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Atlas Chases the Dream Of Bright Musical Future
By Richard Morey

Music has been part of Nancy Atlas's life ever since she first touched a piano at age three. Today, 23 years after that first encounter, she is pursuing the dream of becoming a successful singer and songwriter, although--like so many others who share her dream--for now she must be content with scrambling for bookings at East End and New York City clubs to gain exposure and make a living.

Paying her dues on the club circuit has helped her develop poise and easy-going stage presence. The native of Commack who now calls Amagansett home remained as unruffled as a seasibed veteran when the sound system at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett started acting up during a recent gig, sharing a few jokes with the audience while the bugs were worked out.

Ms. Atlas and her band, The Nancy Atlas Project, are scheduled to play at the Talkhouse tonight, March 27, starting at 11 p.m. The singer and songwriter was also scheduled to appear in a taped cablecast of the Lenny Defina Show at 1:30 and 8:30 p.m. today on LTV, channel 27 in East Hampton.

"There was a piano in my house growing up," Ms. Atlas recalled during a recent interview in which she attempted to trace her musical roots. She remembered first showing interest in the keyboard when she was three, then moveing up to taking lessons starting at age 10. When she was 14, she began to explore other forms of expression, trying her hand at drawing and painting.

During her sophomore year of high school, the young artist was invited to join a Saturday afternoon program for gifted art students at St. John's College in Brooklyn. She put her music aside at that point and focused completely on visual art.

As a high school senior, Ms. Atlas wanted to spend some time in Europe, although she was uncomfortable with the idea of taking a year off between high school and college. A little research turned up a program called the American Institute for Foreign Study, through which she learned she could apply to colleges all over the world. After she earned a scholarship to Cambridge University in England, she studied there for two and half years before deciding to leave because she felt "the curriculum was too narrow." She continued her studies at Richmond International College in Italy.

Conceding that she had always been "awed by people who could play guitar," Ms. Atlas decided to learn to play during her senior year at Richmond. She traveled to Portobello Road in London--an address she characterized as "a huge yard sale"--and paid $100 for her first guitar.

The last six months of her time overseas were spent playing whenever she could at Pimlico Square in London: "playing songs with the three chords I knew." This first phase of her singing career culminated with a performance of Don McLean's "Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie" at a college talent show before a mostly international audience. During the second verse, she recalled, "People started fidgeting and talking, so I just stopped right in the middle."

Following graduation, Ms. Atlas returned to Long Island and began looking for a job in advertising art, while still playing music on the side. On a snowy Friday "open mike night" at the Talkhouse in February of 1993, she took the stage with the encouragement of a friend. "It was a total joke," she said of her performance. "I played a cover of the Rolling Stones' 'Beast of Burden.'"

Her singing was apparently no joke to John Robie, who spoke to her after the show. A producer who has worked with such recording artists as the band New Edition, Mr. Robie was "very excited" about her performance, according to Ms. Atlas.

"A week later," Ms. Atlas said, she decided to put art aside and focus her life on music. She says that originally she "wanted so badly to have a band," and anticipated that she would continue working in advertising in order to keep a day job. Instead, she began to work as an assistant to Mr. Robie and learned "a lot about the business" of music. She continued to work on her own material during this period and, with Mr. Robie's help, "strengthened" her songwriting skills.

Learning to play the guitar "demystified guitar players," she said, although she still has "a great respect" for those who play the instrument. Ms. Atlas now plays what she calls an "expensive" Martin guitar, but she laughed as she talked about bringing her original $100 instrument to the Talkhouse a few weeks ago. "People told me it sounded much better than the Martin."

For the past three years, Nancy has run the Clam Bar on Nappeague Stretch in Amagansett during the summer, saving enough money to survive the winter and pursue opportunities to play before live audiences. She has managed to get herself booked at such New York City venues as Down Time, Hotel Galvez, and Mercury Lounge – where They Might Be Giants once played – mostly by sending in demo tapes or playing at open-mike nights and earning an invitation to come back and play for a fee.

Of her recent dates in the Big Apple, Ms. Atlas says she is beginning to "feel a buzz" in the audience. The sound engineer at Down Time backed up her sense of audience response, saying in a phone interview that she "has a good sound and a strong stage presence." He also pointed out that the audience at the club includes "a lot of record industry types." Other notable acts who have played the Down Time include Jane Loves Jezebel and members of the Max Wienberg Seven.

For her part, Ms. Atlas loves playing in front of an audience, although she says "it doesn't compare to creating a new song." Sometimes though, when she has written a song with what she thinks are good lyrics, she will listen to Bob Dylan--"an incredible song writer"--or Joni Mitchell and "be humbled."

Her song ideas come mostly "from experience," she said, a phenomenon that is apparent from one of her catchiest tunes–-"Another Night at The Stephen Talkhouse." When she played this song at the Talkhouse recently, the line "I've got a car outside that I can't drive because Phil keeps my liquor well supplied" drew laughs and applause from the small crowd.

The singer enjoys playing Monday nights ("acoustic night") at the Talkhouse because she can play her own material, something she says "is really important," and because she can play before and listen to other local musicians, who "are very supportive. It's like a family."

When asked what she thought of some of today's music or artists, she was hesitant to cast herself in the role of critic, saying, "I don't really listen to the radio," but adding that "music is an expression by the artist," best not criticized by someone else.

In addition to music and art, Ms. Atlas lists among her favorite pastimes gardening, clam digging, and dancing, but what she likes most, she said, "is to rock people out on stage," something she hopes to do frequently this summer, playing as an opening act at the Talkhouse while scheduling more dates at some New York City clubs.