Bios of the band...
Eddie Mejia
Singer and all around good guy
Rooted in the authentic traditions of Chicago Rock and Blues, Eddie's musical journey began on the city's South Side before taking him to the neon lights of Las Vegas. As a versatile front person for diverse bands, he has spent years connecting with audiences through soulful, electric performances that honor the roots while bringing a fresh, modern edge.
Jim Papanek
Guitar
Jim discovered his first love around the age of 12 or 13, growing up in the 80's one of his biggest influences was watching music videos on MTV. The groups that really caught his eye were the likes of Twisted Sister, Mötley Crüe, and especially Van Halen. At the time, he had no idea who Eddie Van Halen was or how much of an inspiration he would later become. Jim knew he wanted to make music so he arbitrarily picked guitar. That decision would change the course of his entire life. In college, he started learning how to play other instruments like piano and cello and decided to study music education rather than just play guitar. In 2017, Craig asked him to fill in on the guitar for a reunion show and he said "Hell yeah!" After that show they decided to form what has become Atomic City.
Bob Ahrendt
Membranophones
Bob is originally from Chicago and started playing drums at age 12. His influences are John Bonham, Ian Paice, Charlie Watts and Neal Peart, to name just a few. He has played in various rock and blues bands in the Chicago area before moving to Henderson in 2021 and joining Atomic City shortly after.
Craig Andrews
Bass and Keyboards
Craig began his musical adventure playing piano as a young lad. His first public performance of original music was in the 4th grade, with a band made up of fellow classmates. It wasn't good. Skipping forward about 12 years and multiple garage bands later, you'll find Craig in a couple of "originals only" projects that did pretty good locally; SABRR and Poor Shirley. He played keyboards and co-wrote the music in both of these bands. Then adult life happened and he was away from music for 20 years. Then life happened again, and Craig started all this back up again with Atomic City's very talented guitarist, Jim.