Last night Nicole and I went to see Kris Roe from The Ataris perform an acoustic set of their entire Blue Skies, broken hearts... Next 12 exits album at the Marquis Theater.
I discovered the album when I was 18 and horribly depressed. I hadn't given any of the songs considerable thought since then and seeing him perform them live was a throwback to a different time in my life.
I'm an adult now and haven't been able to identify with any of the early Ataris music in a very long time but last night I was reminded of how passionate I used to be about the band. I found myself singing my little heart out right along with Kris. It felt good to be able to sing along and realize that even though I knew every word to every song they no longer mean anything to me and are just songs.
I guess I realized how much I've really grown up...
After the show Nicole and I met Kris and like I've read in many interviews he really is a down-to-earth, awesome guy. He talked with us and answered any questions I had while he was burning me a CD of his latest stuff from his laptop. I even got him to do a "stupid face" picture with me.
He was truly a one man show packing up his own equipment and loading it into his Neon before taking off for Salt Lake City alone. He had said that if he didn't have to immediately leave for SLC he would have liked to grab something to eat with us.
What a rad guy. I can't wait to see Kris Roe when he returns with The Ataris for a real rock show.