By Kyle Tonniges
Originally appeared in the Omaha Weekly
It started on a tour bus somewhere in Italy while Rocket From the Crypt frontman John Reis and trumpeter Jason Crane were listening to Blonde Redhead en route to their next show. As the conversation turned to the current state of punk, they reached the sad conclusion that there aren't any current groups who fall under the heading of punk as defined by bands like Black Flag, Suicide and the Wipers.
Inspired, Reis began writing songs that weren't Rocket oriented. The music was quick, passionate and direct, with little room for additional instruments. Not knowing what to do with the material, he put it on the shelf until he could pay more attention to it and develop the songs further. During a conversation with longtime friend and drummer Jason Kourkounis, Reis brought up the idea of trying something different and filled Kourkounis in on what he'd been up to. Intrigued, Kourkounis flew from Philadelphia and jammed with Reis in San Diego for a week. Two months later he flew back and the duo promptly recorded 20 songs as the Hot Snakes.
Reis decided he'd try to sing, but he wasn't happy with the way his voice sounded in the context of the new music. It didn't seem to fit. More importantly, it wasn't very enjoyable for him, and fun was one of the primary goals of the band. "For me, fun is not starting another band that I sing at," Reis said. "I'm already fulfilled on that level, believe me."
He sent a tape to longtime musical co-conspirator Rick Froberg, aka Rick Fork, whose guitar work had joined Reis' in Drive Like Jehu and Pitchfork. "It alluded to a lot of bands I like or have liked for a really long time," Froberg said of the material. "I have pretty similar musical tastes as John, so it was pretty much right up my alley." Froberg added lyrics and vocals to the album and Automatic Midnight was born. Gar Wood of Tanner was recruited to handle bass duties for the ensuing tour and the foursome hit the road.
After the tour, the four members went their separate ways for a short time with the promise that they'd eventually regroup for another album and tour. Soon enough, tapes were being exchanged via mail and the band soon had enough material for another album on their hands. It didn't take long, Reis said. "We recorded it ourselves and often our heads would wander and we would just listen to music or just hang out. We spent a week putting the songs together and considerable more time than that messing around."
That camaraderie comes shining through on the new album, Suicide Invoice. The songs are more intricate and developed than those on the band's debut, and the leap in arrangements is truly invigorating. Early reports indicate that the band's shows on their Suicide Invoice tour, which brings them to the Bottleneck in Lawrence this Sunday, are just as amazing as the performances captured on their albums.
"We're not going to go out and 'work the record' or anything like that," Froberg said of the tour. "We're just going to go out and play some shows and hopefully it'll be fun. Maybe we'll make some money and maybe not. We'll come home and do it again in two years. I don't think we're really going out to support the record, we're just going out because it's fun," he said before quickly adding, "to a point."
After the tour winds up in September the band plans to take another break. Right now there aren't any immediate plans for another album, but it's a possibility. "The general
feeling is if it goes well and it's not a drag we can do it forever," Froberg said. "It's kind of a loose thing. I don't see why it couldn't go on for a while."