Some things to know about a band named Atari Champ. They have written a slu of songs in the last few years but they're latest collection is a great expression of art & music gone rock. Lyrically, sharing stories of heartaches and bad prom dates, reflecting the good times and the ever so hopeful dream of the simple life. Atari Champ invites a sense of understanding and creates a relative common ground. Labeled indie rock they expand with genres like, emo, slow/rock, roots/rock, and shoegazer. Influenced by the likes of Mineral, Pedro the Lion, Starflyer 59, Death Cab for Cutie, At The DriveIn, Sunny Day Real Estate, Weezer, & Jimmy Eat World they grasp the common denominator, dynamic, raw energetic, passionate music. 

Atari Champ is made up of Matt Davidson (bass guitar), Mike Morris (guitars), Corey Dobbins  (drums, backup vocals), and Paul Chesterton (guitars, lead vocals) and has been together since January 2000. Their first release was a 6 song EP recorded during the summer months of 2000 and released as the "There Were Times EP" in October 2000. They've since recorded a song entitled "Visitation Days" for the "Scene But Not Herd" compilation on Velvet Blue Records. Atari Champ also is planning to record a 3 song demo in April 2002. 

Part of the unique sound that Atari Champ has made up is due to their use of harmonized guitars and bass guitar. Each instrument (including the lead vocal) has its part in the over all sound (like each part together making one chord). The parts are intertwined together to build a sound that wouldn't be possible if one of those instruments had been missing. Atari Champ's highlighted focus is to make music that has lots of energy, interesting arrangements, and is unique from the other music out there.

Three ideas that describe Atari Champ's sound are energy, creativity, and good songwriting. Those three things are what Atari Champ has in mind when they create music and write songs and they hope to keep improving on all three ideas as they write more songs. 
 

Request a Promo Pak - email below

Booking...
email Paul :atari_champ@hotmail.com

From Left: Jason Robbins / Mike Morris /
Paul Chesterton / Chris Friesen
 

All lyrics written by Paul Chesterton 
All songs & lyrics credited to atari champ©2000
 

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Thursday Night Breakup Club ==================================================================================== Have you ever met a girl who was too good to be true
And she felt about you the same way 
You talked to her for hours and you both liked the zoo
And you dug her more every day 
After a couple of months things were going rad
But you didn't know the end was in sight 
Cause then she broke your heart and she broke it bad 
In an email you read on a Thursday night And sometimes 
___________________________________________
I feel like giving up on love, giving up on falling in love,
Giving up on love, giving up on falling in love
___________________________________________ 

You sat by the phone waiting for her to call
But you never heard that distinct ring 
You stared at the posters hanging from your white wall 
But they didn't have comfort to bring 
And sometimes, sometimes
___________________________________________
I feel like giving up on love, giving up on falling in love 
Giving up on love, giving up on falling in love
___________________________________________
And sometimes, sometimes oh, sometimes
___________________________________________
I feel like giving up on love, giving up on falling in love 
Giving up on love, giving up on falling in love
Like giving up on love, giving up on falling in love 
Giving up on love, giving up on falling in love 
 

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Small Town ==================================================================================== Small town, Lights out, Rain coming down and there's nothing to do
The class clown, was left out, tears coming down cause his friends were in school __________________________________________________ 

The saints inside are calling, how can they find the truth 
The saints inside are calling, how can they find the truth 
__________________________________________________ 

Young girl, darkened curls, out in the world without a meal or a home
But she found, what kept her down, ended up a lie and she wasn't alone __________________________________________________ 

*The saints inside are calling, how can they find the truth
The saints inside are calling, how can they find the truth (repeats)
__________________________________________________

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Rock Princess ==================================================================================== Dear Rock Princess, the songs you sing will heal and comfort 
Your melodies will ring between the arms of many 
Be sincere, don't let the man influence you dear 
He'll try to change and rearrange the gifts you've been given

Know who you are inside, 
know the Spirit that resides 
Let not human creation be your inspiration
Who are you inside? Who are you inside? Who are you inside? 

Angels hovering are encouraged when you worship and sing 
The lamb recieves the gifts you bring and lay at his feet
Some stars shine bright but fade when separated from night 
Don't fade away but stay on the path of the Maker 

Know who you are inside,
know the Spirit that resides 
let not human creation be your inspiration 
who are you inside? who are you inside? who are you inside?

Be true to yourself, don't set your mind on fame or on wealth
Be true to yourself, don't set your mind on fame... 
Know who you are inside,
know the Spirit that resides 
Let not human creation be your inspiration
Who are you inside? Know who you are inside,
know the Spirit that resides let not human creation be your inspiration
who are you inside? who are you inside? who are you inside? 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Life Was Easy

------------------

Yesterday I dreampt I was young again, 
In the old house that I was raised in 
With the old friends I haven't seen in,
Years and years and we were together 
Watching Fat Albert and playing Billy Joel songs
______________________________________________________

Sometimes I'd like to go back, when life was easy,
Playing Star Wars in the field, 
Atari on the TV, 
Building forts in the trees,
jumping in piles full of leaves
When life was innocent and summer days were without end.
_______________________________________________________ 

Memory floods and good times return suddenly,
Of Sunday School and of,
throwing dirt clauds in the trees, 
Of Galaga and Scooby Doo 
of Huey Lewis and the News 
Of Yahtzee and Mad Libs,
and watching A Team with Hannibal, Murdock and, B.A. wouldn't fly ________________________________________________________ 

Sometimes I'd like to go back, when life was easy,
Playing Star Wars in the field, 
Atari on the TV,
Building forts in the trees,
jumping in piles full of leaves 
When life was innocent and summer days were without end.
________________________________________________________ 

Sometimes I'd like to go back,
when life was easy, 
Playing Star Wars in the field, 
Atari on the TV,
Building forts in the trees, 
jumping in piles full of leaves, 
When life was innocent (Repeat & refrain "summer days were with out end")

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
 

A Country Song ==================================================================================== 
Johnny was a country boy who was raised on his daddy's farm
Could drive a tractor when he was four and milk the cows in the old red barn
One day when he was stackin hay the new neighbors dropped on by 
They were from the big town but they wanted to try the country life

All the girls that Johnny knew never seemed to be his type
They only cared about being cool and looked down on his rodeo life
But that day when they neighbors came by Johnnys life was about to change 
He met a girl with a gleam in her eye and his heart started feeling strange _____________________________________________________________ 

Cause all he wanted was someone who 
would stand by him 
All he needed was someone who
wouldn't criticize him
_____________________________________________________________ 

Jesse was her name and that's short for Jessica 
And she really loved horses but she used to live in the Bay Area 
So Johnny asked her if she'd like to go riding on Saturday
And that was the start of the best thing that ever come Johnny's way 

They were married in the little church where his dad would preach 
Johnny started to make a name for himself in the rodeo scene _____________________________________________________________ 

Cause all he wanted was someone who
would stand by him 
All he needed was someone who
wouldn't criticize him 

And when they met you knew that 
sparks would soon be flying
And someday they'd ride into the
orange horizon, the orange horizon
_____________________________________________________________

Johnny was back East, riding bulls in Aboline 
He fell off a bull and was trampled underneith 
Jesse flew back to see him lying in his hospital bed 
Johnny spoke his last words and this is what he said
_____________________________________________________________

All I wanted 
was someone who
would stand by me 
All I needed 
was someone who 
wouldn't criticize me 

And when we met
they knew that sparks
would soon be flying 
And someday we'd
ride into the
orange horizon, 

*The orange horizon, 

the orange horizon,

the orange horizon (the refrain)
_____________________________________________________________

Johnny Junior lived like his dad 
did driving tractor with Grandpa 

His mom always reminded him of, 
the love his dad, 

had for them all. 
 

Visitation Days

The plea bargain brought a six year sentence
Out after three, with three years probation left
Punished for a crime he had no part in
All for a guilty wife who deserved no pardon

The three years passed like twelve, one week passed like a month
Spending days without a word, in cell block number one
You only saw your wife on visitation days
But she hadn't changed her antisocial ways

(refrain)
Love to some is a device
Used to make someone else the sacrifice
Love to some is a device
Used to make someone else the sacrifice

(ending)
You got out on a Thursday
In the middle of the night
Your face lit up as you saw your old truck
And your nervouse wife