The Atomic Forces

The latest Atomic Forces album proves they are Ithaca'a best power pop band. I'll bite my toungue and not compare them to their colleagues the recently departed Guided by Voices, but will say that Dayton must have something in the water that makes kids grow up and start brilliant lo-fi power pop bands. "Americum-243" displays the energy that pop bands have forgotten and the hooks that punk bands have abandoned.

- Buzz Magazine -Derek Schleelein

The Atomic Forces realized a long-held dream last month when they snagged an opening slot for Guided by Voices at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. Forces frontman Park Doing, a native of Dayton, Ohio, had long asked fellow Daytonian and GBV frontman Robert Pollard for such an opportunity, but with GBV in the midst of it's last ever tour, time was quickly running out. Luckily for the Forces, the planets aligned and the band trekked to Cleveland for an October 23 gig at the Beachland Ballroom. The band went onstage around 8:20 p.m., when the room was filling up, and tore through it's 20-minute set: a series of songs from its three CD's that was dubbed a "rock opera" by Doing. He describes "Broken Dreams" as the highlight of the set; it was the one song when he strapped on the guitar, taking a fiery solo that earned kudos from GBV gutarist Doug Gillard. (Gillard also compred the Forces to Pere Ubu, putting them in a long line of experimental bands from Cleveland. The band led the audience in its chant "Punk Rockers Shouldn't Wear Watches" before concluding its set with "Aint Allright," a tune written by ex-GBV bassist Greg Demos, another friend of Doing's.

"It was fun," said Forces drummer Alan Pauling. "It was the biggest stage we've played on and people were digging us." Fellow Ithacan Pat Burke, who journeyed to Cleveland to catch the show, attested to the Forces' impact. "The hardcore GBV fans were there early to get their spots. They liked what they heard from the Forces," he said, "the whole place was in a good vibe and I've never heard the band play better." Pollard himself was impressed by the set, standing stageside the entire time, which he reportedly almost never does for opening bands. "He had a huge smile on his face when we finished," said Doing. Pollard later lauded the band during GBV's set, proclaiming, "The Atomic Forces kicked my ass!" and "Park Doing is a Rock Star!"

The Cleveland gig capped what's been a busy year for the Forces, with successful gigs in Buffalo and Rochester, as well as the GrassRoots Festival. Friday, the Atomic Forces will play a CD release show at the Chapter House. the band will be debutting its latest CD, "Americum-243," at the show. The CD's title is meant to sound like an element that might be found in the Periodic Table, such as radium; the liner notes contain the phrase "elements are eternal, they have always been and will always be." Doing describes the CD as a "country-disco-punk political record." He says, "it's more beat oriented than our other Cd's, it's indirectly a political album.
- The Ithaca Journal - Jim Catalano