Atomic Mama arrived on the Boise music scene early in 2011. Spawned from the same creative pool that manifested the likes of Youth Lagoon and Teens, Atomic Mama has a wholly unique sound; synthesized from a lofty combination of organic blues and shamanistic dance beats. It’s equal parts space rock, drugged out garage fuzz, dance floor boogie, and noodle-shaking rock and roll. Imagine a delicious musical stew of Black Keys style riffs, Mos Eisley Cantina band charm, Yeasayer electronic experimentalism, and impenetrable lysergic ambition—lick your lips—and then you might get some idea of the vast territory that this band likes to explore.
The group hatched as a one-off DJ gig for a friend’s keg party, but quickly turned into something more substantial as the two young men that constitute the group – longtime friends Dan Kerr and Jake Warnock – began composing infectious original numbers and developing a distinctive musical chemistry. It wasn’t long before the two ventured onto the stages of Boise’s humble night clubs, armed with guitars, pedals, and keys, and proceeded to tear straight into the hearts and minds of local music fanatics. The Boise Weekly described these happenings as “the early stages of something teetering on the edge of greatness.”