The Ataris story starts in 1997 in Anderson Indiana, when songwriter Kris Roe, now the lead singer and guitarist for the group, met Joe Escalante at a Vandals concert. The Vandals label Kung Fu Records were looking for a new group around that time and they gave Roe an opportunity to move to Santa Barbara and start a band, playing for the label. Roe snapped up the opportunity, moving to California to start looking for new members for his band. He picked up guitarist Marco Peña, bassist Mike Daveport and former Lagwagon drummer Derrick Plourde (later replaced by Chris Knapp.)The group produces catchy songs, which make you really want to rock out. Their first album Anywhere but Here was released on April 29, 1997. The album was reminiscent of Green Day, the Ramones and the Vandals. This is not surprising, considering that the Vandals guitarist Warren Fitzgerald produced the album. Next came the country-sounding, but still fully punk, album Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits in 1999, which is full of risky tracks that all manage to stay true to the pure punk sound that they generate.Let it Burn hit the stores in April of 2000 followed shortly after by End is Forever which showcases Roe's excellent songwriting gift bringing in the group's first Top 15 song. So Long Astoria, released on March 4, 2003, give the group a sought after sound that wakes them up and moves forward giving them their first hit on The Billboard 200 at number 20. Live at the Metro came next in February 2004 and was followed by Welcome The Night three years later in 2007. During that time the group had undergone a lot of changes and the sound they produced was very different from their earlier recordings. The album peaked at number five in Top Independent Albums and number 85 on The Billboard 200.