Air Traffic Controller is a Boston-based folk band that has a sound so unique that you just have to jam out to them. The band consists of lead singer and guitarist Dave Munroe, Munroe’s older brother Richie on drums, Casey Sullivan on bass, and Steve Scott on multiple instruments ranging from lead guitar to keyboard to harmonica. The first song that they performed in-studio was “Pick Me Up” from their 2012 album Nordo. An animated music video was released for “Pick Me Up” this past February and the members of Air Traffic Controller were very excited about it. The song has an upbeat, country-folk vibe to it that makes you want to bob your head along. It begins with Scott on the harmonica, moving then to Dave Munroe on vocals with a playful call and response from Scott and Sullivan. The next song that Air Traffic Controller played was a new song that they debuted for WERS. “What You Do to My Soul” is a beautiful duet between lead singer Munroe and Sullivan. The song spoke of love and compassion with lyrics like, “I’m so thankful for what you do to my soul.” The last song that they performed was another song from Nordo titled “Any Way.” This was another duet between Munroe and Sullivan, though it proved very different from the other songs because it was slowed down to have a softer tone. Lyrics such as, “Everyday you’re drifting farther away from me,” create a real melancholy atmosphere. Air Traffic Controller got its name from when Dave Munroe worked overseas as an air traffic controller. While he was away, he wrote some songs and sent his music over to his family. When Munro finallyreturned home, he was surprised to find that many people had become fans of his music. From there, he decided to create a band with his older brother Richie. When music producer Bleu found out about the Munroe brothers, he decided that he wanted to make music with them. From there, they went on to welcome band members Scott and Sullivan. The band describes their sound as classical folk with a bit of indie pop mixed in. They were once even referred to as “geek pop” in England. Their song “You Know Me” is already on the verge of a million plays on Spotify. Munroe stated that “Pick Me Up” was one of his favorite songs to perform. “It kinda puts me in a trance,” he says. “It’s this dancey song, yet it has this kind of somber tone to it.” Scott, on the other hand, explained that his favorite song was “Ready Or Not,” also from their Nordo album. “It’s a song that’s very exciting,” says Scott. “It’s very climactic. Also, I get to sing, play keyboards, and play guitar. I get to do all my things.” Their debut album The One was released in 2009 and their second album Nordo was released in 2012. “[Nordo] is actually more popular now than when it was released,” says Munroe. Air Traffic Controller is currently working on a new album which should be coming out relatively soon. Hopefully we’ll hear “What You Do to My Soul” on the upcoming album.
By Jailene Adorno Photo By Madelyn Reese
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