Adam Goren

Adam Goren (born January 14, 1975) is a musician, best known as the sole member of the synthpunk band Atom and His Package.

Background and career

Goren was born in The Bronx, New York City on January 14, 1975, but grew up in Oreland, Pennsylvania. He played in several local bands as a youth. In 1991, Goren joined the punk band Fracture. He played with them until 1995, when the band broke up. At the time, he was in the last year of earning his B.A. in neuroscience at Wesleyan University. While Goren was still in school, a friend introduced him to music sequencers, and he began writing music with one in his spare time. Goren would go on to earn a Master's degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania and become certified to teach high school chemistry and biology.

When Goren left Wesleyan, his friends in the band Franklin asked him to open for a few of their shows and he agreed. This marked the rise of Goren's identity as Atom and His Package, consisting of himself, a B.C. Rich guitar, and his QY700 music sequencer, also known as "the Package."

In 1997 he released his first album, the aptly named The First CD, on Bloodlink Records. He released several more albums and EPs and has performed on several compilations. At one point, Goren gathered a small band to do actual punk covers of his songs and he released an EP of a live performance with this band, calling it "Atom and His Rockage." He completed tours in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Belgium, England and Australia.

In April 2003, Goren learned his wife was expecting a child. At about the same time, he also was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This led to his decision to stop touring as Atom and His Package. Goren performed his final show under that name on August 29, 2003 in Philadelphia. After that show, he released his last album, Hair: Debatable, which included a bonus DVD of that final show. On Saturday, November 1, 2008, Goren performed as Atom and His Package at The Fest 7 in Gainesville, Florida.

Goren currently plays with the band Armalite. He taught at William Penn Charter School, located in Philadelphia (East Falls), Pennsylvania until 2009. He now teaches chemistry and physics at the Shipley School located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Music

The songs of Atom and His Package generally consist of electronic punk music put together with a sequencer. A few songs are purely instrumental. The lyrics of Goren's songs are usually humorous and most often centered around observations on mundane annoyances of daily life (some of which are purposely only relevant to Goren himself). Goren sings in a distinctive off-key manner. In his later years both his music and his singing became harder and more distinctly "punk" sounding, while his earlier music is generally more light-hearted and silly. In the event of his "package" (synthesizer) being broken, Adam would play his compact disc as a backing band.

Many songs of Atom and His Package sample or borrow lyrics from various pop singles of the '80s and early '90s, including artists such as Eddie Money and Joni Mitchell. Goren has released numerous covers as well.

Comedian Andy Daly marketed a product called Mustache TV, just like the Atom and his Package song. Daly contacted Atom in question of his song, to which Atom replied with a picture of a mustache taped to his middle finger.^[1]

Atom and His Package discography

• The First CD (1997) (Bloodlink Records)
• A Society of People Named Elihu (1997) (The Mountain Cooperative)
• Behold, I Shall Do A New Thing EP (1998) (Vital Music Mailorder)
• Gun Court EP (1998)
• Atom And His Rockage EP (1998)
• Making Love (1999) (No Idea Records)
• Shopping Spree EP (2000) (with Har Mar Superstar) (Sub City)
• Redefining Music (2001) (Hopeless Records)
• Hamburgers EP (2002) (File 13)
• Attention! Blah Blah Blah (2003) (Hopeless Records)
• Hair: Debatable (2004) (Hopeless Records)
• Going to Ames: A Tribute to The Mountain Goats EP (2001) limited to 500

Making Love was re-issued in 2005.

Adam Goren continues to work with Armalite, although he maintains a website under the name of Atom.

Compilations

• Operation: Punk Rock Freedom (2003 Hopeless/Subcity Records)
  • "Mustache TV" (from "Attention! Blah Blah Blah")
• "Hopelessly Devoted to You Vol. 4" (2002 Hopeless/Subcity Records)
  • "Upside Down From Here" (from "Redifining Music")
  • "Possession (Not the One By Danzig)" (previously unreleased)
• "Flogging a Dead Cow: A Tribute to the Dead Milkmen" (2001 Superpickle)
  • "Nutrition"
• Punk Uprisings Vol. 2
  • "Punk Rock Academy"
• "Short Attention Span" freebie spazzcore compilation (2009, Methodist Leisure Inc.)
  • "Bloody Lip" (I Hate You cover)

Appearance in popular culture

• Punk Rock Academy was covered by mc chris for his 2009 album Apple Tummy
• Throughout the four seasons of the television show The OC the character Seth Cohen has an Atom and His Package poster displayed on the wall behind his bed.
• In the bar on the television show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia many Atom and his Package stickers can be seen on the walls of the bar Paddy's.
• "Upside Down from Here" was covered by Math the Band on the 2008 album, Math the Band Banned the Math.
• "(Lord It's Hard to Be Happy When You're Not Using) The Metric System" was covered by MC Lars for his 2009 album, This Gigantic Robot Kills.
• Adam makes a cameo in the film "Good Clean Fun"
• "I Am Downright Amazed At What I Can Destroy With Just A Hammer" was included in the snowboarding game Amped 2 on Xbox.

References

• Carpenter, Josh. "Atom and His Package: Under Fire!". Retrieved May 18, 2005.
• Rapa, Patrick. "Atom's Last Blast". Retrieved May 18, 2005.
• Cronk-Young, Alex. "Interview with Adam Goren". Retrieved July 8, 2010.

1. ^ http://www.cerebralpop.com/2010/07/interview-with-adam-goren-atom-and-his.html

External links

• Atom and His Package Official Site
• Atom and His Package Myspace Site

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