Attaloss

By Alicia in Musicians on Mar 08, 2012

Attaloss is a passionate group of rockers who care about what matters most....the music. This LA based ground consists of Danny Aguiluz – Vocals, Chris Johansen – Guitar, Matt Geronimo – Guitar/Vocals, Lorenzo Perea – Bass, and Dakota Clark – Drums. They are releasing their self-titled album on April 10, 2012, via Rock Ridge Music/Warner Music Group/ADA. The group is on tour now to promote this album, tour dates are shown below so don't miss them in your City! You can learn more about Attaloss on their Website.

Download a FREE copy of Attaloss' latest release Open Door HERE

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Give us me some background on how the band was formed.

The band formed from the ashes of other successful projects that each of us had. We all felt the need to find more dedicated players that shared our passion for music - and weren't into it "just for the scene". We took our time putting the band together and making sure that we were forming a solid unit based on musicality and brotherhood. We didn't want to find people that could just play their instruments well - we wanted to find perfect partners to push forward with - just like any solid relationship.

I love the story behind the band name, not because of the horrible circumstances but that you took a bad situation and came out with a great band name. Do you ever get tired of explaining its meaning?

It is a constant reminder of how perseverance can overcome tragedy. When many others would have given up, tucked their tail between their legs and quit - we soldiered on - knowing there was only a slight chance of equipment recovery. That slight chance kept me going then, and still fuels me today. I get fired up every time I tell the story- so it hasn't become old yet. I hope that it inspires others to follow their dreams and to not ever allow obstacles or adversaries to stand in their way.

There is a video on your website showing the members signing their first contract as Attaloss. This was obviously a huge moment for everyone. Now you have reached this goal, do you think you will change as a group?

I don't think that it will change us. We've come from projects that were signed to labels in the past. We finally have this amazing bond between all of us - that we didn't have in other bands. Getting signed to Rock Ridge is another great bond formed - they truly care about our music, are there with us every step of the way and feel like additional members. The only change is that our family just added a few strong members. We all really focus on staying grounded no matter what is ahead.

What are the most exciting parts and the most difficult parts about being in the music industry?

The most exciting is definitely living out our musical passion. We all grew up going to concerts, festivals and club shows - and getting really excited about the intensity and energy music can create. We also met amazing people at these shows that become our friends and band mates. We now get to live within that energy on a nightly basis - playing shows all over the country - meeting amazing fans and creating beautiful sounds.

The most difficult things are what takes us away from music and creativity. We love social networking and computer work, but there are many aspects of the band that are extremely important - that are also less than inspirational. Signing up and creating profiles on every new social platform, website upkeep, data tracking on tour are all important, but we really love connecting with fans and playing music.

On your self-titled album to be released April 10, you choose to have 5 all out rock songs and then those same 5 songs recorded acoustically. Why did you make this decision?

We wrote the album on acoustic guitar and recorded it electric. We loved the pulse of the material and couldn't have been happier. We listened back to the original demos - the skeleton of the songs and the melodies - that we decided to go back and give them an acoustic treatment, because we loved the raw sound. We do acoustic shows from time to time - and our fans respond in different ways. We wanted to give our fans both takes on the songs.

Take us through the song writing process for this album. Have the songs been written for a while or more recently? Did you have a long list you had to narrow down?

We wrote approx. 30 songs and had the very difficult time of narrowing them down. We all write and arrange, so we took the absolute best material that we had and worked on them until we were happy. Songwriting is a process but not a science. It can and will change from song to song. Sometimes it will start out with a melody or a guitar riff, sometimes with a line or hook from the chorus. We just make sure that we are open to new ideas and spend time fleshing them out.

How many iterations does a song typically go through before you feel it’s complete?

It's funny - because to me - a song is almost never complete. It is a living, breathing entity that is continually evolving. When we get back from tour - these songs will all probably have new little twists within. That being said, we usually go with the process until all of us are happy.

You recently embarked on a 42 city nationwide tour in support of this release. Is this the longest tour the band has been on? What can fans expect from the shows?

This is the longest tour - thus-far for Attaloss. We have a really energetic live show and can get pretty crazy on stage. We all pretty much explode on stage during the more intense musical passages. Band members have been hit and kicked in the head before - but all out of musical love. Fans can expect a very interactive and passionate show. We truly aim to have our fans as much a part of the show. We wouldn't be here without them.

As the music industry has evolved, lesser known musicians have found great success with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. How have these sites and the fan support helped launch Attaloss?

Our online fans are amazing!!! We have 13,000 twitter fans around the world that are the most driven we've ever seen. We get updates and pictures of them tattooing their cities with Attaloss swag and promo. They send artwork designs, lyrics, poems and pics that keep us both entertained and fired up. They also help us pull in other fans that don't know about Attaloss. We do everything that we do for our fans - talk to each and every one of them and will never lose sight of how or why we're here.

Musicians are often times compared to other artists, past or present that they find flattering but might not always agree with. If you had to pick your comparisons, what musicians would you say are most in line with the musician you see yourself as?

A few bands that we look up to: Muse, Anberlin, Switchfoot, 30 Seconds to Mars, Foo Fighters. They all embody a great sense of modern rock without getting caught up in short-lived trends.

What steps do you think a band needs to take to get noticed by fans and labels?

Focus on music first- make sure you believe in what you are writing 100%. Craft melodies that live inside your head (and will hopefully live in others) - then focus on fans. Don't even worry about labels if you can't excel at the first two. You have to put in your time before you can expend anyone else to put in theirs for you.

What advice would you have for aspiring musicians?

Follow your passion and don't let any dream-killers stand in your way. Just because they gave up on their dreams - they'll try to sway you from achieving yours - just so they can feel better about the choice that they made. Keep focused, keep positive and keep things moving forward with music at the forefront of everything that you do.