Q&A: Atlantic/Pacific

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While attending The Pierces concert at the Hotel Café last month, I was fortunate to stumble in a few minutes early to catch the early act, Atlantic/Pacific. With great crowd interaction, catchy and danceable tracks and an overall terrific vibe, the New Yorkers had the notoriously fickle crowd eating out of their palm. To say I was blown away wouldn’t do their live performance justice. The band is on the cusp of something special. Bestnewbands.com caught up with principal members Garrett Klahn and John Herguth right before their tour to chat about the release of their debut album, Meet Your New Love out on No Sleep Records, their past experiences playing in other groups and if they are scared about the dangers of the road.

DK: With the momentum building in positively to your debut album, how does effect the sharpness of your live performance?

JH: We’ve definitely been locking it down as more and more shows come through.  We’ve been on a relatively steady schedule for most of 2011, which has allowed us to tighten things up in that department.

DK: Having performed with other bands, what has made this band’s experience different that earlier groups you’ve been in?

JH:  I’ve got a lot more to do, which I like and also enjoy not having to sing lead ALL the time.  This band seems to be collectively focused on the same goal.  There’s really no problem with individual expectations as we are all simply trying to move this thing forward.

 

DK: How did you guys meet and decide to start jamming?

JH:  We met a long, long time ago.  Garrett and I decided to start playing about two and a half years ago.  We’d spoken about it in the past and I don’t think either one of us had any pressing band commitments at the time so it sounded like a good idea.  Brian Malone (the drummer) and I played in House & Parish together and he is one of my favorite drummers so I was really excited he decided to join on. We’ve also known Chad (the bassist) for years and everything just fell into place.

 

DK: Where does the band’s name come from?

GK: The real story behind it is that it’s the name of my local subway stop, Atlantic Ave & Pacific St. I just thought it suited us, seeing as we both love to travel. Plus, it’s got a bit of drama to it, which never hurts.

 

DK: What are the band’s goals for 2011?

JH:  See as much of the world as we can, try to extend it to everyone, everywhere.  Write and record another record(s). Festivals, U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia, Everywhere.

 

DK: Who is the toughest member of the group to travel with and why?

JH: We’re a pretty easy bunch to ride with but it all depends on who’s driving.

 

DK: What do you try to shy away from on the road? Is it bad fast food, crummy hotels, disgusting groupies?

JH: Those are the reasons we are on the road.

 

Without fear of the pitfalls of the road and incredible songs, don’t be surprised to hear Atlantic/Pacific be the next band to emerge from New York onto indie rock stardom.