Ray Mehlbaum
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Automatic 7 is an American rock trio. Formed in 1993, they have released three albums to date. They released their debut album self-titled ''Automatic 7'' on November 22, 1995, on BYO Records. Band members John Hulett (vocals and guitar), Nic Nifoussi (bass guitar and vocals) and Ray Mehlbaum (drums) toured North America and Europe with
Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
,
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
, Face to Face,
Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-he ...
,
Less than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxoph ...
,
D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
, Youth Brigade,
Shades Apart Shades Apart is an American alternative rock musical group from Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. They are best known for their US radio hit "Valentine", "Stranger by the Day" and their cover of the hit song "Tainted Love." History The band fo ...
, Down By Law, Suicide Machines in addition to various shows with Love and Rockets, Lit,
Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They h ...
,
Reverend Horton Heat The Reverend Horton Heat is the stage name of American musician James C. Heath (born 1959) as well as the name of his Dallas, Texas-based psychobilly trio. Heath is a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A ''Prick'' magazine reviewer called Heath ...
and
John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...
of X. In 1996 Automatic 7 contributed a cover version of the
Psychedelic Furs Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science ...
"
Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...
" to the
Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is home ...
V/A release ''
Before You Were Punk ''Before You Were Punk'' is a compilation album released in 1997 by Vagrant Records.  It consists of a number of mid-1990s punk rock bands (most of them from southern California) covering songs that were popularised during the 1980s " new ...
'' along with other various 1980s themed covers by bands such as
Blink 182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
and Face to Face. In 1997 Automatic 7 signed with
A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
; the band recorded their second album at
Long View Farm Long View Farm Studios was a music recording studio located in North Brookfield, Massachusetts which was founded in 1974 by Gilbert Scott Markle, a professor at Clark University, on his farm property. It was the location of recordings from many ...
with producer
Ron Saint Germain Ron Saint Germain (alternate spellings Ron St. Germain, Ron Saint-Germaine and similar) is an American record producer, audio engineer, and mixer born in post-war Frankfurt, Germany, into a career Air Force family. Prior to his career in music p ...
. However, as A&M prepared for the release of the second album, PolyGram (A&M Parent label) was bought by Seagram and merged with its MCA Records family to create Universal Music. A&M was subsequently merged into Universal Music Group's then newly formed Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group. All these changes left the band disenchanted with A&M and Automatic 7 split with the label, and the album was never released. However, Automatic 7 signed with
Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is home ...
, which was owned and operated by the band's manager
Rich Egan Vagrant Records is an American record label based in California. It was founded in 1995 by Rich Egan and Jon Cohen. The label focuses on rock, but features artists in a variety of other genres including folk, soul, electronic, and pop. It is ho ...
and released ''Beggar's Life'' on July 25, 2000. Between 2001 and 2006, Automatic 7 went on a hiatus. The band reformed in 2006, and released the album ''At Funeral Speed'' in 2007, on the independent label Mental Records. The album was well received and included a rendition of
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
's "
Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
". In 2008 Nifoussi and Ray Mehlbaum formed the Noise/Rock duo Killing Bees and subsequently released their self-titled debut on Guano loco/Loose Fang records.


Releases


Automatic 7

All songs written by John Hulett and Phil Jaurigui, except for where noted.


Beggar's Life

All songs written by John Hulett, Nic Nifoussi and Ray Mehlbaum


At Funeral Speed

All songs written by John Hulett, Nic Nifoussi and Ray Mehlbaum except "Atlantic City" written by Bruce Springsteen.


Musical style

Automatic 7's style has been compared to
Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
, Jawbreaker and Face to Face. John Hulett cites Jawbreaker as Automatic 7's greatest influence, and says that the band are Jawbreaker fans. Automatic 7 has one guitarist, but over the years considered adding another guitarist to the band. In 1997 Face To Face guitarist/songwriter
Trever Keith Trever Keith (born May 28, 1969)Trever Keith
at
White Light, White Heat, White Trash tour. The band also played with guitarist Marco Moir, who toured with them in support of
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
and also did various recordings with the band, but Automatic 7 ultimately decided to remain a trio with only Hulett on guitar.


References

{{Authority control American musical trios Rock music groups from California BYO Records artists