Wasilla’s homegrown band Portugal. The Man hit a milestone in their career as a full-force band by signing with Atlantic Records on April 2, 2010. Signing with Atlantic Records is a major achievement. Some of the biggest names in music have signed with Atlantic, including Led Zepplin, Paramore, 2Pac and The Rolling Stones. Since they signed with Atlantic they released their sixth studio album, “American Ghetto”, with a seventh studio album to be released soon. The record is finished and is now being mixed. The album is still untitled. It is said to be more progressive rock sound, and it is being compared to a Pink Floyd record, according to portugaltheman.net “Early on, I talked about the music with the head of the label for about an hour and as soon as we’d finished, he said, ‘Forget what I just said. You should do what you wanna do,'” said front man John Gourley, according to Alternative Press Magazine. This is a different sound from their previous releases like 2007’s “Church Mouth” and 2009’s “The Satanic Satanist,” which both carry a heavy Beatles influence. Those two records definitely have an indie, raw, stripped-down sound. Another thing about “The Satanic Satanist” is that the songs have some Alaskan roots. One example is “Guns and Dogs,” a song talking about spending time in the wilderness and in cabins. Gourley definitely uses this great state for inspiration since he grew up in Knik, where both his parents were dog mushers. Dimond Alumni Katie Maeder is looking forward to Portugal. The Man’s new CD, but her favorite is “Church Mouth”. ” I’ve listened to every song on it a million times and it never gets old!” Maeder said. Maeder also thinks it’s great that they signed to Atlantic Records. ” It will help their fan base grow significantly being on a popular label like Atlantic,” Maeder said. Her favorite memory of a Portugal concert is when they were playing “My Mind,” she said. ” When you can’t hear the band over the singing of the crowd it’s pretty crazy!”