Local band shines with original throwback tunes
It is one of the great questions of our time — what exactly is the future of rock and roll? After all, there are some who claim the genre remains on life support after decades of reinvention and revolution, living out its greatest glories with pioneers like The Beatles, Chuck Berry and Freddie Mercury before giving way to more modern favorites like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and the Pixies. So where does rock go from here? Fully ready to answer that question (and give the audience a wild time doing it) is Columbia's own Atlas Road Crew.
"We all love that classic rock and jam band style," lead guitarist Dave Beddingfield said. "Our goal is to be a modern-day rock band with a sound that would have existed in the 1970s."
Formerly a member of the ska-influenced group The Shakedown and hoping to recreate the classic rock sound of decades past, Beddingfield linked up with vocalist Taylor Nicholson, bassist Max Becker and percussionist Patrick Drohan, all of whom had been playing together in various music projects over the years. Soon came the addition of keyboardist Bryce James, who was interning in San Francisco when he received a Facebook message asking if he wanted to be a part of a new band forming on Columbia's horizon.
"I had never played in a band before," James said. "So when I came back from my internship and we had our first practice, I was totally in awe of what was happening."
Beddingfield echoed James' sentiment, saying he knew from the start the band had the potential to succeed.
"That first time we played together, we realized we really had something special," Beddingfield said.
Practicing in a storage unit on Atlas Road, (hence the name) Atlas Road Crew quickly began molding, tweaking and perfecting its old-school rock 'n' roll sound, vibing off of each other as well as off vintage favorites like John Bonham, Gregg Allman and Warren Haynes with a little Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin tossed into the mix. Despite the sweltering heat that often stifled the small unit, the band played on, stripping down the heavy technology in favor of the more guitar-driven, easy riding sound that seemed to come naturally.
"I was always exposed to older-style rock music through my parents," Drohan said. "So when we got together, we really boiled it down to the basics and just went back to the roots of everything."
Fast forward to 2012. Although the members still practice in that same storage space, the past few months have been good to Atlas Road Crew, with the band hitting stages all over the Five Points area as well as playing live gigs at Wofford, Clemson and Presbyterian College. Also in the works is a three-day event this summer, sponsored by Firefly Vodka. The band has even cut its first demo of original tracks, recorded after hours at local venue 5 Points Pub. The band attributes much of this recent growth to its relationship with Pub booking manager Vance McNabb, an iconic figurehead in both the Columbia and Charleston music scenes.
"Vance has really just taken ARC under his wing," Beddingfield said. "He's been such an important mentor in getting us where we are now."
Even though Atlas Road Crew started off playing at least one show a week at local venues like Pavlov's, the group has since edited its set calendar, with its next performance coming up on Feb. 10 at 5 Points Pub. But if you're planning on hitting up a Crew show anytime soon, be prepared to let loose and get a little loud. Coupling blues-y guitar riffs with deep bass, thundering drums, harmonious keys and Nicholson's down-low yet powerful wail may have you thinking you've stepped back in time to an era with The Who and The Dead presiding as rock gods. But one thing is certainly guaranteed: You're going to have a good time.
"We always have a fun crowd, but things can also get very rowdy," Beddingfield said. "We try to keep things no rules; whatever happens, happens. We're having a lot of fun, so we want the crowd to have a lot of fun."
"We definitely try to pay a lot of attention to the crowd," James added.
Currently, the band's set list consists of a variety of cover tracks and a few Atlas Road Crew cuts thrown in, with the hopes of adding more original material as the band continues to progress. When it comes to songwriting, it's certainly no one-man show for the band, which relies upon collaboration and the talents of each member in lieu of allowing only one individual's creative perspective.
"Usually we'll start with a little guitar, then add in the bass and sing or hum random words to the music," Drohan said. "We've all become really good friends, so it's an easier process."
Short term, Atlas Road Crew says it is driven to restore Columbia's former title as a jewel in the national music scene crown. But ultimately, it's the dream of playing to thousands of die-hard fans in sold-out arenas that keeps the band touring in a crammed Ford F-150 and juggling busy class and work schedules while pushing the edge of rock 'n' roll.
"Everybody wants to see another college band explode," Beddingfield said. "Everybody wants to see a band get big and be able to say 'Hey, I saw them live when I was in college.'"
But Drohan said regardless whether the band makes it on the national scene, just playing in Atlas Road Crew has been worth it for him.
"Even if nothing happens, we've had such a hell of a time doing this," Drohan added. "It's worth it for the excitement that it brings us and I don't regret anything that we've done so far."