Nikolaus Bartunek
“Yeah we kicked
him out of the band, ironically he is now the leader,” said Ryan the bassist of the band Picture Atlantic. That person who he now calls leader is his long time friend Nikolaus Bartunek who is the person who is the protagonist of this profile write up. At first you’re probably wondering why I have chosen such a character for a profile write up. Yes there are many bands out there that are starting out, but none seem to be quite intriguing as Picture Atlantic especially their leader Nik. Nik seemed to break all of
the stereotypical barriers associated with local bands he is extremely charismatic. When we interviewed him he was extremely open and had a really down to earth personality with a side of electronic spunk. I can only really describe him as a computer’s central processing unit being built from the ground up because he acknowledges the recent change of technological advances in modern culture of music and he manages to have his own fun time with video games.While managing his band and his social life. His unique personality makes him differentiate from the local bands that
play around our area. So in sense he is a computer with different specs than a large inventory of standard computers yet he still uses parts from back where he started. He has always stayed the same shape but has grown internally switching to more better parts of the same specifications but better functioning. Which is good because in this modern era there is a lot of simple ways bands are getting through to the public. It is the importance of being able to adapt yet to be able maintain the bands same image they were known for. He began building
his computer started at a young age. He started with his central processing unit the core of the computer. “Nik like as a child well he was always extremely active he was a runner and a climber ...he ate books now he eats them up by reading…”, said his mother Helena during our interview with her. From there he began a book filled childhood at one point Helena described how Nik found out one of his favorite authors Dave Barry. “...I was reading dave barry outloud to my husband one evening we were in our room and all the kids were in bed asleep~ and so my husband and i were reading and laughing and i hear in the background i hear this little voice laughing and it was nick he was up listening to us reading dave barry and laughing out loud…” she said with a smile. Helena also mentioned that “he enjoyed listening to music and
he was exposed to a lot of music when he was growing up.much like everyone in the family was he didn't seem express a particular interest in it in school he took the violin .he chose that in elementary school because they still had music program than we gave him lessons he took fiddle lessons and he used to jam with he turned the radio on and he just jam which at that age was at he was what 10 11 years old thats interesting but then he decided he didn't want to take the violin he wanted to take the guitar and he really wanted to take the guitar and i was thinking gosh everybody plays the guitar do something different but and by that time we kinda ran out of money for lessons sadly so hes pretty much self taught on the guitar and we have family friends who help taught him things and he just picked
stuff up from friends so his largely self taught and when he was i dunno 15 14 15 he started writing his own lyrics and started doing open mics when he was maybe 16 17 and just really yeah when he go the guitar and started practicing that he just really started progressing pretty quickly towards performing playing playing in the worship band at church” .This balance of outdoors and creative writing help led Nik into a lyrical hype. His creativity help build up his motherboard or his connector to all other components in a computer. His creativity helped get his concepts through song and through the way he talks. However it wasn’t always like having a good program running he did have moments where he started from scratch with his motherboard and tune his programming a but. As mentioned earlier he did
for, since i was a little little kid. Our bass player Ryan, I went to school with him around 2001, so i’ve known him for pretty much almost thirteen years. And our drummer daniel actually is sort of the newest addition to the band and we met him through a mutual friend, but he’s been in the band now for three years so we’ve known him for three years.”. When we asked about how does know each member teach himself guitar, but later on he did run into a change while playing with recent event that tested his ability to be able to get his them he responded with”A views across to his viewers. Nik said,”there was one lot of people say that being song on the album called Regina which deals with in a band is like having X the concept of racism and how racism is very very very number of girlfriends, you much alive in this country, there’s still an immense know how ever many peoamount of racism in the system itself and in how ple are in the band that’s popular culture or mainstream culture or the dom- how many girlfriends you inate culture perceive peo- ple of color, whoever that have, and in a lot of ways may be. I think white people have a massive privilege just that’s sort of true, cause it’s by being white. and i think that’s something people are this real strange relationafraid to talk about because they say oh MLK came and ship where, you’re working everything is fixed and actually i dont think that’s the together, but you’re also case at all. so i wrote a song about that, sort of sticking doing something you’re it to white people-- and i’m white so I include myself passionate about, its sort of in this group-- white people who think I’m not racist meant to be art at the same because i have black friends. A lot of times what would time so it would almost be happen is people would misread the lyrics and actu- similar to an artist needing ally think that I was racist. so we got some hate mail three plus people to make from people saying you guys are racist and you guys are one painting. and that’s very messed up. because they had misread the lyrics.” interesting, in a lot of ways At another struggle is that hes trying to maintain it has made me closer with the same band and image that they're known for. Nik them and in a lot of ways explained his relationship with each member he said,” it’s also sort of helped me So the guys that I’m in the band with, i’ve known for a understand them cause i really really long time. Our keyboard player Brian and think knowing somebody is I have probably known each other the longest, he went one thing and working with to church with me growing up and, so i’ve known him them is a completely differ-
ent thing you actually begin to see.. and by shortcomings I don’t mean they’re a rage-oholic and they’re physically abusive by shortcomings i mean they might not have the best memory or they might show up late all the time, or whatever, so it’s- you get to see the inconsistencies in someone’s personality on some level.” While also trying to maintain his band he also tries to keep the same band image that they were known for. Which is they will only record songs that they can replicate live.
What lies in the future for Nik? According to Helena she said,” he’s just continued to become more focus on what he wants to do and how he wants to attain it and he just works harder as the years go on as he understands what. what they need to do to be successful so yeah i just think he just gotten more mature better working harder each year.” He has also been trying to help spread his bands influence to other parts of America. He said,” I think the biggest goal for me in the next couple years is ultimately to get us to the point where we’re well known across a wider basis and that there’s some consistency to the kinds of shows that we play. it would be great to go to Albuquerque, New Mexico and play and at least have even 30 people show up or 40 people. just so that we
have some presence in a wider spectrum. also, not a lot of money or even riches or immense wealth, but maybe just making a little bit of money off the music that we do make, personally cause a lot of the money that we do make gets recycled back into the band. I think just expanding our influence and being able to make a little bit of money.” Which can be seen as him trying to upgrade his system. He is a computer’s central processing unit thats always the same yet runs changes and upgrades his current programs.