was like, wait, let me look at that. And I look at it and I'm like, jelly roll did message me. And I left him on bed for two days. I was so I was so mad at myself, and I was like, it's like call me, Bubba. So I sent him a number and then I waited, you know. And I remember, you know, you don't have me calls, you get scam calls all the time. Yeah, yeah, you don't know what to do. I'm looking up the air code for Nashville or Tennessee 615. I'm like, all right, looking for a 615 number, and then I'm driving, I'm at work, and then like I see that 615 number. I pull over, hit lunch, pick up the phone. I hear, how you doing, Bubba?

SPEAKER_02:

And I was like, oh my god, your jelly roll.

SPEAKER_01:

I would have dropped the phone, fallen out of the truck or something. I was so nervous. I was so starstruck, even through the phone. And I remember I was like, Look, one jelly, I love you. But two, I got a heart out in 30 minutes. I'm on my lunch break. And you could it was kind of it was and then he was like, He's like, What do you mean your lunch break? What are you doing? I was like, Well, I'm driving trucks for a living. I started talking, he's like, He's like, son, you got a you got a gold record. What are you doing driving trucks? And I was like, Well, you know, and I just started talking. He's like, he's like, Well, who's your team? And I was like, Well, I got two of my best friends from high school, they film it when we put it up online, and he was like, He's like, That's all you got right now? And I was like, Yeah, and he's like, Bubba, I need to introduce you to people. So he flies me out to Nashville, puts me up in like the nicest hotel I've ever been in, takes me around town, introduces me to my manager, and that's kind of how my whole dude work started.

SPEAKER_00:

So wow, that's an oh wow story.

SPEAKER_01:

It's uh it's one of those, and the crazy thing is now I'm with his label, and that wasn't even Stony Creek, yeah. You know, oh dude, so and then BB, and then like signing with BBR, that's who Jelly signed to. And Jelly didn't even like introduce me to BBR, just happened naturally, and I think see that's that's a good thing, too.

SPEAKER_00:

That you didn't, I mean, as good as as it would be having somebody pull some strings for you. Yeah, you did this on your own, they went after you on their own. So they they know there's something there, they know it's just now you have you do have that relationship with jelly roll, and now I think maybe next year if jelly roll comes through on a summer tour, I have the feeling you're gonna be on board with him. I would love to do that. I'm just saying, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01:

Obviously, Bubba, you don't have to, but I would love to. No pressure, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

I get you know, I think he's he he's that type of person that would maybe go after so you know, you're a label mate. Why not? Why not? It's one thing you know, it benefits the label, it benefits you. It's a win for everybody involved.

SPEAKER_01:

So and Jelly, like he puts on one of the greatest shows. Have you been to his bar?

SPEAKER_00:

I have been to his bar, yeah. A little special. Uh, I take you to like what how many was there, four or five floors in that? Six floors. Oh, there's there's a good amount of I've been I've been one time.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm not much of a go out and drink a bunch, but no, I get you. But like I've done it once, but that's that's cool, it's cool.

SPEAKER_00:

So, um, Atlas, what is success look like to you now? The awards, tours, personal milestones. I mean, do you see any of that happening?

SPEAKER_01:

It's it's um I see it all happening. It's funny because I always have to change it because I feel like what I thought was gonna be success is I've hit a lot of milestones already. Even the idea of like having like a platinum record or or being able to retire my mom, which I think was a big thing for me. You did that. Yeah, when I yeah, when I came to Nashville, I was missing her, and I just I was like, look, mom, money's coming in on the song, and I was like, quit your job, move to Nashville, live with me. And like I gave her the key to my house. It's the best moment of my life. That was my biggest milestone, and that's kind of like that's like that was my biggest so now I gotta like think about, I gotta re-figure out what I want now, but I do know selling out Red Rocks would be big because Jelly actually let me perform, he had me as a special guest at his show and sold out red rocks. Wow, and like and it was such an incredible moment that he shared with me. He didn't have to do it, but he did because he's just such a kind, sweet human. He believes in you, he believes he would not have called you in the first place if he did not believe in you. He does believe in me, yes, and but it's it's cool. So if you like go there, you get to like if you sell it out, or if you play there, you get to write on the wall inside. You did, and I didn't, because I didn't feel like I deserved it because it because like I didn't sell a ticket, that was Jelly's moment, yeah. And I want to be able to sign that wall when I do it. I get it now. I think it's you know, totally and totally so red rocks is definitely a big one. Radio, just being on radio is pretty cool. I mean, I spent so a lot of my I spent a lot of my life just singing along to my favorite songs on it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and you were doing that in the other room when we were playing the EP. You were singing along, it was great. It's great, it's great. And this is radio, this is what they call a radio tour where you go around to uh your label takes you to various radio stations, and you get to meet the PDs and the managers and shake hands and they get you know, I think that's one of the best things that that an artist can do is to get out there and actually meet those that are going to be playing your music. And one thing, yeah, I always look at it as being a programmer and then the managers here as well is if it wasn't for the artists, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing. And it works both ways. That's why it's the great music that makes us a great radio station. It's a great radio station that makes you a great artist. So it works both ways, and I love that. It's giving to I feel like most of it give.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

Dude, I don't know. What you do is phenomenal. Uh, just a few fun rapid fire questions. I wrote down favorite truck stop meal from your trucking days.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. Well, I would, you know what? There is this there's a there's a one, there's a burrito called the bomb. It's just this burrito, and I shouldn't be eating it. It always makes me feel like crap. It's called the bomb, it's green package, it's got beans, beef, and cheese.

SPEAKER_00:

You're all alone in the truck, it's not gonna make a difference.

SPEAKER_01:

I know, but I'll insane. The problem is I eat one when I look when I go to stay the night, and then I'll wake up and I'll eat another one. I'm like, Oh, dude. I could, but the bomb, that is like that burrito. And do you remember where that was? I mean, when some gas stations just have them, but oh really have it.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Flying J.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, the flying J. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm a big diet soda guy, so I've never walked out of a gas station without a without a Coke Zero.

SPEAKER_00:

I can only assume that Red Rocks is the answer to this one. Dream venue or festival. You've loved you'd love to play, but you've already played Red Rocks.

SPEAKER_01:

But I already said Red Rocks, but maybe maybe two would be uh Madison Square Garden, just because that's the gardenic. That's an iconic one. Cool. First album you ever bought. First album I ever bought. Oh, Phil Vassar Greatest Hits. No wow. That was uh was it Six Pack Summer?

SPEAKER_00:

Was that on that? No, I don't. It had to be. I know that like it was the first time I realized not only did he have the songs I was hearing on the radio, but he wrote so many other hits, and I was like, and that's a lot of people don't realize that these artists they they've written so many other songs that it's not the stuff that you're hearing on the radio, but they're involved with other artists. Yeah, no, they're songs for it, you know. Old Dominion's known for that. These guys are all songwriters, you know. It's like, wow, oh, they wrote Stapleton.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my god, songwriter for so long before he had his big song.

SPEAKER_00:

So maybe I already know the answer to this, but uh, if you weren't making music, what would you be doing? Yeah, you got it.

SPEAKER_02:

Driving trucks, man.

SPEAKER_00:

I was that's what I was gonna be doing.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, because I mean I had fun doing it. Yeah, that's I miss it sometimes.

SPEAKER_00:

He had some nice rigs because if you worked for a company like UPS or FedEx, I mean they have the nice rigs, and you're not driving, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

Nowadays they're even they're even nicer because they're all automatic. You don't have to like miss a gear because when you first start driving clutch, yeah. You have to double clutch it, eating two speed rear end, and then sometimes you're just hitting you're hitting like a gear wrong. When I first started, it was a struggle to figure out how to not do that. It took about a year.

SPEAKER_00:

That's crazy. One word to describe 2025 so far.

SPEAKER_01:

One word, just make just unbelievable, make believe. Like, I can't believe it's happening. It's happening, pinch myself type. Keep pinching yourself, it's happening.

SPEAKER_00:

It's happening.

SPEAKER_01:

It's like waking up and just being grateful and excited to be able to do this for a living. We've already I've retired my mom, so everything from here is just whatever happens is exciting.

SPEAKER_00:

We talked about this before, but doing what we do here, we meet a lot of artists. They come through, they play their music, they're all good, they're excellent. Yeah, just a little bit more. I mean, it's like I don't know, and and it's like you just want to go, is this a dream? Is this real? Is it? I mean, the music was cranked. Um, Diane hit it on through the speaker in the other room. And it's like the girls in the office are like, Wow, you know, it's just it's crazy. I'll tell you, if you make those ladies happy, then you know they're hard to make happy. Yeah, they know good music. Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And they're over here laughing. They tell it to me straight, is what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, they would. Believe me, and and Becky is my sister-in-law, and I know she would tell you how she feels if she thought you sucked, she'd say you know, broke the guitar. She would have, she would have seen. Yeah, that's one she confiscated from somebody. Yep. Uh I know, but uh Atlas, I want to say thank you so much. God bless you, my friend. Um, you're on the road, and you're doing the thing, you're doing the speed limit, man. If not a little bit more on that road to success. If you ask Diane, I'm going two under and I drive like a grandma. Well, no, what because you also have a license that you need to protect. Am I correct? No, because you gave it up.

SPEAKER_01:

I drive every car like it's a semi, so I probably drive a little too slow.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, to work on it then. So, I mean, I I took a trip here not too long ago and I had a grand wagoneer. I don't know if you've seen those, and and it's just like this thing was the biggest vehicle I had ever driven in my life. I drive a Colorado, yeah. So, you know, it's yeah, this thing was crazy. So, anyways, I don't know why I told you that.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I'm glad you told me. I just didn't, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I just thought it'd be something. Something just can't be held in useful. That was the most useful thing I've ever heard. All right, so uh, thank you for being here. If our viewers and listeners want to find out more about Atlas, uh, it's Atlas Music, where do they go? They go anywhere on socials, look up Atlas.

SPEAKER_01:

TikTok, Instagram. You might have to do Atlas underscore music. Okay. Spotify, Apple, Atlas. And it's not Atlas. U S not A S. A. T. L. U. S. I apologize for spelling it the wrong way.

SPEAKER_00:

He's not the man with the statue holding the the world, right? Isn't there that we were talking about that earlier?

unknown:

But uh yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I would have I I would have spelled it with an A. You know, really? I just feel like no, I like it being different. Someone already had that.

SPEAKER_00:

I guess they did. Oh my god, change that to you. I love it. I love it. Alice, uh, thank you. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for taking the time. Thank you to your label for you know thinking of us and bringing you by. It just means so much to us. And uh so much that you had us. This radio tours just wow, you know, even in your Polaroid, your purple Polaroid camera. And hand me that camera for a minute, isn't it cute?

SPEAKER_01:

Isn't it adorable?

SPEAKER_00:

So I want everybody to see this is the camera he brought to take our picture. This is one of those little Polaroids, which I think is a good idea because it's kind of instantaneous if it has film in it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, it does now, right? I'm sure it will soon. So I don't know. I guess so. Anyways, we'll we'll figure that out afterwards. Uh Atlas, everybody, make sure you check them out online. Uh October 10th, the EP's gonna be out. The album's coming out uh whenever down the road.

SPEAKER_01:

1010 EP album. I don't think we got down the album.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I didn't think you did, but it'll be it's ready to go, almost ready to go.

SPEAKER_01:

Almost ready.

SPEAKER_00:

Almost ready.

SPEAKER_01:

We're getting there. We gotta make sure we don't date yet. Do it wrong. Yeah, we gotta get the music just right. No date yet. No date yet, no date yet. Just just just the EP, 1010. Tell Uncle Skippy if you want. I would tell you, I would, I would tell you if we had one. Okay, I'm just saying. I would, I would. I promise you.

SPEAKER_00:

Atlas, you're awesome, brother. Thank you so much for being here. Thanks for watching, everybody. Bye.

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Skip Clark

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