One2One With 'Atlantis Avenue'

Just because Matthew Veenstra of Atlantis Avenue is only 20 years old, one shouldn’t dismiss the voice of this young singer as having no message, as only being there for entertainment purposes. On Atlantis Avenue’s myspace account it lists his sound as “Nothing you have ever heard before!” and it’s true. With Matthew’s use of sound, his songs are upbeat and electro paced and carries emotions that so many of his listeners will be able to relate to. This former singer /songwriter for “The Outside Looking In” has gone solo taking his experience and plotting a new course. One2one pro media had a chance to interview Atlantis Avenue this past week and we were delighted find this young man with so much talent being so dedicated.

O2O: How long have you been performing?
A.A.: I started performing dramatic arts early in public school, about grade six to be exact. In grade 8 I started performing on guitar, and have been doing live shows now for about 3 years, going on 4 with various bands, recently just starting to perform live with "Atlantis Avenue"

O2O: What made you take on a solo project?
A.A.: About 3 years ago I started experimenting with a program called "Fruity Loops Studios" building demo's from start to finish for my former band "The Outside Looking In". After the band fell apart recently last year, I needed to do something musically, and came up with the name "Atlantis Avenue" in which I created a myspace, just with the idea of having a personal portfolio online for people to hear, and myself to reflect on later in life. I found it to be a good idea since I had already been writing full songs, and with that being said, having the capabilities to do that in itself is what made me decide I might as well just start a solo act to get the name out there, and the music heard.

O2O: If you could meet a musician living or dead, whom would it be and why?
A.A.: If I could meet any musician living or dead, it would have to be Shane Told (Silverstein) mainly because he is a young musician from VERY close to my area, and has made a career out of music exploring the same taste of music I am interested into, and I look up to him because he has made it so far from such a small unknown Ontario city, and now tours the world.

O2O: What about them made you admire their music?
A.A.: The music is very catchy, but what caught me the most, was the lyrics to the songs he wrote, and his ability to perform live. His lyrics are very real and I can relate to a lot of them, and his ability to steal crowds night in and night out with his solid performance is the cherry on the cake.

O2O: What was the most difficult song you've ever written and why?
A.A.: The most difficult song I've ever written from a music stand point, would have to be my single "Brighter In L.A" only because it was the first song I had decided to create heading in the direction I wanted to go with this project, so a lot of time went into making all the sounds you will hear in that song.

From a lyrical stand point (hard for me to write/talk about) would have to the song "Getting Back Into You" which relates to a recent ex, and the song talks about how things can mean so much to one person in a relationship, but not as much to the other half, and eventually leads to the caring half of the relationship to give up because they simply can not take anymore of it.

O2O: What do you like the most about touring? What do you like the least?
A.A.: The best part I like most about touring would be meeting new people, and travelling to new places that I might not have gotten to see if it wasn't for music.. The part I like least about touring is being away from family and friends, and the struggle on the road living with no money, food, places to sleep etc...And I’m sure every musician will say the same thing, but all in all , its all worth it, fans deserve to get to see and meet the musicians they listen to!

O2O: Many artists taste success and they let it go to their head. How do you keep yourself grounded?
A.A.: I keep myself grounded fairly easily. I play music not because I want to be famous, but because I love to do it, keeping me on the level I've been on since day one... Whether I am performing to 1 person, or 100000 people in Europe, I’m still doing what I love to do, So why change just because your successful? I’ve graduated high school, that is success, so what makes a band any different? Just my opinion.

O2O: What do you consider to be your greatest musical accomplishment so far?
A.A.: This interview ;).. But no, my first greatest accomplishment was releasing a CD, and after that, just continuing to get booked, and hear cheering after every song , it's the best accomplishment any musician can have...ALSO I enjoy it when people in the audience sing along to a song I wrote, seeing that happen always makes me smile.

O2O: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
A.A.: Hopefully on the road in a tour bus, but who knows where life will take me.

O2O: Do you believe in fate or do you prefer feeling in control of your own destiny?
A.A.: I do, in fact, believe in fate, but I also believe we must have control of our own destiny to some extent in order to keep in line and try to get to where we wanna be.

So what can we expect from Atlantis Avenue in the near future?
"Currently I am working on my first EP "Welcome To..." which I hope will be done by early 2010. In the meantime, just booking show dates and getting out there to as many different people and places as possible."