Atom and his Package

Adam Goren (born January 14, 1975) is a musician, best known as the sole member of the synth punk 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 also teaches at William Penn Charter School, located in Philadelphia (East Falls), Pennsylvania. He teaches chemistry and physics and, along with Robert Gordon, is the faculty advisor to the school Comedy Sportz team.

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 center 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.

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