Atomic Fly

Atomic Fly formed in South Florida in 2019 with Frank Tabino on guitar, Tom Porter on bass, Peter Schwartz on drums and Jon Edens on vocals.

The band came together through a series of friendships and chance connections within the South Florida punk scene. Frank met John after repeatedly crossing paths at shows around Fort Lauderdale. Tom, originally a client and t hen a friend of Frank’s, had been playing music with Peter for years. What was initially supposed to be a trip into the studio to record a few original songs quickly became something much bigger—the four musicians clicked, the songs kept coming and Atomic Fly became a band.

Drawing heavily from the raw energy of first-generation punk, Atomic Fly created its own brand of straight-ahead punk rock and roll. The band recorded two releases, but the first arrived just as COVID shut down live music, making it impossible to perform and support the record in the way the band had planned. Rather than stop creating, Atomic Fly returned to the studio and recorded more music.

That first Atomic Fly album also became the beginning of something else: Well She Isn’t Records. WSIR was originally created as the independent label that would release Atomic Fly’s music. What began as a way to put one band’s record into the world would eventually grow into a nonprofit record label with a much larger mission—supporting independent artists while using music to help fund animal rescue.

Atomic Fly eventually came to an end when Jon moved to Mexico with his wife to be closer to her family. Frank, Tom and Peter continued making music and recruited singer and guitarist Stratis Washburn. Stratis brought a different sound and energy to the group, and the musicians decided that the new lineup deserved a new identity.

That band became thE STiFF.

Atomic Fly is no longer active, but its music—and its place at the beginning of both thE STiFF and Well She Isn’t Records—remains an essential part of the story.