Be careful who you party with, because you might end up starting a successful rock band with them — at least that was the case for drummer Patrick Drohan and the rest of Atlas Road Crew.
After their “friends of friends of friends” came together to rock out, something clicked among the five members and they’ve been playing ever since. After meeting at USC, the group stuck together through graduation in 2012 and are now rising stars from Columbia's music scene.
Jam band tendencies and southern rock roots come together to create the Atlas Road sound. They combine an old school sound with a young and heartfelt delivery, resulting in high energy, harmonica-infused songs with a wide appeal.
However, good sound does not make a successful band. It takes diligence to achieve Atlas Road Crew's current level of notoriety.
That diligence meant touring about 200 times a year. Performing two to three times a week for around 18 months boosted their profile, and they’ve grown together from partying on campus to hitting the road on tour. Just because they're traveling in a Toyota 4Runner doesn’t make their career any less serious.
“[When we started out,] we were juniors and seniors playing at Pavlov’s for $75 bar tabs — we were playing maybe 15 shows a year and we thought that was great,” Drohan said. “We’re growing out of the college band thing and doing it for real.”
Along with nonstop touring, connections come in handy. Being recorded by the former guitar player for Hootie and the Blowfish was the push ARC needed to pick up some momentum, along with the backing of their well-connected manager.
Now, Atlas Road Crew is set to headline at Music Farm this Friday, performing alongside another Columbia-born group, Seventy Six and Sunny. After getting their start at Five Points Pub (now The Moosehead Saloon), for this show they’ll be in the spotlight, not just background bar music.
Atlas Road Crew moved to Charleston recently, but Columbia is still important to them. Two years later, even with more experience and a more serious outlook, the group is “way too excited for words” to make their way back to perform Friday.
“We’ve done the Township thing and St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s nothing like putting on and selling tickets to your own show,” Drohan said. “That’s the biggest thrill of it all — people are willing to pay their hard earned money to see you perform, not just at a festival or drunk at a bar and you happen to be playing there.”
Although they came from humble beginnings, ARC have come a long way since after-class jam sessions on campus — they’re one of the top bands on the rise in the Southeast right now.
Just like every other music fan in the midlands, Drohan is thrilled about performing at Columbia’s newest — and only — midsize venue. After spending his college years here, he noticed a divide between students and townies, particularly at smaller venues. In his eyes, Music Farm might be the saving grace the local music scene needed all along.
“There’s not really a communal effect like there is in Asheville where if there's a band coming, you know damn well everyone in the town will be there,” he said. “[The scene] is hopefully on the rebound … [Music Farm] will allow local bands to open up for national acts and be a hub for local and regional, original music.”
Atlas Road Crew didn’t let the dream of a rock-and-roll lifestyle die after graduation, but they didn’t lose sight of their roots, either. Their fame may be on the rise, but they'll always be Gamecocks.
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