EXCLUSIVE: Atomic Tom Talks Potentially Dating Breesays, Music Videos and Dream Tours with Keltie Colleen

Many moons ago I fell in love with Luke White + his band Atomic Tom. I will never forget bringing my BMF (best male friend) to his first Atomic Tom show at Arlene’s Grocery and leaving with him asking “but which one is Tom?” This band is one of the best things that has happened to me and my music since I discovered The Kooks. Sex mixed with guitars mixed with passionate, meaningful lyrics. That is what Rock n Roll means to me, and is what defines this band. If I were to make a TV show based on my life in NYC (oh, wait I am) and needed a soundtrack, I would pick Atomic Tom’s record “The Moment.” It just sounds like dreams coming true, falling madly in love and the NYC subway. That might be why the band had a massive break out this year when they posted a video of them playing their iPhones in the subway.

In typical Keltie fashion I stalked a band long enough that I became not only #1 fan but also friends with the band, that lead me to choreograph and dance in their latest video “Red Light Warning Sign“

I took off in my skimpy blue leotard + heels and I chatted with Luke about the band, who we should set up with Breesays and touring with Kings of Leon (hopefully).

KC: Explain how we met eachother, before you were a rockstar!

LW: Hmmmm. This is a long and sordid story. You were dancing at a bar in the East Village. I was playing in another band at the time, and the lead singer brought me along to hang out and grab some drinks. You were dancing with the Rockettes and just beginning your magical ascent into the world of high kicks and sexy music video choreography. A year or so later (ed note: it was actually 5 years later…time flies!!), you moved out to the west coast, wrote a book, changed your world, and Atomic Tom was starting to pick up some steam on the east coast.

KC: “Pick up steam” how humble–your video got 4 MILLION views. Your record “The Moment” was in the itunes rock top 10. I know you had been at it for a LONNNNGGG time before you hit, How did you guys get signed to Universal?

LW: We finally recorded our first full length record in the Summer of 2009. Later that fall, we played several showcases in NYC. Our friends started circulating some of the copies of the record through the labels and Monte Lipman at UMRG got a hold of it. We were playing a half filled room at Arlene’s Grocery the week before Thanksgiving, and, as it turns out, it was all Universal Republic folks. We hit it off with their team, and signed January 2010.

KC: What was making the record like?

LW: Hilarious. We recorded 9 of the 10 songs in an apartment studio in Brooklyn. Mics were hung in bathrooms, closets, the hallway. We got shut down by the police one day. It took three months of ten to twelve hour days. Our friends were producing and engineering the record and trying to remain sane. Somehow, we came out of that experience with a great sounding record. And we’re proud of every song on it.

KC: What is the song you are most proud of?

LW: My favorite song off the record is “The Moment“. It’s a song that was written honestly and with some vulnerability to it, and I’ve enjoyed watching it take shape with the band and the production process. It’s about my relationship with my superstar wife and her incredible talents, how much she inspires me as an artist, and how I live in the shadow of her name in lights. KC: Who came up with the idea for the subway video?

LW: Eric’s brother Ben Espiritu came to us with the concept of playing our single “Take Me Out” on iPhone apps. We loved the idea and took it to the B train crossing the Manhattan bridge. The video is the last take composed of shots taken from four different iPhone 4 cameras. The audio is live. We hoped, of course, that many people would see the video, but our expectations were completely blown away.

KC: What are you guys doing now?

LW: We’re releasing a new single to radio this Summer, and we’ll be on tour again to play for our fans and their friends. There are new videos and surprises in the works too. And, hopefully, we’ll make our way overseas this fall.

KC: Who would be your dream artist to tour with?

LW: Great question! I would love to tour with bands like Muse or Kings of Leon. I love what they’re doing live, love watching them perform. It’s inspiring. KC: Give us a real idea of what the music industry is like for bands right now?

LW: The music industry is what you make of it, and nothing more. Labels are only capable of taking what you do and expanding upon it. You’re the creator, the artist. Don’t stop writing, creating, exploring. Also, the wonderful thing about social media is that the middle man is no longer necessary. You are accessible to fans. You can release music and videos directly to fans and get an immediate response. There’s so much value in that connection.

KC: Booknerd alert! Last book you read?

LW: Crowdsourcing by Jeff Howe. It’s about the concept of allowing the crowd (in our case, fans) to participate in the creative process, and the incredible things that rise out of that collaboration.

KC: Which band member should we set up with Buzznet’s hottie music editor Breesays?

LW: Oh shit. Good question. Everyone is in a relationship right now. But let’s pretend everyone is available for the moment and say Tobias. He’s a charmer, that one. KC: How would you describe Atomic Tom’s sound?

LW: Take a littl’ New Order and The Cure, mix it with some Killers & Muse and sprinkle a little U2, Doves and M83, and you’ve got “The Moment”.

KC: How did you guys decide to make the “Red Light Warning Sign” video?

LW: We were in the studio putting the final touches on new recordings, and were in that spirit of “how are we going to keep our careers moving forward?” We all love the song, and it lends itself so well to a fun visual. In fact, it had been in the back of our minds for a while, but we’d always thought we’d need a huge budget for it. In fact, there was a brief coffee collaboration with YOU a year before we actually made the video, but we weren’t able to follow through at the time. Fortunately, this time, all the teams came together, and the end product was a beautiful collaboration between the dancers, the directors, and the camera crew. Keltie (you) choreographed the entire dance sequence, designed the outfits, and, really, performed like a creative director for the video, in between resting up and wrapping leg muscles. I love seeing inspired people go to work. I respect that work ethic and that drive. It’s inspiring. KC: So that being said, who is your favorite dancer of all time?

LW: Keltie Colleen. Easily.

KC: Where can people hear more Atomic Tom and stalk you online?

LW: You can find our album “The Moment” everywhere music is sold or available for download. Find us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, iTunes, Pandora & RDIO and let’s talk!

Key songs on the moment: Maybe I’m Wrong, The Moment, This is How We Like to End.

As always you can stalk me here