Atlas shares, “With ’We Can Be The Future,’ if all of our worldly possessions were wiped away by an unstoppable and indiscriminating apocalypse, what would you have left? With only your love and your character being all you possessed, would you still be rich? This concept poses a defined counterpart to the song ‘Violent Power’ to set up and close the album. This song is for those of us who will survive and are not afraid. The song is intended to remind us that we and the whole world around us, are all made from the same one light, one spirit, and one connected energy. Many people know this, and take from it that we should treat others as if they were ourselves… This is crucially important. But I also take this truth and ask: Am I treating myself the way I would treat others I love? If I were my best friend, would I ever deny myself of my life’s ambitions, needs, or deepest desires? Would we ever cheat, steal from, or lie to another if we knew we were only cheating ourself out of truth and abundance? I live in a world where each one of us being a unique part of one whole energy is not just a ‘what if,’ but a true principle. As we sing this song, we will join together in that world and I promise, we can be the future.”
Within the world of Dennis Atlas, his creative mission navigates a path that aspires to reach that place where integrity and excitement meet. His world is one where those two concepts are intrinsically tied. Integrity is met and honored in the form of honest raw authenticity. And when it comes to his presence, whether creating independently or as a member of Toto’s ensemble, it is no surprise he’s become a crowd favorite with electric energy that lights up any room or stage.
Atlas shares, “I love to make music that is concise and relatable, regardless of what form or length it takes; that’s always my aim. There has to be deep intention in what I am saying, why, and who I am saying it to. Then every note is potent with meaning and significance. That’s when I am able to carry it energetically into a sonic package that is unmistakable, memorable, and identifiable. In the form of these melodies and lyrics, it is this energy exactly that I hope people think of when they hear the name Dennis Atlas.”
With this new album titled PRINCIPLE, Atlas reflects, “The spontaneous, and the hyper-critically considered (planned) both meet into one explosive container that is each of the audio files of these 11 songs. I hear months of planning and moments of levity/epiphany both bred into the fabric of what makes this album what it is. It is both exciting and deeply-rooted fulfillment to listen back to these works, and to smile at the good feelings that I have associated with the contributions from everyone involved.” And that list of contributors is deep, featuring performances from Steve Lukather, Bumblefoot, David Paich, Joseph Williams, Shannon Forrest, Warren Ham, Marco Minnemann, Steve Bonino and others. The album was mixed by Trev Lukather and mastered by Bumblefoot. The album art and logo design—the work of Sabrina Lau at UnicornCat Artworks.
Atlas grew up in Santa Clarita, California, right next to one of the biggest and best rollercoaster amusement parks in the world, with a loving family (Mom, Dad, and big brother) who taught him everything he carried with him tied to loving life. Like many, he and his brother started a band in their early teens. He was influenced by bands including Styx and Queen who unapologetically took any stylistic approach to music that authentically excited them, and put it across in a way that millions or billions of the public could sing along to and also dig deeper. He was encouraged as a young man to be creative, and shares, “I never wavered or remember wanting anything else than to be a rockstar.” As he reflects on the past, he recalls, “I’m glad I had a lot of the failures and successes I had before the Toto call came along. There was so much I learned about preparedness, attitude, and simply the context (perspective) of what choices are out there. I also experienced being at home with no gigs and no money, simply working deeper on my own craft, or even having a temporary loss of motivation, then having to find and discover what excites/excited me again. All of this played a huge part in deeply respecting and truly cherishing the situations I do get the privilege of being involved in, and especially the position I have now.”
Atlas is as well-grounded a young man walking planet Earth as there is. He concludes, “I am so indescribably lucky to have a team and band around me that is not only so great and so legendary, but so supportive of me and what I do. I’ve heard of musicians getting fired from a gig for mentioning their solo material in an interview. Yet, here I am with a whole group of bandmates that all wanted to play on my album. It’s a dream I couldn’t have even dreamed up. So here we go into dreams of as many rollercoasters (and other cool experiences) as we can possibly ride together through the power of this music!”
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