The high voltage life of a rock front-man is stereotypically one of drugs, sex, and rock n roll. In the case of Los Osos’ Kelly Atwell, the story is much different. Atwell is a cautious individual, and not merely in the sense that he does not partake in the spoils of rock. Atwell is what some might describe as a doomsday prepper.
“I live in California, and where I live in California, I live about 50 miles from the fault line,” said Atwell when asked about his reasoning behind prepping.
While simultaneously filling the shoes of a self-proclaimed weekend warrior of rock with his AC/DC tribute band, High Voltage, Atwell can be more frequently found stocking and cycling his supply of 60 gallons of water, floor freezer full of frozen food, shelves of canned goods, generators, 30 gallons of fuel, and five to six gallons of propane.
“If you don’t have at least, you know, two or three months' worth of what you need on hand, you’ve failed,” said Atwell.
The singer/guitarist said that his fixation with disaster preparedness began when he was in his 30’s during which time he and his (at the time) girlfriend were living in New York. They had just bought a truck and travel trailer after selling their San Luis Obispo home with the intent of enjoying the world around them.
While visiting his girlfriend's mother they experienced a prolonged power outage. At the start of the power outage, Atwell was tasked with going to the store and retrieving provisions.
“When I got there it was a madhouse. It was pandemonium,” said Atwell, “No one cared for anyone else. It was ‘what am I going to get for me, right now?’”
During the frenzy, he grabbed milk, bread, and toilet paper.
The outage lasted seven days. During that time, Atwell said his girlfriend’s mother, whom he described as a hardened, old, Italian woman who cooked everything from scratch, resorted to using her back stock of food supplies. With no power and in the middle of sweltering summer heat, Atwell said the three combined efforts and supplies, living for the week off of his Coleman propane-powered stove.
At night, to escape the heat, they would retreat to his travel trailer which was equipped with an AC unit powered by a generator. It was here they would play card games to pass the time. “That was the only thing that got us through it,” said Atwell.
He said when he returned to California he was determined to never find himself in a similar situation again.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, Atwell has had to increase his cautious natures. While his preparedness might spell disparity with his rock background, Atwell said there are various reasons he finds himself with such stark contrasts to the molds of rockerdom.
“I was born with a bad heart,” said Atwell. The musician is currently on his eleventh pacemaker and said that the medications he must take to ensure the well workings of his heart have devastated his liver. According to the American Transplant Foundation, Atwell is presently one of over one-hundred-thousand people on a national waitlist for both a heart and a liver transplant.
As a member of these lists, he is required to have his blood tested every 28 days for disqualifiers – things like drug use, STDs, and blood count. He is also considered an at-risk member of society.
“I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t do drugs,” said Atwell.
He said that disaster preparedness makes it easy to avoid feelings of temptation when considering these excesses of life. He often urges those around him to consider the amount they would spend on, say, a carton of cigarettes, and repurpose those funds as money towards emergency supplies of water, food, or fuel.
“Take a $50 bill to the store and buy yourself some canned foods. You’ll realize that $50 will buy a lot of canned foods,” said Atwell.
While many might consider these spending habits to be excessive or inaccessible, he argues that it saves money, time, and effort. He cites his supply of stabilized fuel as an example. Once the fuel has come close to its expiration date, he uses it to refuel his truck (which has been outfitted with its own emergency supply food drawer). He then makes a trip to the gas station, refills his back stock supply, and checks it for quality once a month.
What some might see as habits of the paranoid, Atwell sees as just a good measure. He said he does not feel particularly different from most people.
“I have a really cool little house [and a] nice little backyard. I pretty much just keep to myself. I have a girlfriend, so [she] and I hang out and spend time together. Other than that, I’m pretty much just a regular guy,” he said.
Knowing what it feels like to need, Atwell insists that when it comes to those who might find themselves without in emergency circumstances he is ready and willing to share what he has.
“What can you do for your fellow man? What can you do for your brother? If we were all blind, but we all had to go about our business just like every day you’re going to have to reach out and grab somebody's hand, and that person’s going to have to guide you,” said Atwell.
