Interview with Mariusz Nowak, co-founder and vocalist of the band Atura.
Where did the band’s name come from?
From the word nature. The name was suggested by Marek Niemiec, the band’s co-founder, during one of our first rehearsals. He justified that the Atura sounds great and visually it also looks good. We didn’t protest and it stayed that way. After a decade, I must say it was a good idea. The name is original, unique and the audience likes it.
What music does Atura play?
We often discuss our style during rehearsals. We have various songs, but sonically we can be placed somewhere between hard rock and heavy metal. But more with reference to heavy metal.
Are you a 6-person band?
Yes. I sing, Marek Niemiec plays guitar, Konrad Ceremuga on second guitar, Michał Majcherczyk on bass guitar, Andrzej Gościak on keyboards, and Esteban Santana on drums. It also happens that we all live in New Jersey. It certainly makes logistics easier when it comes to rehearsals or any meetings.
Who is responsible for the music in the band?
We only play original songs. So far, we have released one album titled Atura – Czas, which included 10 songs composed by our guitarist Marek Niemiec, which we later refined together during rehearsals. I wrote the lyrics partly with the support of Marek and the other band members. I try to create texts without excessive frills and that reach straight to people. Of course, I draw inspiration from life, which is the best source of ideas. We are currently preparing to release the second album, where Marek is again the main composer, I am responsible for the lyrics, but the rest of the guys also contribute their ideas and the second album, like the first one, will be a joint work of the entire band. I think we’ll go into the studio in the fall.
There were also music videos for two songs?
Yes. You can see the clip for the song “Nie Kill” on social media, and just a few days ago the music video for the song “Droga” was released. An interesting fact is that we sing only in Polish. That’s true. Interestingly, even our drummer Esteban sings in Polish, and apart from being an excellent instrumentalist, he often gives me a second voice during concerts. At the very beginning we decided that we would record only in Polish. We want to reach and play primarily for Poles and the Polish community. I must admit that we would also like to play at a festival in Poland in the future, especially at the “Poland Rock Festival”. We even sent an application there, but we will find out in a few weeks whether we will be accepted.
You have been in existence for 10 years. How many concerts have you played during this time?
We performed at many Polish festivals and events. We also supported stars who came from Poland. We played for bands such as Feel, Dżem and De Mono. I think we played several dozen of these concerts until the pandemic broke out. Later, unfortunately, everything stopped for a long time. Now, however, we are back and the concert playing is starting again. This year we already played during the Polish diaspora finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, as well as in the iconic Piwnica u Dziadka in Philadelphia. We were very well received everywhere and I hope it will be the same in the Center.
So what can those who come to the Metal Festival at the Polish and Slavic Center in Greenpoint expect?
We have heard that the Center has been organizing great concerts for some time now and we are happy to be a part of it. It is very important for us that we will be able to present our music to the Polish community, especially since we only have Polish lyrics. Certainly no one will regret being able to see us live. We always try to reach people with our message and we always do our best. I can only thank you for the invitation and see you at the festival. Good luck and see you soon.