Each member of In Search of Atlantis remembers the first gig they played together, although, at the time, they weren’t in the same band. The guys all hail from the local Sioux Falls area music scene, but before they formed a band together, they had all gained experience in under various bands (Avery, Dawning by Day, Private Drive). 
Last summer, Brent Plooster (guitar) and Trevor Ferguson (drums) had been looking to start a new project and decided to jam together. Eventually, ex-bandmates Tyler Jung (bass) and Collin Pearson (guitar/backing vocals) caught wind of the situation and joined in as well. After months of searching for a vocalist, they found John Olivier (vocals) through a mutual friend and finally had a full band.
The members kept their group quiet as long as possible to focus on the music without having to deal with the hype and assumptions that they would sound like their previous bands. In a small scene, it’s easy for word to spread quickly and rumors to develop, but the band kept to themselves in hopes to develop a unique sound without the stress.
“Our big thing when we started was displaying ourselves as professionally as possible, and that’s what we’re trying to emphasis,” says Plooster. “It’s more musically, but also physically with merch and equipment and everything.”
With influences from Underoath to Taking Back Sunday, the band created a refreshing rock sound that had since taken a bit of a hiatus in the local music scene. Focusing less on the screaming style and more on soulful vocals, Olivier’s voice fits perfectly over meticulous guitar riffs and steady drum backings.
Their most captivating song, “Earth Shaker” has mesmerizing verses building to a catchy chorus that often reminds me of recent Emery or Jonny Craig’s solo work. The addition of songs like “Treading Dead Water” will leave you wanting to grab your friends and turn your living room in to a mosh pit.
Having a head start on already unique music, it’s only a matter of time before ISoA has their grasp on exactly what they want to sound like. Although the band has already recorded a three-song demo CD, they’re constantly writing new music and hope to have more recorded before the end of the year. The main point is to write a handful of songs that all members are incredibly stoked to record, not just a few mediocre ones that will get the job done.
The same attitude of going beyond what is needed applies to everything they do. Not a day goes by that the band isn’t working on something, whether it be booking shows or finalizing merch designs or writing new music. It’s an approach they purposely take in order to become more than an average cookie-cutter group.
“It’s more than being a MySpace band, but being in a band that actually plays shows and cares what they’re doing, and going out and meeting new people and all that stuff,” says Pearson. “There are so many bands now that might have 200 plays a day or whatever on MySpace and never play shows. They’re just all fashion these days.”
“Don’t get me wrong, we’re all fashionable and sexy, but that’s not what it’s about,” Ferguson adds jokingly.
Aside from being fashionable, the group also has an energetic style when it comes to the stage. The group performed their first show under an alias in a different town in order to shake the first-time nerves and get a feel for each others’ live performance. While they will all claim the show was terrible (due more so to technical difficulties and conditions beyond their control), the band must have made some changes during their second show (which was in Watertown in early December). By the time ISoA hit the stage at their third show in Sioux Falls in early January, the group had chemistry as if they’d shared the stage for years.
While the members admit that making money is an important part of any bands’ journey, they readily point out that what keeps them going is the support, particularly at their live shows.
“In the big scheme, selling shirts and CDs and everything helps financially,” says Olivier. “But I think if all of us could honestly get by without having to make money, we’d still play the shows. For me, when the lights go down and the music starts, it’s the best thing in life.”
Though it’s still somewhat early in the life of In Search of Atlantis, the passion driving the band and knowledge already acquired from the past are sure to bring them to incredible heights. Their long term goals and future plans are right on track to making the big leagues, but more than anything else, they’re a group of amazing guys who will undoubtedly have a great time getting there.
“We all have fun with it and it’s not going to be a job. We’re all getting better at everything,” says Jung. “We’re still new, but we’re just getting off the ground, so it’s kind of an exciting time to see what happens.”
In Search of Atlantis will be performing an all ages show at Senor Weiners in Sioux Falls on February 12 with Hands and Onward To Olympas. For more information, visit their MySpace. You can also vote for them to play the Dubbin Music tour this summer by visiting the Facebook event page.
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