Automatic 7

Beggar’s Life (Vagrant)
by Scott Hefflon

I dated a cute punk chick who played these guys all the fuckin’ time. Thought they were no better or worse than any other completely interchangeable new melodic punk band in the mid-’90s from somewhere in CA that I couldn’t point to on a map if I had to, but no one’s ever asked… Now with Beggar’s Life (and without the girl), I realize, “Hey, Automatic 7 is pretty damn good.” Kinda Mike Ness in the vocals, some chord changes you get to once yer so sick of playing the same three chords, and basically working some good craft into songs that are catchy without being so formulaic you can anticipate every move (the problem with listening to many hundreds of punk bands over the years). Without being all arty and shit, these guys know how to write a song familiar yet not beaten to death.
(2118 Wilshire Blvd. #361 Santa Monica, CA 90403)