[Dennis Atlas of Toto interview excerpt...]
​
Cris Cohen: I've always envied that musicians get to express these complicated thoughts and feelings, but metaphorically. You get to be very sly in the way that you're opening yourself up to the world. There's an envy that you get to have that release that maybe not every person gets to have.
 
Dennis Atlas: It's so interesting that you bring that up. I've never had anyone bring up what you just said in an interview.

That's true, but it's only as true as you want it to be.

Some people don't use metaphor. Some people are very literal. A lot of the biggest songs today, the things that people latch onto are not metaphorical.

It's literal storytelling.

And that's a big question as an artist.

How much of this am I willing to share with the public, who don’t have the full picture of my life? How much of it do I want to tell with a metaphor or an analogy?

That's the question. I'm not coming here with an answer for you. I'm coming here saying that's the question that I ask myself every day. Where can I express more in a way that I'm comfortable with, in a way that I feel safe doing in my art?

That's up to each individual. I guess that's the difference between abstract art and very literal art.

Cris Cohen: I've seen other interviews you’ve done. You come across as very mellow, affable people. And yet, you have songs like the opening track, “Cut the Cord,” which have this raw, edgy feel. And particularly your rhythm guitar has this fabulous, buzzsaw kind of effect. I'm wondering, what aspect of you are you digging into to bring forth that raw, visceral response?

Dean Roland of Collective Soul: You know, that's a great question. I think, as a musician or artist or songwriter, all of those things, it's multifaceted, right? The music that we are inspired by is all over the place too. I could be just as enthralled listening to some classical music or “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” by Elton John. Or I can listen to Metallica or AC/DC, who is a huge influence on us. You just kind of tap into it and see where it goes. 

Congratulations to clients Sister Hazel on the 20th anniversary of the Hazelnut Hang last weekend. Organizing a three-day beach party for hundreds of fans featuring multiple performances by yourselves, scheduled guest artists, and surprise guest artists, as well as a happy hour hang out with the band, a catered brunch, a Q&A session, games, a 5K, and special giveaways would be tricky to pull off once. But to do it every year for two decades? That’s amazing. 

​If you are a musician who creates content to please the social media platform owners and the algorithms, don't worry. You can probably keep posting garbage. I am sure they will find a way to make it seem impressive. After all, they have a proud history of fudging stats to manipulate users. These are the people who counted video plays of 2 seconds with the sound off in a section of the screen you were not looking at as "a view." 

And if you are a musician who creates content for actual music fans, then you were never playing those games anyway. Let others go insane trying to please the tech dictators (human narcissists) and the algorithms (digital narcissists). 

They try to hide your material from us music fans, but we find it anyway.

So don't waste your time with gimmicks, trends, and ticks. Instead, as writer Neil Gaiman advised, "Make good art."

How I develop content with clients that resonates with the social media algorithms…

I don’t. I develop content that resonates with people, specifically music fans. Based on the comments people make in person at concerts, it is working.

If you are a musician who would like help creating content that resonates with music fans, message me. 

Cris Cohen: What drew you to the drums? 

Michael McDermott, drummer for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: When I was a little kid, there was a music store right near this Italian restaurant we would go to. We'd get done with dinner and my two sisters and I would always run next door to A - Z Music. And the drums just always did something for me. My parents encouraged that, nurtured that. I got a practice pad and sticks. From that I just started building. I had buckets and tin cans and things. They were like, "Wow. He's a little more serious. Let's get him a drum set."

Last night with Haircut 100, who are touring with Adam Ant and Squeeze. I hope to publish the interview in the next week or so. In the meantime, check out their new album, Boxing the Compass. It is really good. 

"It's hitting the nerve, hitting something that's on the public's mind somehow, or being in the right place at the right time. It's the Muse. It's magic. And it's wonderful. We strive to have this wonderful, synergistic thing happen. The words are good. The music is good. But when you put them together, the combination is amazing." - Huey Lewis (client) 

Cris Cohen: There are some really interesting instrumentals on this album. Besides the obvious difference of lyrics versus non-lyrics, for you, how is it different the way you approach an instrumental versus a song with lyrics? 
 
Dennis Atlas: Wow. That's a great and deep question to start with.
 
It's funny. I kind of approach it the same way. Because to me instrumental music has just as much meaning built into it as something that has lyrics. When I'm writing a song, I'm asking myself and I'm asking the song, “What are you trying to say? What is it that's trying to be expressed here?”
 
And where is this coming from? What was the experience that is causing this emotional outburst, which we call a song, which we call music and art?
 
With the song “Surprises From Within,” that title came about really quickly. As soon as I heard those themes, as soon as I heard those melodies and the energy of that song, I kind of heard the words, “surprises from within.” That perfectly envelops that concept of when music comes out from within, is a surprise, and teaches you what you've been thinking about.