Air Traffic Controller

"Sullivan comes forward as the lead vocalist, adding a dreamy overtone to the band’s already-exuberant sound. Her voice beautifully soars over a handclap-friendly beat, sparkling guitars and hypnotizing synths." - buzzbands.la

"On The Wire" featured in Finding Carter Season 2 - MTV Soundtrack

"A sonorous mix of bright, edgy sounds" - Culture Collide

Boston-based indie pop quintet Air Traffic Controller stopped by the Haggar Slacks Lounge to play their song "What You Do to My Soul."

The band is Dave Munro (lead vocals and guitar), Casey Sullivan (lead vocals, bass, and more), Steve Scott (keys, guitars), Richie Munro (drums), and Jeremy Van Cleave (violin). Curious about their name? Singer/songwriter Munro served in the US Navy as a real-life air traffic controller! The gang is embarking on a co-headlining tour with The Tragic Thrills tomorrow (August 2) in Seattle, where they are often accompanied on stage by an entire string section.

They've also got a new album in the works and just released a fun single "The House."

Watch their spirited set for Haggar Slacks Lounge, and find tour dates below.

Aug 02 Seattle, WA - Barboza's
Aug 04 Reno, NV - Singer Social Club
Aug 06 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill (AA)
Aug 07 Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg HiFi
Aug 08 Phoenix, AZ - Electric Ballroom (AA)
Aug 09 Las Vegas, NV - Container Park (AA)
Aug 10 Salt Lake City, UT - Loading Dock (AA)
Aug 11 Denver, CO - Lost Lake
Aug 13 El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
Aug 14 Austin, TX - Holy Mountain (AA)
Aug 15 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio (AA)
Aug 16 Dallas, TX - Prophet Bar (AA)
Aug 17 Little Rock, AR - Rev Room (AA)
Aug 19 St. Louis, MO - The Demo (AA)
Aug 20 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern (AA)
Aug 21 Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock Cafe (AA)
Aug 22 Arlington, VA - IOTA Club
Aug 23 New York - Mercury Lounge
Aug 24 Philadelphia, PA - Ortlieb's Lounge
Aug 26 Boston, MA - Great Scott
Photography: Rick Macomber, edited by Carmela Diaz - Culture Collide

Quirkily infectious geek-pop from the States. Prediction: they might be giants

Hometown: Boston, USA.

The lineup: Dave Munro (lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitar), Richie Munro (drums), Steve Scott (keyboards, effects, electric guitar), Casey Sullivan (lead vocals, bass, mandolin), Kiara Ana (viola).

The background: Air Traffic Controller are one of those bands where it's really an outlet for the frontman and the others are just there to realise his grandiose/madcap schemes. They're a solo act in all but name, which isn't to disparage the other musicians involved, because they do a fine job of turning what might have been tedious acoustic ditties from the nerd-megalomaniac in question - Dave Munro - into fully arranged, and sometimes orchestrally overblown (in a good way), paeans to baroque self-absorption.

Munro was a real-life air traffic controller for the US Navy - true story, apparently - only instead of focusing on the job at hand, i.e. making sure the planes didn't go careening into the hull of his ship, he spent long hours poring over the minutiae of his past and present romantic liaisons. And so he wrote an album called Nordo. Now, Nordo refers to aircraft that experience radio failure while flying. And if you can decipher what the meaning behind that little metaphor might be vis a vis interpersonal relations, you're more insightful than us (not difficult, admittedly). Suffice to say we're imagining that crashing and burning are probably involved, unless that's just us casting back to our first marriage, which we do a lot. - The Guardian

Oh, do I have a treat for you all on this Thursday afternoon. If this is what feel-good music sounds like, I want buckets and buckets more of it. Air Traffic Controller, a Boston-based indie rock group, are bringing back insanely awesome, unadulterated musical fun. You may have heard "You Know Me," which graced the #1 spot on Hype Machine, and was placed on the NPR Hot 100 list for SXSW.

This song, you guys. "The House" tells a story, and it's so catchy you find yourself daydreaming about how much fun it must've been to record. Dave Munro's vocals elevate this song, and are perfectly matched by the whimsical fun in the background. Mysteriously intriguing, these guys take you by the hand and lead you down an explosion of musical colors. Listen to the lyrics. ATC transports you to a very nostalgic place, where you did whatever you wanted without giving a single fudge. A song like "The House" is delicious, impeccable, and absolutely entrancing.

Air Traffic Controller will be kicking off their tour August 2 in Seattle, and their following dates can be found here. "The House" is set to release next Tuesday, July 29.

These guys are an absolute treat. - Indie Shuffle

Got a minute? Check out the frenetic new video for “Hurry Hurry” from Boston indie-pop outfit Air Traffic Controller. The song comes from the album Nordo, which was produced by singer-songwriter Bleu, and hits stores June 26 via Sugarpop Records.

Video Premiere: Air Traffic Controller, “Hurry Hurry”
By Evan Schlansky May 24th, 2012 at 11:30 am

Got a minute? Check out the frenetic new video for “Hurry Hurry” from Boston indie-pop outfit Air Traffic Controller. The song comes from the album Nordo, which was produced by singer-songwriter Bleu, and hits stores June 26 via Sugarpop Records.

“I think indie film-maker Gavin Michael Booth and I formed an emotional bond the moment he heard this song,” says Air Traffic Controller frontman Dave Munro. “As you hear in the lyrics, I’m a bit of a busy body hurrying through life to establish myself at any cost, physically, mentally, financially, … the list goes on.

“For Gavin, it’s the exact same thing. In fact, the day I arrived in Canada he was on the set of another video that was being shut down because of a power outage; then he jumped right into making ‘Hurry Hurry,’ which he ambitiously wrote in more scenes than he’s ever done in one video. Like us, Gavin has a solid support system in his hometown. Windsor, Ontario is like his own little Hollywood backdrop with talented actors, crew members, and all. It was so inspiring, definitely an ‘If you build it… they will come’ moment for me.”
- American Songwriter

The job of an AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER is intense. So when former US Navy air traffic controller Dave Munro sings on “The Work,” “Trying to be perfect but I’m not/In this line of work that’s how you’ve got to be/So many details that we need to oversee/Climbing and then descending rapidly,” he’s giving you insight to his heart’s weary cockpit. Despite the heaviness of the content, Munro’s words glide over featherweight indie-pop. Air Traffic Controller’s sophomore record, the Bleu-produced Nordo, created via a $12,000 Kickstarter campaign, builds on the bouncy demos he first crafted while deployed overseas a few years ago.

His next tour of duty is much safer: ATC release Nordo Tuesday, June 12 at Brighton Music Hall in Allston on a melody-mad bill with Will Dailey, Nemes, and Friendly People, then perform acoustically at four area Newbury Comics throughout the month: June 16 @ Natick (acoustic); June 21 @ Norwood (full band); June 30 @ Leominster (acoustic, 2 pm); and June 30 @ Nashua, NH (acoustic, 6pm). In the meantime, give “The Work” a proper landing right now on your summer playlist. - The Boston Phoenix

YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS - Boston’s Air Traffic Controller is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Dave Munro who spent time in the U.S. Navy serving as a real-life air traffic controller. Munro sent home 4-track demos he had written and recorded during his deployment. After his enlistment was up, Munro returned to hometown Boston and discovered an impressive number of fans, prompting the genesis of the aptly named band Air Traffic Controller. We'll have my interview with Munro later this month as they prepare to unleash new album Nordo.

ABOUT THE MUSIC VIDEO - Directed, Shot & Edited By: Gavin Michael Booth. It was produced by Gavin Michael Booth & Marie Jeannette. The song, "Hurry Hurry" was co-written by Dave Munro and Bleu.

Tonight at Brighton Music Hall the band will attempt to prove the label we have given them, "The Hottest Band in New England in 2012" before an appreciative hometown crowd who will receive the record a whole two weeks early. The lineup includes our friend Will Dailey, who just sang for many thousands of Red Sox fans at Fenway Park on Sunday.

Nordo, as you are soon to learn, is a breakthrough effort and one of the very best new records released to-date in 2012. The interview, the review - these are what are known journalistically as teases. Just watch the video, pre-order the record and get prepared. Air Traffic Controller is proof-positive, once again, that Boston continues to produce amongst the best songwriters and live acts in the entire country.
- Ryan's Smashing Life - Music & Entertainment

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

NORDO

A band’s bio shouldn’t color one’s reception of the music too much, but you’ll be forgiven for grinning ear to ear while listening to the Bleu-produced second record from this Boston six-piece, imagining songwriter Dave Munro working in the US Navy as an actual air traffic controller and dreaming up brilliant little pop ditties while trying to land planes. It’s a more interesting back story than a dusty bibliophile trying to affix fiddle to fiction like, say, Colin Meloy, whose vocals, and songwriting in the Decemberists this record calls to mind. “Hurry Hurry” would be the most immediately engaging song in that more famous band’s recent catalog. It’s a skipping lark of martial snares and lyrical storytelling prowess. “If You Build It” is another instantly likable run through the bucolic fields of indie chamber-pop. On “You Know Me,” bass and banjo player Casey Sullivan shares lead duty for a mid-tempo hand-clap spin on a brightly glowing Ferris wheel of musical romance. For the gently ascending “Blame,” the band enlists a 40-piece orchestra with triumphant brass. It’s a lot of pieces to keep in the air, but Munro and company are in control. (Out now) - Boston Globe

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

NORDO

A band’s bio shouldn’t color one’s reception of the music too much, but you’ll be forgiven for grinning ear to ear while listening to the Bleu-produced second record from this Boston six-piece, imagining songwriter Dave Munro working in the US Navy as an actual air traffic controller and dreaming up brilliant little pop ditties while trying to land planes. It’s a more interesting back story than a dusty bibliophile trying to affix fiddle to fiction like, say, Colin Meloy, whose vocals, and songwriting in the Decemberists this record calls to mind. “Hurry Hurry” would be the most immediately engaging song in that more famous band’s recent catalog. It’s a skipping lark of martial snares and lyrical storytelling prowess. “If You Build It” is another instantly likable run through the bucolic fields of indie chamber-pop. On “You Know Me,” bass and banjo player Casey Sullivan shares lead duty for a mid-tempo hand-clap spin on a brightly glowing Ferris wheel of musical romance. For the gently ascending “Blame,” the band enlists a 40-piece orchestra with triumphant brass. It’s a lot of pieces to keep in the air, but Munro and company are in control. (Out now) - Boston Globe

Air Traffic Controller, Bleu, get Orchestral
The career of the Boston-based band Air Traffic Controller began when frontman Dave Munro was serving in the US Navy. He sent demos back to his hometown, the Boston suburb of Malden, which eventually got into the hands of one of Munro’s favorite artists and producers.
Bleu, a Berklee graduate, first made a name for himself in Boston. His unique acoustic guitar style and powerful singing drew fans to his albums and live shows. He has also written and produced music for a plethora of artists, from Boston’s Guster and Mighty Mighty Bosstones, to Hanson, the Jonas Brothers, and Selena Gomez.
One of Munro’s friends sent the demos to Bleu, whose address he had tracked down. Bleu loved what he heard, got in touch with Munro, and eventually produced Air Traffic Controller’s debut album, The One.
On Saturday, July 24, Bleu and Air Traffic Controller found themselves together again, performing both new and familiar material at Cambridge’s Club Passim, but with an unusual twist: they were backed by a specially-formed group, the Aquavia String Octet. Bleu’s string arrangements have long been a trademark, which he brought to The One, but neither Bleu nor Air Traffic Controller had performed with a string orchestra of this size.
“We were having some quartets play with the Air Traffic Controller rock band,” said Munro of his band’s many previous gigs with quartets.
“We’d have a quartet on the side joining us. But once this thing came about…the reason the octet was formed was for this show. We took all those string players that we knew and asked who wanted to do this show, basically. A lot of them are gone because it’s summertime and they’re college students, but some of them came back.”
Bleu said performing with a string octet is “something I always wanted to do,” but was only realized in the weeks leading up to the shows.
“I’ve had strings on my last few recordings, and I always love it,” Bleu added.
“It’s a great experience working with the string players. I did a lot of string arrangements on Dave’s record. Growing out of that, he started playing live with string players pretty often, so I thought, well, since Dave’s already working with all these string players all the time, and playing live with them, wouldn’t it be fun if we did a show together, and put together a larger group?”
Air Traffic Controller keyboardist Steve Scott became a key player in these performances, transcribing, arranging, and conducting the many string parts.
“When I joined the band I had some background in composition and arranging,” Scott said modestly. He studied music performance and composition at the College of Saint Rose and the Eastman School, and conducts full orchestras between gigs with Air Traffic Controller.
“I see these string parts on the record, sat down and transcribed them out. Bleu had obviously written those parts…but we wanted to play them live, so I took some time and just kind of wrote down what I heard all those guys played, so we had sheet music. Once we had the sheet music, then we could get players, and we found connections: people from Boston University, or New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, lots of those great college students. Between shows we started to get a contingent of string players that were willing to play with us.”
Munro wrote several songs since The One’s release, which Air Traffic Controller and Aquavia performed at Passim. The unique circumstances of the shows, and Scott’s expanded role, shaped the sound of these new numbers.
“I’ve had input from Steve saying, ‘This should be shorter, this should be louder,’ that sort of thing with the new material,” Munro said.
“I don’t know who to give credit for the actual arranging,” added Munro, who called the shaping of the final arrangements a gradual, organic process.
Bleu, Air Traffic Controller, and Aquavia ended up packing the house for both performances. Air Traffic Controller has considered further work with Aquavia, and has already started planning another album, with Bleu once again behind the sound board. Munro expects the future work to be even more ambitious.
“We’re talking about maybe doing a live show in downtown Boston with the full rock band and the string octet, because they said we could,” Munro said.
“It’s going to be huge. We’re playing with Mean Creek. That sort of thing is what we’re always planning: what’s going to make an impact. We made an impact as a rock band, we made an impact here with the string octet, and I think if we just put them both together, it’s going to be pretty grand.” - WERS.org Boston, Emerson College Radio 88.9FM - by Ben Tan

Boston natives Bleu and Air Traffic Controller brought out a different side of their music, Saturday, July 24, when they performed two shows with the Aquavia String Octet at Cambridge's Club Passim. When Air Traffic Controller opened the show with one of our favorite new songs, "The One," Dave Munro's voice was accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, Steve Scott's piano, and Rich Munro's percussion. The appropriately upbeat "Pick Me Up" got the packed house clapping along—even the string players—while Munro showcased his tender voice.

After a few numbers with this limited line-up, the strings tuned up and brought a rich quality to the unique set. The ballad "Brightest Moon" for example, has a gorgeous dynamic arrangement, written by Bleu, which is at once technically impressive and emotionally perfect for the song. The octet brought a similar, mellow quality to "Any Way," which featured duet partner, 19-year-old Casey Sullivan. The players demonstrated their versatility in "Don't Tell Me What to Do," rapidly switching between long bows and staccato-plucking fingers.

Bleu's big voice and unique guitar style has made him a staple of Boston's music scene for years, and the packed house welcomed the hometown hero back as he leapt onstage. The guitar and vocals were literally front-and-center during his set, and though the string players were large in quantity, they never once overpowered their maestro. Despite the orchestra, his set had a somewhat stripped-down feel.

The lush strings were a beautiful backing for Bleu's latest single, "Come 'n Go," with Bleu belting like Tom Jones, bringing out a falsetto like Thom Yorke, and getting close to somehow, doing both at once. The group brought a similar tender beauty to another ballad, "There's No Such Thing as Love." The octet also brought out the countless catchy riffs that mark Bleu's work, like the classic rocker "I Won't Go Hollywood."

Strings have been a staple of Bleu and Air Traffic Controller's recordings, and it was great to hear that side of the music brought to life in the tiny, intimate venue. Aquavia proved itself to be every bit as dynamic as the standard rock band. Here's to more great music from some of Boston's finest. - WERS.org Boston, Emerson College Radio 88.9FM

Something's definitely in the air with Air Traffic Controller a.k.a. Dave Munro, who, in real life, was a U.S. Navy air-traffic controller. It all started when a homesick Munro began composing songs on his 4-track and sent them to his native Boston. When the serviceman returned from duty he had already developed a fan-base which consequently inspired him to construct a recording studio with his brother. Then Bleu (of Jellyfish, ELO, Black Crowes, Cars, Donna's fame) heard the tracks and signed on as a full-time producer and the rest will be history. The One is a can't miss collection of pop rock that beckons the best of Big Star, David Gray, Matthew Sweet, Marshall Crenshaw, and The Replacements along with the above mentioned Bleu references.

The record kicks off with a daring orchestral cut "Don't You Tell Me What To Do" (think Elton's first classically arranged U.S. album with Gus Dudgeon and Paul Buckmaster at the helm) wherein Munro establishes himself as a master of melody. Tracks such as the up-tempo "Can't Let Go" display ATC's keen sense of history as his multi-tracked back-up vocals would not be out of place on a classic Roy Orbison tune. Bleu and Munro's blend of jangly guitars, sturdy back-beats, neo-psychedelic interludes, and instrumental/vocal/string harmonies afford the album a fresh veneer from track to track. And when Tom Petty hears "Rain Song" he'll swear that he wrote it with George Harrison. And pity Johnny Cash isn't around to warble the heart-breaking two-to-the-bar ballad "Foot Of The Bed." The One is the best rock debut of 2010 - no questions asked.
--Tom Semioli - Amplifier Magazine

by Leslie McIntyre

Dave Munro’s music career might best be described as a series of serendipitous events. His natural abilities as a songwriter seem to have carried him almost effortlessly every step of the way, from writing lonely songs on his own to collaborating with one of his musical heroes on the debut for his Boston-based band, Air Traffic Controller. The self-titled record, which was released last fall, is remarkable as much for its inspired and at times breathtaking production techniques as it is for Munro’s lyricism and versatile musicality. Munro’s voice is at times strikingly similar to Paul Simon’s, and folksy Simon & Garfunkel-esque guitar styles coexist with indie-pop sounds and classic-rock grit. And taking the reigns as producer is none other than indie-pop powerhouse, Bleu.

“Music was not always [my] intended path,” says Munro, who began writing songs and recording them on his laptop while serving as an air traffic controller in the U. S. Navy. Homesickness was one of his primary inspirations and he describes the music he wrote at the time as, “the loneliest numbers you’d ever heard.” Says Munro of his songwriting, “At this time, it wasn't something I wanted to pursue as much as it was something I had to get out.” The enthusiastic reception his music received from friends and family back home, however, inspired Munro to pursue music as a serious venture. He recalls a phone call he received one evening from his brothers who were playing his songs while jamming at a local practice space. “I think I cried a little. I was so thrilled that they learned my songs; all I wanted to do was get my ass home to make music with them.”

Munro didn’t have to wait long. Before he was even discharged from the military, the self-described ‘Bleu-topian’ found himself talking recording with one of his musical icons. “I've been a fan of Bleu since the Redhead album came out,” says Munro. “It was the best music I'd heard since Jellyfish, and for me, Jellyfish was the best thing since the Beatles.” As it turned out, Bleu was keen on Munro’s music as well. During his military training, Munro wrote “Test 1, 2” about missing his girlfriend, and his friend passed it along to Bleu via the internet. “[Bleu] loved what he heard and quickly got the ball rolling to record two songs,” Munro recalls. “I spent my cross-country drive home to Boston doing pre-production over the phone.”

In most cases the band precedes the album, but in the case of Air Traffic Controller the album was the catalyst for creating the band, which consists of Munro’s brother Rich on drums, Michael Maloney, Donhead and bass-player KevMannDude, all of whom had been jamming together for several years prior to recording the album. Munro describes the haphazard recruiting he did for the album, saying, “I was literally calling some of them during the sessions and saying, ‘Hey, you'd better get over here if you want to be on this record.’” It wasn’t until the album was completed that they decided they were a bona fide band.

A newcomer to the world of studio production, Munro describes the experience of working with Bleu as both “incredible” and “insane.” The process began with Bleu grilling Munro about his musical tastes, with questions like, “Do you like The Beach Boys?” and “Have you heard of Jonathan Richman?” Says Munro, “He also pre-planned every little thing, down to the last tambourine hit. As wacky and fun as he is, the guy is more organized than a public library.” But Munro also concedes that Bleu’s level of organization was necessary to finish the record within such a short period of time. “We did the entire album in a couple sessions, each less than a week of balls-to-the-wall recording, extreme attention to detail, and pretty immense production.”

The result was a polished debut, musically rich and masterfully produced, a success by all accounts. “I could not be more pleased with the outcome, [and] Bleu is psyched about it too,” says Munro. “I think we made a record that represents the music beautifully, in a way that I could not have imagined on my own.

www.airtrafficcontrollermusic.com
- Performer Magazine

http://www.berkleegroove.com/2010/01/22/air-traffic-controller-the-one/

Air Traffic Controller has been packing clubs around Boston with their post-Beatles, pre-Radiohead brand of good ol’ fashion pop/rock. The brainchild of lead singer/songwriter Dave Munro (who was an actual air traffic controller in the U.S. Navy), the group garnered some significant buzz when MTV nominated them for the 2009 Best Breakout Boston Artist Award. Their late-2009 debut LP The One is loaded with the characteristics that make their live shows so engaging: charmingly direct melodies, rousing shout choruses, earnest lyrics, and the vocals of Munro, whose likable yet cynical timbre and well-controlled intonation may qualify him as one of the best male vocalists in Boston.

Produced by power-pop purveyor and Berklee alumnus Bleu (who has worked with Jellyfish and Boys Like Girls), The One is graced with a radio-ready sheen, and Bleu brings in heavy background vocals that amplify the Traveling Wilburys influence already apparent in ATC’s repertoire. “Can’t Let Go” boasts enormous amounts of antiphonal background vocals stacked upon themselves with a propulsive snare drum backbeat, much like the Wilburys’ “The End of the Line.” The album’s catchy stand-out track “You Think You Know” features whirring U2-like lead guitar and more intensely layered, shout-vocals which build the arrangement in unpredictable ways. “Bad Axe, MI” whose chorus shouts “One more song! One more song!” (you can guess where the band places this one in their set-list) features at least 30 vocalists. Dave’s brother Rich drums with muscular simplicity, giving the songs space for production embellishments.

Munro’s lyrics are nostalgic for one’s youth but accepting of adulthood, lightly focusing on love lost and rarely veering into dark territory. The title track is emblematic of the lyrical content at large: “The one I loved, the one I hated/I guess I should have appreciated/Can you feel me reaching toward ya?/In this song, I wrote it for ya.” With self-deprecating asides, “I may be sounding like an ass/But I’m just behaving like a man” (“Don’t You Tell Me What To Do”) and self-reflexive wit, “It’s plain good rock ‘n’ roll/With Beatles influence” (“Bad Axe, MI”), the emotional tone of the record is unpretentious and good-natured.

The One nods towards classic rock without reaching. Bleu’s production keeps the arrangements fresh and unpredictable without drawing too much attention to itself. Most importantly, Dave Munro’s crystal-clear vocals sing melodies worthy of his influences: Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, and The Wilburys. Though Munro sighs with resignation, “Maybe this Boston music scene is just a myth,” on one tune, Air Traffic Controller is bringing much-needed national attention, talent, and sincerity to local music. The One will likely bring the band fresh licensing opportunities and more national exposure.
- BerkleeGroove.com

"Infectious new single “The House,” a catchy-ass song if there ever was one." - Vanyaland