On July 29th from 11am to 8pm, Soulsational Festival will be celebrating music and wellness for its 7th year at Veterans Park in Bayville, NJ. This free community event will feature "live music, local health and wellness businesses and practitioners, giveaways, a silent auction, and lots of opportunities to give back and unite the Jersey Shore community." One of this year's live music acts will be ATLAS BLOOM. Enjoy this interview with Andrew Funcheon (Vocals / Drums / Piano), below:
What's your name, where are you from, where are you based now, and what do you do?
My name is Andrew Funcheon, and I grew up in central New Jersey with my bandmates Eric Tapper and Josh November. We are now based primarily in New York City but tour regularly around the Eastern U.S. and Canada. We all got our start playing in New Jersey, and now that we are out of college, we are all musicians full time. Outside of Atlas Bloom, we each teach private music lessons on our instruments and perform with other musical groups when we can.
What's your background? What would you like people to know about you & your work?
I grew up playing a mixture of rock music and classical music, and ended up getting my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Classical Percussion Performance at Juilliard. I still regularly perform and teach classical music but have made playing in Atlas Bloom a huge priority in these last few years. People should know that we as a band try to bring a high level of musicianship to all of our performances and recordings, and that we try to push ourselves to make music that is both challenging and expressive.
How did you hear about Soulsational? What can we expect to see/hear at the festival, and what are you personally most looking forward to?
I performed at Soulsational 2016 as the drummer in another band, Foxanne. This year, I’m excited to be bringing a special version of Atlas Bloom to Soulsational. For the first time, I’ll be performing Atlas Bloom songs solo on keyboard and vocals. I’m looking forward to that new experience, as well as taking in the fun ambiance of the festival again.
How can people connect with you online? Do you have a website? Are you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, etc.?
The best way for people to connect with Atlas Bloom is on Facebook and Instagram, both @atlasbloom. If you like us on FB and follow us on Instagram, you’ll hear about our tours and new releases, as well as get a window into our day to day life as a band.