''Automatic Midnight'' is the first studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

band

Hot Snakes Hot Snakes are an American post-hardcore band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork (band), Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis had f ...

, released in 2000 by

Swami Records Swami Records is a San Diego-based independent record label specializing in punk rock and rock music. The label was founded in 2000 by John Reis, who also has his own radio show, ''Swami Sound System'', on station 94.9FM KBZT KBZT (94.9 FM, ...

. Both the band and the album began as a "side project" for

John Reis John Reis, also known by the pseudonyms Speedo, Slasher, and the Swami is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which ...

in June 1999, during time off from his main band Rocket From the Crypt. Reis wrote and recorded a batch of songs in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

with Delta 72 drummer

Jason Kourkounis Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...

. To provide vocals for the tracks Reis called in

Rick Froberg Eric "Rick" Froberg (born January 1968, also known by the pseudonyms Rick Fork and Rick Farr) is an American musician and visual artist. He was born in Los Angeles, lived in Encinitas, California, and currently resides in Brooklyn. In his musical ...

, whom he had played with in

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

and

Drive Like Jehu Drive Like Jehu was an American post-hardcore band from San Diego active from 1990 to 1995. It was formed by rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg and lead guitarist John Reis, ex-members of Pitchfork, along with bassist Mike Kennedy and ...

from 1986 to 1995. Most of the material from these sessions was used to create ''Automatic Midnight'', which became the first release for Reis' newly formed Swami Records label. As a visual artist and illustrator Froberg provided all of the artwork for the album. Although the artwork and cover themselves are black on white, the CD release is packaged in a translucent orange

jewel case Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

and the LP in translucent orange

shrink wrap Shrink may refer to: Common meanings *Miniaturization *Shrink, a slang term for: ** a psychiatrist ** a psychoanalyst ** a psychologist Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shrink'' (album), album by German indie rock/electronica group The Notwist ...

, giving the packaged album an orange color. Touring in support of ''Automatic Midnight'' was sporadic due to logistical concerns: Reis lived in San Diego, Kourkounis in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and Froberg in

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. When a full touring band was needed

Gar Wood Garfield Arthur "Gar" Wood (December 4, 1880 – June 19, 1971) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and championship motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on several occasions. He was the first man to travel ...

was called in to play the bass guitar. The band was not conceived as a permanent project, and after some touring Reis returned to working full-time with Rocket From the Crypt. However, Hot Snakes would reconvene intermittently over the next several years to record two more studio albums and tour, with Wood on board as a permanent member.

Track listing

# "If Credit's What Matters I'll Take Credit" - 2:33 # "Automatic Midnight" - 1:33 # "No Hands" - 2:30 # "Salton City" - 3:46 # "10th Planet" - 3:17 # "Light Up the Stars" - 3:22 # "Our Work Fills the Pews" - 3:03 # "Past Lives" - 2:41 # "Mystery Boy (aka Jason K.)" - 1:59 # "Apartment 0" - 1:26 # "Let it Come" - 5:27

Personnel

(credited as Nasdaq/Reek Fart) -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, lead vocals *

(credited as Spic Odor/John Re) -

, bass, backing vocals *

(credited as Judas Deceased/Jsinclair) -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Kim Thompson - backing vocals on "Salton City"

Album information

* Record label:

* Recorded June 1999 at Big Fish Recorders in

by John Reis and Ben Moore. * All songs published by Mr. Buttermaker Painting * Artwork by Rick Froberg

References

{{Authority control 2000 albums Hot Snakes albums Swami Records albums