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Rocking LA’s underground music scene since 2002, THE ATMA has been busy gigging, recording, and building up a loyal following and a reputation for excitement in the Los Angeles and Phoenix areas. They have headlined in all the biggest clubs on the Sunset Strip; have recorded two full CDs with a name producer; have a song featured in a soon-to-be-released major film and a spot on its soundtrack; are getting prepared for months of touring… and have been named the 6th Best Critiqued New Artists of 2008 by MUSIC CONNECTION MAGAZINE (12/2008).

THE ATMA play an edgy, inventive, soulful breed of rock music which contains traces of everything from classic rock, 90’s alternative, reggae, jazz, blues, swing, punk, and 60’s psychedelia. Theirs are songs of life and love, troubles and dreams; tragedy and hope. Some are offered as heavy anthems, while others are purely whimsical farce. These days, when such musical and stylistic diversity is a rarity, THE ATMA attract independently-minded young people and baby boomers alike, who flock to it, identify with it, and truly can’t get enough of it!

These are three bright young men from LA’s San Fernando Valley. “The Oblivious Driver” is the nom de plume of the 25-year old lead singer, guitarist and author of almost all the band’s ironic, metaphorical and esoteric lyrics. Like the rest of the band, he displays a quirky mix of self-confidence and vulnerability: the artist as poet in disguise. At 23, Wade Ryff, bassist (et al), is the band’s most musical contributor. Schooled in his craft, Wade writes complex pieces that sound simple, yet are rich in melody and offer a colorful substitute to our often bleak musical landscape. And LoOkas Ventura, 27, may just be one of the most dynamic drummers in popular music today; often compared to the late Keith Moon because of his animated performances and often explosive rhythms.

THE ATMA have been fortunate to have been able to secure producer Niko Bolas (Neil Young, Fiona Apple, Melissa Etheridge) for both self-released CDs: 2006’s “On My Artichoke”, and the soon-to-be-released follow-up, “Machetes of Gold”. Predominantly recorded at the famed Blackbird Studio in Nashville, it shows off the musical and editorial diversity of the band in the present, while offering a glimpse into a future rich in experimentation and expressive development that is often non-existent in many new artists. One of the new CD's songs, “The Monkey” is appearing in the upcoming Interscope Films release, “My Suicide”. The film was co-produced by Harold Ramis, Jimmy Iovine and Karyn Rachtman. The song, which was recorded in English and Spanish, will appear on the Interscope soundtrack along with Radiohead, My Morning Jacket, and other more well-known artists.