From Atlantis – The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews with FROM ATLANTIS

(Original Postdate: 01/01/2012 with a new introduction by Ken Morton)

Based out of the tiny state of Rhode Island, From Atlantis was a dynamic up and coming metalcore band who released a few super intense recordings on InVogue Records including Echoes And Answers (2011) and Pedestals (2012). This particular interview took place at the very end of 2011 and was published the first day of 2012. Later that year, From Atlantis would make their way to the West Coast as promised in this interview, appearing at the legendary Cobalt Cafe in Canoga Park, California. In addition to the interview with keyboardist Mike Florio, I have included a few pictures from their Cobalt show which took place on August 25, 2012. Let’s go back in time and revisit the sonic devastation of From Atlantis…

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in From Atlantis, and how long the band has been together.
My name is Mike Florio and I play keyboards in From Atlantis. I’m also one of the original members from the first line up.
From Atlantis has been an official band since Spring 2011.

Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
From Atlantis is based out of Rhode Island , but we also have members who reside in CT and PA. Being the smallest state, Rhode Island ‘s music scene tends to reflect that. Being small also has positive sides though, I think it’s safe to say we have one of the most tight knit music scenes out there. It seems as though everyone involved in “the scene” knows each other and is usually very friendly with one another. Some locals to keep an eye out for would be Die Another Day and Sleep City (inVogue).

Is there any story or concept behind the EP title Echoes and Answers?
The Echoes And Answers EP has an overall message of being yourself and accepting past mistakes and learning from them to better your life. The name comes from a long conversation we had in the van on the way to the studio about life and finding the answers to living a good life.

Select any two From Atlantis songs and what inspired the lyrics.
The Lost Ones is about addiction and becoming lost in a fast paced life style and touches on the consequences of poor life choices. “this bottle keeps me alive until I meet my end”

Oblivious is about people you think you can trust who stab you in the back. This song was written at a time when we felt like we were receiving a lot of criticism from our hometown about our music. We wanted to show people that it is possible to overcome trash talking and haters and be successful. “You don’t know me, you won’t forget my name.“

How did you wind up signing to InVogue Records?
I first met Nick Moore (inVogue owner) at a show in Providence while he was on tour with his band Before Their Eyes. We decided then to record with Landon Tewers (The Plot in You/ex Before Their Eyes) and Nick kept an eye on us. While we were recording, Landon was sending Nick our takes after each day in the studio and he was impressed with what we heard and decided to sign us for 2 EP’s and a full length.

What was it like working with Landon Tewers from The Plot In You and what did he contribute to the overall recording?
Landon is one of the most cool, calm, collected people I have ever met and to go along with that he is an extremely talented musician and a very good friend. When we first went to the studio to record Between The Heart And Home, we only had one guitarist to write the guitar parts so Landon really stepped up and became almost like an un official member. He has helped us grow and become the band we are today and without him most of what we have accomplished wouldn’t be possible.

How did Ryan Neff from Miss May I become involved with the recording?
We were all hanging out one day at my house and we decided we wanted to have someone do guest vocals over the chorus of Growing, Caving, Searching, Sinking. We spoke with our manger and he said “I have the perfect guy.” A few days later we were at the studio and I got a call.. “Hello this is Ryan Neff. I spoke with your manger about guest vocals.” It turns out our manger had done some work with Ryan in his past band and spoke with him about doing guest vocals. It was awesome to work with him and establish a new friendship for us all.

How close is the band to doing a full length recording?
We are recording a full length this year and will hopefully be out in late spring! We’re writing for it as we speak!

Who did the artwork from Echoes and Answers and how much input did you have on it?
Unlimited Visual. We had full input on it. We spent a few days exchanging ideas via email back and forth until we ended up with the album artwork we have now.

What could one expect from a live From Atlantis show?
At From Atlantis shows we try to deliver exactly what you hear on the CD with an exciting visual show. We try to move around a lot and keep the shows exciting for everyone, at the same time we respect the venues we play and keep it fun for everyone involved.

Has From Atlantis ever played in the Los Angeles area or plan to do so in the future?
We haven’t yet, but we will in 2012!!!

What do you think sets From Atlantis apart from other metalcore bands?
Even though we write and play music that’s popular within our “scene,” we still try to write parts in our music that will set us apart and make kids say “Wow, I’ve never heard a band do that before.” “That’s sweet!” A lot of the times when we’re writing, we try to write parts that would come as a surprise or the common listener wouldn’t expect.

Will InVogue Records be re-releasing your first EP Between The Heart And Home, and how does that one compare to Echoes And Answers?
Probably not. Between The Heart And Home had it’s time and with any growing band, we want to always be releasing new albums and songs for our fans. We still want kids listening to any past work we’ve done though!.

Any final words of wisdom?
Whenever kids at shows come up to us and tell us about their bands and ask for advise we ALWAYS tell them to just keep on going and don’t let people get in the way of your dream. With us having member changes and van problems constantly we know first hand that kids will get on your backs about a lot of stuff and say nasty things to make you try and give up. We always just push through it and never let it get in our way. We all have the same goals in the band. Write music and tour the world. No one can get in our way.

(Interview by Ken Morton)