Weekend Atlas

Here’s a challenge: A week before local indie-rock band Weekend Atlas went into the studio to record their debut album, the band’s drummer quit. Then there are the timetable troubles that come with having a roster of seven. But no matter the obstacle, Weekend Atlas is doing just fine.

Formed in March 2013, the septet’s current lineup include Nick Garcia (guitar/violin/mandolin), Kelly White (vocals/guitar), Brennan Hinck (vocals/guitar), Jacob Casey on bass, Mike Pruitt on keys, drummer John Stribling and Carter Hess on trumpet.

“Having seven people who all either go to school, have work, or both, there can be times where we have scheduling conflicts,” says Garcia, a Jacksonville native who co-founded Weekend Atlas with Hinck. “But we all take the band seriously and make time for practices and performances.”

The group took part in this year’s One Spark festival as both a creator and performer and have gigged in spots all over Northeast Florida including Jack Rabbits, 1904 Music Hall, Underbelly, Freebird Live and University of North Florida’s OZ Music Festival.

“Jacksonville has helped us shape our sound because of the great indie music scene here,” says Garcia. “We love the music here and it has influenced our sound a lot.”

They’ve also got quite an impressive YouTube presence. Check out Weekend Atlas’ official music video for their tune “Faces.” Imagine a younger and much cleaner-cut version of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, if you will.

It’s no big surprise that the band’s Facebook page counts Edward Sharpe as an influence along with The Head and the Heart, Mumford & Sons and Noah and the Whale — influences instantly apparent on their self-titled, debut album, which was released in January 2015.

Weekend Atlas, a 12-track record written primarily by Garcia, Hinck and White, was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Richard Leigh Grice. Grice has worked with myriad bands, from Whole Wheat Bread and Molly Hatchet to Lil Jon and The Silver Palms. He’s also vocalist and guitarist for local rock trio Speaking Cursive.

“Rick made a great impression when the band was first formed and he introduced himself to us,” Garcia says. “Since then, he’s done everything he can to help us. He’s a close friend and an incredibly talented producer and musician.”

Unfortunately, the making of the album wasn’t without stumbling blocks. Weekend Atlas had a long road ahead of them to get to the finished product, including a Kickstarter campaign which raised just over $2,000, and losing a band member at the last minute.

“We definitely faced a lot of obstacles when trying to put together the album,” Garcia explains, “the biggest challenge being our drummer quitting the week before we went in to record. Luckily, we had an amazing studio drummer fill in who did a fantastic job.”

The Equal Ground, a website that focuses primarily on indie album reviews, said of the disc, “With the charm of a slow bloom amidst sunshine, Weekend Atlas makes it trendy to be pastoral. Their songs on their self-titled album Weekend Atlas are like romps into the woods with a good pipe and even better friends.”

With a finished debut full-length under their collective belt and a solid lineup finalized this past January with the addition of drummer John Stribling, Weekend Atlas is looking forward to a bright future.

“We wanted our first album to pave the way for us and who we are,” says Garcia. “We have had a great response from fans and we’re looking forward to touring more and getting out of Jacksonville. We love it here, but we would love to share our music with people outside of Jacksonville.”

This includes a summer tour up along the East Coast to New York, from July 26 through Aug. 8. Check them out away from home if you’re going up the coast yourself. - Kara Pound

Weekend Atlas, a Jacksonville-based indie-rock band, is no stranger to One Spark, but members hope this year’s appearance will allow the band to hit the road. “What I love about One Spark is that anyone can be walking by, people that would never give your music the time of day…will be walking on the street for happy hour or something and hear you,” said Brennan Hinck, one of the band’s lead vocalists.

The group, creator No. 22034 at One Spark, also participated last year in the crowdfunding festival. Band members signed up again this year not only for touring money, according to Nick Garcia, the band’s guitarist and violinist, but also because they hope to gain new fans.

“One Spark is a great way to connect and network with some of the most talented individuals in Jacksonville,” he said. “It’s also a ton of fun and great for exposure.”

They’re so enthusiastic about their chances at One Spark that members have already started to set tour dates. So far, they have concerts set in Philadelphia and New York City.

That distance will be a change for the local band, which has yet to travel farther away than Ybor City in Tampa to play.

Band members said playing to a wider geographic area would also help enlarge their fan base.

“Hopefully [we’ll] spread our music to more people and try to make an impact,” said Hinck.

They’ve already released one self-titled debut album. The cost of the album came straight out of their own pockets, a financial hit that helps explain why they’re relying on One Spark’s crowdfunding to raise funds for their tour.

Weekend Atlas started as a collaboration between Garcia and Hinck in 2013. Since then, they’ve enlisted the help of Kelly White as vocalist, John Stribling as drummer, Mike Pruitt as keyboardist, Carter Hess as trumpet player, and Jacob Casey as the band’s bassist.

While the members didn’t initially know one another, they now are a tight team.

“We all just really work well together,” Hinck said. “We’re all just really good friends and just connect really well.”

When it comes to writing music, Hinck, White and Garcia carry most of the load. While the majority of the lyrics also come from them, all band members are encouraged to contribute.

For instance, on the band’s album, Pruitt contributed one of the songs.
“We’re trying to get everyone to write more and like, you know, just express themselves, because everyone’s different,” Hinck said. “We all have really, really different tastes.”

The band draws its major influences from bands such as The Kooks, The Head and The Heart, Noah and The Whale, Arctic Monkeys, The Beatles, and The Shins.

“We’re an indie-folk band with a bit of rock—but not the crazy rock,” Hinck said. “Our style is like Of Monsters and Men.”

The dual harmonies bring the audience in and the unique use of trumpet, keyboard and violin sets the group apart from other bands that use more traditional instruments.

The fact that Weekend Atlas has seven members also sets them apart. Having more members and more instrumentalists provides the band a larger sound and gives it the opportunity to add nontraditional instruments.

“I think what sets us apart is our sound. Like, I’ve never heard anyone in Jacksonville with the same sound as us,” Hinck said. “There’s seven of us and just the elements we use, plus Kelly’s voice is just out of this world.”
Five of the seven member have jobs outside of the band, from cooks to sales associates, but they take time for their mudic because they love it.

“We do this because we love music and love how it’s universal,” Garcia said. “We [want to] share a message of love and be the reason that people smile and dance.” - Nathalie Pierre

The Jacksonville-based indie folk rock band Weekend Atlas digitally released their first full-length album Jan. 20. The seven-member band — including three UNF students — hosted a record release show Saturday, Jan. 17 at Freebird Live.

Influenced by a range of artists, from The Beatles to Noah and the Whale, Weekend Atlas is a close match to Of Monsters and Men, especially on their new self-titled album. The inclusion of female and male vocalists, a trumpet player and a violinist give the band a unique folk flare with a roots rock influence.


“We have the dynamic of a male and female vocalist, which a couple bands have around here, but not very many,” guitarist and violinist Nick Garcia, UNF advertising junior, said. “When you hear all of the songs put together, it’s actually pretty diverse, the way we write. Plus, having three songwriters, we all had different influences, so each song is different and has its own personality and character,” Garcia said.

The rolling and playful sounds of the guitar, paired with the warm sound of a violin, beg for the group to be compared to Seattle-based indie folk band The Head and the Heart, a group with albums Garcia says he listens to daily.

The diverse mix of musical elements had an impact on Richard Leigh Grice, who recorded and produced the band’s new self-titled album. The group recorded the album in Grice’s Riverside home. “I’m a big fan of their sound, and they’re a great mix. I like how they have a guy and a girl singer. I think their songwriting is very mature, especially for being so young,” Grice said. “I think they have a lot of potential.”

Female vocalist Kelly White, a UNF sociology sophomore, was met with a pleasant surprise working with their new producer. “I was honestly a little nervous for the change because we were so comfortable with the first producer, but I really enjoyed working with Rick and we all came to be good friends,” White said. “We put so much more time and energy into this that we all quickly became comfortable with each other.”

Now that the recording process is over and finishing touches have been made, Weekend Atlas is ready to release their debut album to the public. This self-titled record in particular is certainly a leap forward for the band. “I am super excited to use this as an opportunity to get more exposure through touring and social media. It’s also really rewarding to have physical evidence of our craft and hard work,” White said.

Garcia said Weekend Atlas’ headlining show at Freebird Live drew over 300 people. Supporting artists on the bill were local bands Fjord Explorer, Aurora and Jeremiah Daly. Weekend Atlas’ self-titled album is available on Spotify, iTunes and Bandcamp on Jan. 20. - Rachel Cazares

New song f rom a must watch name for 2015

Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, is the indie folk/rock band Weekend Atlas with their incredible new single, “Faces”.

Slightly reminiscent of Of Monster and Men, Weekend Atlas delivers a spectacular sound with their single “Faces”. Featuring beautiful melodies and hypnotizing vocals, “Faces” quickly establishes itself as a premier track from this talented, up-and-coming band.

If you aren’t familiar with Weekend Atlas, now is the time to check them out. Having officially released “Faces” just the other day, Weekend Atlas is poised to make a major splash in 2015. Be on the lookout for new material from this incredibly talented young band. - Scoot

With the charm of a slow bloom amidst sunshine, Weekend Atlas makes it trendy to be pastoral. Their songs on their self-titled album Weekend Atlas are like romps into the woods with a good pipe and even better friends. There’s a sense of community that plays throughout which is no coincidence when you examine it musically and see how the multiple instruments throw party vibes. Of course, this is just a shade of what Weekend Atlas wants to convey.

They really seem to find their sound when things take on more introspective lights and intimate settings. In a world of unified sound being the norm, this group bleeds between the bright, moody and intense with a lovely little ode to the malt shoppe just for good measure. With horns and a wide taste for the eras, Weekend Atlas reminds us that pleasure comes from unexpected areas most of the time.

I rode waves of different impressions with the vocal performance on this record. It sat perfectly above the mix, save for the male harmony being a little too underneath, but for the most part Kelly White steals the show. At times her delivery is thin and strange with a cry sitting right at the back of her throat, but the music lends itself well to that effect and you likely won’t bat a lash. Now, that’s all I can really say as far as a constructive critique because the rest is classic, just beautiful passages, tone, harmonies, the whole aural enchilada. Let me say this, 2:24 of “Finale” will have you entranced.

Between the beginning and the end, some real storytelling is at work. From the catchy and friendly chorus of “Love Child” to the somber and grounding “Off The Earth” the listener will be fed with a plethora of lines, hooks and emotion. My favorite is the aforementioned “Finale.” It ends like a gorgeous epilogue, strings and trumpet in fine unison, the drums pounding with momentum and it all climaxes with the exquisite cut of the instruments – White’s voice the lone remainder.

It’s some of the most poignant use of isolated vocal I’ve heard in a long time. The melody is simple, but strong enough to carry the weight of 30+ seconds of vulnerable songwriting. When it comes to musical moments, that’s what it’s all about. - Ted Rogen

In a residential neighborhood off of Atlantic and Kernan, music seeps through the thin walls of a suburban home. It's here that STRATA got to meet the seven members of Weekend Atlas, as they crammed into a small bedroom for practice. Luckily, the band is used to tight spaces, for at the end of July, they will pile into one van and road trip up the east coast for their upcoming tour. This tour is a chance for Weekend Atlas to expand their fan base, to perform new, unrecorded songs that showcase their new musical direction, and also to create unforgettable memories together. Because after just one practice with them, it was apparent that Weekend Atlas is more than just a band —they're family.
Song that embodies STRATA's motto of #livefromwithin ?

Brennan: Roanoke. It's an older song about the blue ridge mountains in Virginia. It's about getting away from society and social media and the things in life we think about a lot that don't necessarily mean anything and experiencing wilderness.

How did Weekend Atlas originate?

Brennan: It originated a while ago. My sister got on my computer and snuck some listens to some shitty music I wrote. I guess she liked some of it, so she told her musician friend about it, and he referred me to nick. Nick and I had a lot of shitty tries, and then we found Carter, Jacob, and Mike. That was the basis of the band.
How would you describe your musical style?

Brennan: We started out super folky, singer-songwriter. Nick started writing more poppy-rock parts. I think we have changed our sound drastically in the past two months. We are going more of the direction of a rock sound but definitely are keeping the folk element in some songs.

Why did you choose to have seven person band:

Carter: It was the philosophy of how we approached. Every time we would get to a certain core of people, we would be like, 'What if we had this?' Everyone would be like, 'Yeah a bass would make this sound good, and oh, this type of drumming.' It still goes like that except nowadays we add instruments instead of people. It's always this idea of constantly adding and transforming the music.

Brennan: I love the aspect of live performances not having backing tracks and having legitimate musicians performing all at the same time. It brings a lot more to live performances because everyone has their little mess ups and such. It gives it more of a real natural feel.

You are heading out on tour soon?

Nick: We leave July 27th. The plan is to play cities almost every day up to New York. Then we are going to Ohio and starting to come back down through Atlanta, Nashville, and Tallahassee before we get back home. It'll take about two weeks, a little mini tour.

We did this all on our own without a manager. A lot of bands are doing that nowadays, but we are really young to be doing this. Most bands get out there and are in their mid 20s. Our oldest member is 21. I feel like this is a pretty cool accomplishment that we will have done.

Goals for the tour?

Mike: For people to hear our music. That's the biggest goal of going out of town you know. People need to hear your music. That's the only way you are going to get out there.

Next chance to see them live:

July 25th at Burro Bar. - Kelsey Stern