Blog

My show, The Mixtape, on WRKE LP Salem 100.3

N*E*R*D-Happy
Mando Diao-Sheepdog
The Bird and the Bee-My Love
BLK JKS-Lakeside
These Green Eyes-At The End
Les Savy Fav-Pots & Pans
Grandaddy-Summer... It's Gone
Pavement-We Dance
Phoenix-Long Distance Call
The Fiery Furnaces-My Dog Was Lost but Now He's Found
Lykke Li-I'm Good, I'm Gone
Blackalicious-Make You Feel That Way

Deadmau5-Moar Ghosts n Stuff
Paul Oakenfold-Starry Eyed Surprise
Neon Indian-Deadbeat Summer
Air France-No Excuses
Basement Jaxx-Raindrops
Pendulum-Propane Nightmares
Ladyhawke-Paris Is Burning
Black Kids-I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You
Major Lazer-Keep It Goin' Louder
Ratatat-Wildcat
Legion of Doom-I Know What You Buried Last Summer
Friendly Fires-Skeleton Boy

Thanks again to everyone who came out to our show at Urban Outfitters yesterday! That was a blast.

Today, one of our Twitter followers, @Amie_FM, shared a TweetCloud with us. If you're not familiar with TweetCoulds, I hope you'll take a moment to check out icodefolove.com. Chad Scira, the creator, has put together a remarkably intuitive and super neat little web app to allow you to "generate a cool looking cloud of the words your tweets mostly contain."

Here's what I got when I plugged in our @atris account:


Our top three words were thanks, check, and atris. I thought that was pretty appropriate :)

If you use Twitter, I hope you'll copy and paste what you get in our comments section below!
-Mason
a'tris

Coldplay, Radiohead, U2, Muse, R.E.M, Elbow, Doves, Grandaddy, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, The Tragically Hip, Pinback, Rogue Wave, Bloc Party

After reading through the Guardian top ten albums of the last decade, - here - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/series/albums-of-the-decade - I thought I would list mine...

Here they are In no order;

Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
TV on the Radio - Dear Science, (2008)
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (2005)
M Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent (2003)
Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
Adem - Homesongs (2004)
Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump (2000)
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)
The Strokes - Is This It (2001)

Others I love;

Paul Curreri - The Velvet Rut (2007)
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ease Down the Road (2001)
Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)
Elbow - Asleep in the Back (2001)
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (2009)
The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001)

Lots on there that I don't listen to as much as I used to but still have lots of sentimental value.

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! Did anyone manage to grab any good deals today? My hat's off to those of you who joined the crowds of holiday shoppers this morning. You were in my thoughts as I made myself a cup of hot chocolate, stretched out, and finished reading another Grisham novel. No lines for me!

What are your holiday plans? I'm looking forward to starting to put the finishing touches on some of the material for a'tris' next record. If you are in or around the DC area I hope to see you tomorrow! I'll be performing a couple of the new songs at Urban Outfitters and I can't wait to share them with you! I also have a limited number of "Of The Commons" CDs to give away at the end of the show! I don't think you could find a better stocking stuffer. But I may be biased.

If you'd like to introduce your friends to our music and are not in the DC area, iTunes allows you to easily gift albums, and we've made it even easier for you to buy ours. All you have to do is click here and then choose gift this artist. I'm sure many of you are aware of this, but I only discovered it last week so - if you're like me - here's a helpful screencast:



1. Thanks to The Modern Vocalist for recently featuring us! It was seriously cool to be recognized by them. TMV is made up of extraordinarily talented vocalists and vocal coaches so that really meant a lot to me personally.

2. Thanks to Leah DeVon from Indie Style TV, Rob Saunders from Deuce Management and Promotions, and the folks at Comcast! In Leah's latest episode, she had a great chat with Rob about the music biz and shared our music video from "Automatic Doors". If you're a subscirber and would like to catch our video on the big box be sure to check your local listings! I've included a clip of the show below for you if you'd like to watch it on your computer.



Hope this finds you all feeling healthy!
-Mason
a'tris

Coldplay, Radiohead, U2, Muse, R.E.M, Elbow, Doves, Grandaddy, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, The Tragically Hip, Pinback, Rogue Wave, Bloc Party

Thanks to everybody who commented on my last blog post! I really appreciate you sharing your playlists with everyone and introducing us to some great new music!

As I was responding to your comments, something hit me. You guys have shown us an incredible ammount of support over the last few years. You've called your local DJs to request our music. You've come to our shows and purchased our CDs. And your votes have caused us to win more contests and get onto more playlists than I could count. Each of you has helped make what we do possible.

Last week was really cool because we had twenty people contribute to our post! But, our anlaytics show that hundreds of people read it. Why is that? I'm not sure. But I feel that it is - at least in some part - due to the fact that so often the creation and delivery of art is a one way street. I want to change that; so I'd like to invite you to take a moment to do three things:

1. Visit atris.wordpress.com (This will be more fun if everyone goes to the same page.)
2. Scroll down to the comment box and introduce yourself. Write a few words about anything you'd like. How did you first hear our music? What city are you from? What are your favorite movies? Pretend we just met at a coffee shop. If you'd like share your blog address, Twitter ID or someplace where we and other people can learn more about you that would be great too!
3. Check the box that says Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

Please don't do this for us, do this for yourself and for everyone. It takes a certain amount of bravery to put yourself out there; but it's worth it. We love to get to know people with similar interests, ideas, and opinions. And it's really cool when group discussions are started. If you have something in common with someone who posts, let him or her know! It makes me feel great to see people responding to my comments, and I love to chime back in to share my thoughts.

Looking forward to meeting you!

-Mason
a'tris

Coldplay, Radiohead, U2, Muse, R.E.M, Elbow, Doves, Grandaddy, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, The Tragically Hip, Pinback, Rogue Wave, Bloc Party

The decade is coming to an end, time to look back at the best albums, here are mine from 2000:

1. Kid A - Radiohead

2. Bloodflowers - The Cure

3. Figure 8 - Elliott Smith

4. Relationship Of Command - At the Drive-In

5. White Pony - Deftones

6. Left & Leaving - The Weakerthans

7. The Moon and Antarctica - Modest Mouse

8. Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea - PJ Harvey

9. Xtrmntr - Primal Scream

10. The Sophtware Slump - Grandaddy

Runners up: Rated R - Queens of the Stone Age, United - Phoenix, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out - Yo La Tengo

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (aug 07)
1349 (aug 07)
30 Seconds to Mars (may 07)

About (jul 06) (sep 06)
Aerosmith (jun 07)
Aeternus (dec 06)
Æthenor (with Garm from Ulver, jan 09)
After Forever (feb 06) (sep 07)
Agua de Annique (feb 08)
Akron/Family (may 09)
All Shall Perish (jul 09)
Amazing Baby (jul 09)
Amenra (apr 09) (jul 09)
Amon Düül II (apr 09)
Amorphis (aug 07)
Anathema (dec 06)
Animal Alpha (aug 07)
Animal Collective (jul 07)
Anouk (jun 08)
Arcade Fire (nov 07)
Arch Enemy (aug 06) (dec 06)
Arctic Monkeys (may 07)
Asphyx (dec 07) (aug 09)
Au Revoir Simone (jul 07)
Autumn (sep 05)
The Australian Pink Floyd Show (jun 07)

Babylon Circus (sep 09)
Baroness (apr 09)
Bat for Lashes (sep 09)
Battlelore (jul 07)
beehoover (apr 09)
Ben Folds (jun 08)
The Black Seeds (jul 08)
Black Sun Empire (dj set, apr 08) (dj set, may 08)
Black to Comm (sep 08)
Blind Guardian (aug 07)
Blitzkrieg (aug 07)
Blood Red Shoes (jul 09)
Bohren und Der Club Of Gore (apr 07) (apr 09)
Bonne Aparte (jul 08)
Boris (Japan) (apr 08) (apr 09)
Brent Coughenour (jan 09)
Buck 65 (jul 06)
Bumble Bees (jul 09)

Candlemass (jul 09)
Cannibal Corpse (aug 07)
capacocha (jul 08)
Carach Angren (sep 09)
Caribou (jul 09)
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone (sep 08)
Children of Bodom (aug 06)
Chrome Hoof (jul 08)
ChthoniC (aug 07)
Le Club Des Chats (jul 08)
Coldplay (sep 09) (sep 09)
Colour Haze (apr 09)
Counting Crows (jun 08)
Cruachan (dec 07)

Danko Jones (aug 06)
Death Angel (jul 09)
Death Sentence: PANDA! (jul 09)
Deerhoof (jul 09)
Def Leppard (jun 08)
Delain (jul 09)
DéspairsRay (aug 06)
The Devil's Blood (apr 09)
The Dillinger Escape Plan (jul 09)
Dimmu Borgir (aug 07)
Dinosaur Jr. (jul 08)
Dir en grey (aug 07)
Dirge (sep 08)
Disillusion (aug 07)
Do Make Say Think (may 07) (nov 09)
Do The Undo (jul 07)
Doddodo (dec 08)
The Dodos (jul 09)
Les Doigts de l'Homme (aug 03)
Dozer (nov 08)
Drive Like Maria (jul 09) (sep 09)
Drumcorps (dj set with live guitar, jun 08)

Eagle Twin (okt 09)
Earth (apr 09)
Eats Tapes (jul 08)
Ed Cox (dj set with accordion, may 08)
Electric Eel Shock (aug 07) (may 08)
Electric Kettle (dj set, may 09)
Electric Wizard (sep 08)
Emperor (aug 06)
Enablers (mar 08)
End Of Green (aug 06)
Enge Buren (jul 05)
Enslaved (aug 07) (okt 07)
Envy (apr 09)
The Ex (with Getatchew Mekurya, dec 09)

Fair to Midland (aug 07)
Falconer (aug 07)
Fear Falls Burning (apr 08)
Fear Factory (aug 06)
Fear My Thoughts (jul 07)
Final Fantasy (jul 06)
Finntroll (aug 06) (jul 08)
The Flaming Lips (sep 09)
Flesh Made Sin (dec 06)
The Fratellis (may 07)
Freaky Age (jul 08)
The Freeks (sep 08)

Gabriel Rios (jun 08)
Genghis Tron (nov 08)
Getatchew Mekurya (with The Ex, dec 09)
God Dethroned (dec 07)
Gojira (jul 09)
Golden Earring (sep 09)
Gotthard (jun 08)
Grails (apr 09)
Grave Digger (aug 07)
Growing (with Atsuo from Boris, apr 08) (apr 09)

Haemorrhage (dec 07)
Haggard (aug 07)
handicapped terror
The Happiness Project (sep 09)
Harvestman (apr 09)
A Hawk and a Hacksaw (jul 07) (may 09)
HEALTH (jun 09)
heidi mortenson (dec 08)
De Heideroosjes (sep 09)
Heidevolk (jul 09)
Helrunar (apr 06)
Hollenthon (dec 07)
Holy Moses (dec 07)
Hospital Bombers (aug 06)
Howlin' Rain (jul 09)
HṚṢṬA (with Mike Moya from Godspeed You! Black Emperor) (feb 08)

Iced Earth (aug 07)
Immortal (aug 07)
In Extremo (aug 06)
In Flames (aug 07)
INXS (jun 07)
Isis (apr 09)

Jaune Toujours (jul 09)
Jesu (dec 07)
Jason Lytle (from Grandaddy (may 09)
Journey (jun 08)
Justin Nozuka (jun 08)

Kap Bambino (jul 09)
Kansas (jun 08)
Kataklysm (jul 09)
Keep of Kalessin (okt 07) (jul 09)
De Kift (dec 07)
KISS (jun 08)
KK Null (with Z'EV, okt 09)
Knifehandchop (dj set, jul 06)
Korpiklaani (aug 06)
Krakow (jul 07)
Krause (jul 08)

Late of the Pier (jul 08)
Leafcutter John (jul 07)
Legion of the Damned (aug 06)
Lenny Kravitz (jun 08)
Liars (jul 08)
Limewax (dj set,may 08)
Linkin Park (may 07)
Live (jun 08)
Lucky Dragons (jul 09)
Lucy Love (jul 09)

The Mad Trist (jul 09)
The Magic Numbers (may 07)
Mahjongg (jul 09)
Mala Vita (apr 07)
Malkovich (apr 08)
Marduk (dec 07)
Maxïmo Park (jun 08)
Meindert Talma & The Negroes (jul 07)
Melechesh (dec 06)
Mêlée (jun 08)
Members of Marvelas (apr 07)
Meshuggah (jul 09)
Michael Gira (from Swans) (dec 07)
Mindless (aug 08)
Ministry (aug 06)
Minsk (apr 09)
Miss Montreal (sep 09)
MoHa! (jul 08)
The Moi Non Plus (aug 07)
Moke (sep 07)
Mono (Japan) (apr 09)
Moonsorrow (dec 06) (aug 07)
Moonspell (aug 07) (jul 09)
Motörhead (aug 06) (jun 08)
Motorpsycho (dec 07) (okt 08) (apr 09)
Mucky Pup (aug 09)
Municipal Waste (aug 09)
Mythlorian (aug 07)

Napalm Death (aug 07)
Neaera (aug 07)
Negură Bunget (apr 09)
Neurosis (apr 09)
New Killer Stars (jul 08)
Nifelheim (dec 07)
Nightmare (France) (feb 06)
Nisennenmondai (jul 09)
NoMeansNo (jul 07)

Obeah (sep 09)
Oceana Company (may 09)
of Montreal (feb 09)
OM (apr 09)
Omega Massif (apr 09)
Opeth (aug 06)

Pelican (sep 08)
Peter Quistgard (jul 09)
Pivot (jul 08) (jun 09)
The Presets (jul 07)
Primal Fear (aug 06)
Primordial (dec 07)

Racoon (jun 08)
Radio Moscow (sep 08) (apr 09)
The Rapture (jul 07)
REO Speedwagon (jun 08)
Riders on the storm (jan 07) (jun 07)
Roger Hodgson (from Supertramp) (jun 07)
Roger Waters (from Pink Floyd) (may 07)
Rose Kemp (solo, aug 08) (with band, apr 09)

Saint Vitus (apr 09)
Sat2D (jul 08)
Satyricon (jul 09)
Saxon (aug 07)
Scar 7 (sep 09)
Scissor Sisters (may 07)
Scorpions (aug 06) (jun 07)
Scott Kelly (apr 09)
Scout Niblett (dec 07)
Sennen (The Netherlands) (may 07) (mar 08)
seven that spells (apr 09)
Shadowlord (apr 06)
Shining (Norway) (with Grutle Kjelsson from Enslaved, okt 07)
Shitmat (dj set, may 08)
signe tollefsen (jul 07)
Six Feet Under (aug 06)
Six Organs of Admittance (solo, apr 09)
Skullflower (apr 09)
Skyforger (dec 06)
Sleepy Sun (jul 09)
The Smashing Pumpkins (may 07) (feb 08)
Snöleoparden (jul 09)
So So Modern (feb 09)
Sodom (aug 07) (dec 07)
Solo (apr 07)
Sonic Youth (aug 08)
Soulfly (aug 06)
Speedranch (dj set with live drummer, dec 08)
Spinvis (with band, apr 07) (solo, may 09)
De Staat (aug 08)
Stahlzeit (aug 09)
Starsailor (jun 08)
Stephan Mathieu (okt 09)
Steve Von Till (apr 09)
The Strange Death Of Liberal England (dec 07)
Subway to Sally (aug 06)
The Suicidal Birds (sep 07)
SuidAkrA (aug 07)
Sun Ra Arkestra (sep 08)
Sunn O))) (with Attila Csihar from Mayhem, apr 07) (dec 07) (with Atsuo from Boris, apr 09) (may 09) (with Attila Csihar from Mayhem and Steve Moore from Earth, okt 09)
Supergrass (aug 08)

Tank 86 (nov 08)
The Teenagers (jul 08)
Telemetrik (dj set, mar 09)
Temperatures (sep 08)
Tesla (jun 07)
Textures (aug 09)
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band (apr 08)
Therion (aug 07)
Thin Lizzy (jun 07)
This Leo Sunrise (feb 08)
Torche (sep 08)
Tribes of Neurot (apr 09)
Triggerfinger (may 08) (jul 08) (aug 08)
Les Truttes (jul 04) (jul 05)
Turbonegro (aug 07)
Turisas (aug 07)
TV Buddhas (jul 09)
Twisted Sister (jun 08)
Two Gallants (jul 07)

Unleashed (dec 07)

Vandal X (may 09)
The Vision Bleak (apr 06) (aug 07)
Vreid (dec 07)

Warbringer (jul 09)
Watain (sep 08)
We vs. Death (jul 06)
White Hills (apr 09)
White Lies (sep 09)
Whitesnake (aug 06) (jun 08)
WHY? (jul 08)
Wild Light (nov 07)
Wintersun (aug 06)
Wire (sep 08)
Witchcraft (nov 08)
Wolfmother (may 07)
Wolves in the Throne Room (apr 09)
The Wooden Constructions (jul 09)
Woven Hand (aug 08) (nov 08)

Xavier Rudd (jun 08)
Xystus (sep 05)

Years (nov 09)
The Young Gods (acoustic gig, nov 08) (regular gig, apr 09)

Z'EV (sep 08) (with KK Null, okt 09)
Zu (apr 09)

"With" refers solely to musical collaborations, not to support acts whatsoever. Bold are gigs that were especially brilliant.