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Live Local Music

Atlas Soundtrack performed at Summer’s Best Music Fest Last Saturday

Posted by Brandon Vesely on 06/25 at 03:21 PM

Local hip-hop group Atlas Soundtrack closed out State College’s seventh annual Summer’s Best Music Fest on Saturday with a high energy performance that featured their most popular songs.

A pre-Artsfest of sorts, The Downtown State College Improvement District organizes the yearly festival, which hosts local and regional artists from a variety of genres. Fifteen artists, including the Percolators and the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners, performed at this year’s event, which also incorporated a sidewalk sale and a paint contest among other attractions.

Atlas Soundtrack is a State College-based group that combines elements of hip-hop, reggae, and other musical genres, to create catchy, danceable tunes with the perfect mixture of excitement and nostalgia. The group writes their own original songs, which makes them stand out amid the sea of local cover bands.

The group’s set list included some of their hit tracks like “Thankful,” “Wassup,” and “Here and Now.”

Drew “Dubb” Jackson, the group’s MC, and Matt Savereno, the group’s lead vocalist/guitarist livened up the crowd with their charismatic stage presences.

Enthusiastic fans crowded the Heister Street “Rock the Block Stage,” dancing and spinning hula hoops as the local legends powered through their set of innovative tracks, alternating between bouncing hip-hop beats and smooth reggae jams.

Throughout the concert, members of Atlas Soundtrack emphasized their sense of community. The musicians expressed the pride they felt as natives of State College, and sought to bolster the audience’s sense of togetherness. Even after their explosive performance of the up-beat hip-hop track, “Wassup,” the jubilant crowd would not let the performers bid their farewells. With chants of “one more song,” audience members convinced Atlas to perform a series of encore tracks, including a captivating instrumental beat to close out the night.

Unfortunately, there has been talk of Atlas Soundtrack going on hiatus or breaking up. Regardless of the band’s uncertain future, their contributions to the State College music scene are undeniable. Though I’ve seen Atlas Soundtrack perform before, their musical talent, innovation, and energetic stage presence always impresses me, and I’d highly recommend checking out their music.

Check out http://atlassoundtrack.com for more information about the band or http://summersbestmusicfest.com for more information about the festival or ways to get involved.