IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Aug 24 2023 03:42 PM
Hi all!
Ivan Pongracic (of the Madeira and the Space Cossacks) here, haven't been on SG101 much in quite a while, sorry about that. But I had posted in the past couple of years about the new band I'm part of, Lords of Atlantis, along with Jeremy DeHart (of the Manakooras, Aqualads, and the A-Men) on rhythm and lead guitar and bass, Dane Carter (of the Madeira and the Troubadours) on drums, and Jonpaul Balak (of Insect Surfers, the Tikiyaki Orchestra, the Scimitars, and a ton of others!) on bass. We started working on our debut album three years ago, and it was finally released two months ago on a new label, Tabu Recordings, part of the House of Tabu/Exotica Moderne tiki empire! So far only available on CD, but the LP (on green vinyl!) coming in the fall! Until then, you can get the CD here should you want one (only 250 in print in total), if you wish. Here's the front cover:
Anyway, I wanted to share the videos of our debut show at the Surfer Joe Summer Festival in Livorno, Italy, two months ago almost to the day, on June 25th. We were incredibly fortunate to perform with a spectacular sunset right behind us, making for some dramatic and gorgeous video footage! The videos were shot by the members of Romanian surf band the Undercurrents from the front row, and look amazing. Below is the playlist of the eight (of 11 total) tracks that we performed that evening (including one by the Madeira), I thought maybe some of you might enjoy seeing this. I hope you do! (Our second show will be in three weeks at the Makahiki Festival in Indy, which sold out in a couple of days.) Hope to share some more Lords of Atlantis stuff with you in the next few months!
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
Last edited: Aug 24, 2023 15:44:21
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Surftone
Joined: Aug 25, 2006
Posts: 38
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Posted on Aug 24 2023 04:36 PM
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Padraig
Joined: Feb 26, 2022
Posts: 374
Dollars, Taxes
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Posted on Aug 24 2023 06:40 PM
Thank you Ivan, a wonderful set! Great to have you back on SG101, you've been missed!
— Patrick
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Aug 25 2023 05:17 PM
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Samurai
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2217
Kiev, Ukraine
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Posted on Aug 26 2023 04:27 AM
What a great set it was! For me it was a real culmination of the Fest)
Would be great to see you more here, your input is always interesting and useful.
— Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine
https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki
Lost Diver
https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin
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Hogfysshe
Joined: Feb 25, 2008
Posts: 165
Northeast
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Posted on Aug 27 2023 11:00 PM
"Atlas"
SO Good!
[won't embed, prob because it's "live"]
https://www.youtube.com/live/1l2sXyWNPoQ?si=V6g3db4SAnLilikC&t=353
Last edited: Aug 28, 2023 18:07:32
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Ariel
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 1556
Israel
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Posted on Aug 28 2023 03:01 PM
Amazingly good. How can you keep raising the bar, that's already set so high, by you?!
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Aug 29 2023 11:31 AM
Thanks so much once again, fellas!
Vitaly, so glad to hear you enjoyed our Surfer Joe set so much! It was GREAT to see you again and get to chat for a while. I will definitely try to be more active on SG101 again, I do miss it. LIfe's just been a bit too busy for a while, but I'll contribute when I can.
Ariel, so good to see you here! It's been a while! And thank you so very much on such a wonderful compliment! I'm blown away! Thank you, my friend. Of course, working with Jeremy, Dane, and Jonpaul will get anybody to up their game, and we really had so much fun working on this album! It came together very naturally. I'm thrilled to hear you're liking it so much! Thank you!
Hogfysshe, really glad you like Atlas, an amazing song written by Jeremy! Alas, I had a lot of problems with my cables cutting out during the Surfer Joe performance so I decided not to share it, but I knew that it would inevitably pop up online somewhere. Glad you still like it despite those problems! It is definitely epic! 
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1373
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Aug 29 2023 12:15 PM
Awesome video, and killer tone! Glad to see you back at it, Ivan!
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Oct 22 2023 12:11 PM
(Thanks, SixStringSurfer, and sorry I missed your post earlier! I appreciate the nice words, though!)
Thanks to Brandonio for bringing to my attention this nicely edited new video of some highlights of Lords of Atlantis at the Surfer Joe Summer Festival in Livorno, Italy in June. It was posted a week ago, and it's a bit different from the other videos in that it was shot from in front of Jeremy, giving a different perspective. Check it out!
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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Samurai
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2217
Kiev, Ukraine
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Posted on Oct 23 2023 12:55 PM
That’s where I was standing! Or more like dancing) Thanks for these great memories!
— Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine
https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki
Lost Diver
https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1373
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Oct 24 2023 05:43 PM
Does anyone know what gauge strings Ivan uses on his Strat(s)?
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Oct 24 2023 08:55 PM
Samurai wrote:
That’s where I was standing! Or more like dancing) Thanks for these great memories!
Awesome, thank YOU, Vitaly, so glad to hear it brought back good memories! It was a truly special weekend, unforgettable for me for many different reasons.
SixStringSurfer wrote:
Does anyone know what gauge strings Ivan uses on his Strat(s)?
I do, I do!   On this guitar (a 2012 American Standard Strat that's almost completely stock except I replaced the trem with a Wudtone vintage-style 6-screw one; the pickups are the stock Fat '50s), I use D'Addario EXL115W nickel roundwound 11-49 with a wound G string. This is actually completely new to me, the first time I ever gigged with these strings was this show, as I had been using Rotosound Purples nickel roundwounds 12-52 for over 20 years exclusively. Unfortunately, I started developing some left hand problems in the past few years that got kinda bad late last year, and after talking with Jim Skiathitis of the Atlantics and finding out he suffered a similar problem years ago, he told me he switched to those D'Addario 11s and that he has been able to retain his signature sound due to that wound G. 11-gauge sets almost always come with a plain G, which is not as conducive to the surf sound as a wound G. And sure enough, once I tried it, I feel in love with these strings. I believe I'm done with Roto Purples forever, bring on the D'Addario EXL 115Ws!
There you go! Sorry for such a wordy answer, but it's my personal affliction. 
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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Samurai
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2217
Kiev, Ukraine
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Posted on Oct 25 2023 03:14 AM
IvanP wrote:
Samurai wrote:
That’s where I was standing! Or more like dancing) Thanks for these great memories!
Awesome, thank YOU, Vitaly, so glad to hear it brought back good memories! It was a truly special weekend, unforgettable for me for many different reasons.
SixStringSurfer wrote:
Does anyone know what gauge strings Ivan uses on his Strat(s)?
I do, I do! On this guitar (a 2012 American Standard Strat that's almost completely stock except I replaced the trem with a Wudtone vintage-style 6-screw one; the pickups are the stock Fat '50s), I use D'Addario EXL115W nickel roundwound 11-49 with a wound G string. This is actually completely new to me, the first time I ever gigged with these strings was this show, as I had been using Rotosound Purples nickel roundwounds 12-52 for over 20 years exclusively. Unfortunately, I started developing some left hand problems in the past few years that got kinda bad late last year, and after talking with Jim Skiathitis of the Atlantics and finding out he suffered a similar problem years ago, he told me he switched to those D'Addario 11s and that he has been able to retain his signature sound due to that wound G. 11-gauge sets almost always come with a plain G, which is not as conducive to the surf sound as a wound G. And sure enough, once I tried it, I feel in love with these strings. I believe I'm done with Roto Purples forever, bring on the D'Addario EXL 115Ws!
There you go! Sorry for such a wordy answer, but it's my personal affliction.
Btw I’ve decided to give them a try. I also stopped using 12s on long scale guitars and this one seems to be a nice alternative.
— Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine
https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki
Lost Diver
https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Oct 26 2023 10:22 AM
Samurai wrote:
Btw I’ve decided to give them a try. I also stopped using 12s on long scale guitars and this one seems to be a nice alternative.
That's really nice to hear, Vitaly! I hope you're liking the strings. And man oh man, what an amazingly gorgeous Strat that is!!!  Hope it plays as well as it looks - if it does, I'd never put it down!!!
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
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Samurai
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2217
Kiev, Ukraine
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Posted on Oct 26 2023 10:39 AM
IvanP wrote:
Samurai wrote:
Btw I’ve decided to give them a try. I also stopped using 12s on long scale guitars and this one seems to be a nice alternative.
That's really nice to hear, Vitaly! I hope you're liking the strings. And man oh man, what an amazingly gorgeous Strat that is!!! Hope it plays as well as it looks - if it does, I'd never put it down!!!
It plays unbelievably well. This is Am Pro ii that’s for me is a nice development of “American Standard with fat 50s” concept with pretty similar pickups (a little modified to a well balanced, smooth, but a kind of “vintage” hot sound) and some nice features added, like neck-bridge combo, micro tilt or pop in tremolo. Light, transparent and with a lot of balls when you need it. I actually prefer it to American Vintage or Original strats.
And yep, I wanted this very Miami Blue color since I saw it!
— Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine
https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki
Lost Diver
https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1373
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Oct 26 2023 04:34 PM
IvanP wrote:
Samurai wrote:
That’s where I was standing! Or more like dancing) Thanks for these great memories!
Awesome, thank YOU, Vitaly, so glad to hear it brought back good memories! It was a truly special weekend, unforgettable for me for many different reasons.
SixStringSurfer wrote:
Does anyone know what gauge strings Ivan uses on his Strat(s)?
I do, I do! On this guitar (a 2012 American Standard Strat that's almost completely stock except I replaced the trem with a Wudtone vintage-style 6-screw one; the pickups are the stock Fat '50s), I use D'Addario EXL115W nickel roundwound 11-49 with a wound G string. This is actually completely new to me, the first time I ever gigged with these strings was this show, as I had been using Rotosound Purples nickel roundwounds 12-52 for over 20 years exclusively. Unfortunately, I started developing some left hand problems in the past few years that got kinda bad late last year, and after talking with Jim Skiathitis of the Atlantics and finding out he suffered a similar problem years ago, he told me he switched to those D'Addario 11s and that he has been able to retain his signature sound due to that wound G. 11-gauge sets almost always come with a plain G, which is not as conducive to the surf sound as a wound G. And sure enough, once I tried it, I feel in love with these strings. I believe I'm done with Roto Purples forever, bring on the D'Addario EXL 115Ws!
There you go! Sorry for such a wordy answer, but it's my personal affliction.
Thank you for the detailed explanation, I really appreciate it! I am concerned about getting hand pain myself, as I play .16-.60 gauge strings on my Strat (standard tuning). Keep up the great playing!
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale.
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SixStringSurfer
Joined: Sep 23, 2014
Posts: 1373
Memphis, TN
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Posted on Oct 26 2023 04:36 PM
Samurai, your Strat is gorgeous!
— MooreLoud.com - A tribute to Dick Dale.
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Badger
Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4536
Wisconsin
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Posted on Dec 08 2023 02:52 PM
Long time brewing but big congratulations on the band launch. (Dane, you're still my favorite drummer. Yes, really.) But seeeing the vids and the pic in your Hillsdale newsletter I have to ask:
Ahem, Ivan, what is that thing hanging off the nose of your Strat?
— Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel
DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on Dec 08 2023 05:16 PM
Badger wrote:
Long time brewing but big congratulations on the band launch.
Thank you! I'm so proud of this band, I just love it! A big announcement coming in about a week or so, too.
(Dane, you're still my favorite drummer. Yes, really.)
You've got IMPECCABLE taste, Wes! I let Dane know. 
But seeing the vids and the pic in your Hillsdale newsletter I have to ask: Ahem, Ivan, what is that thing hanging off the nose of your Strat?
What that is is when you care about being in tune but are traveling through Italy for a week before the show and don't have enough luggage space for one more pedal, so you do what you must.
Thanks again, Wes!
— Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube
Last edited: Dec 08, 2023 17:17:02
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