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Cheap Red Wine, Ponzi Schemes, and...Chelsea Automatic
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Chelsea Automatic
Cheap red wine, Ponzi schemes, and...
By Adam Scoppa
You don't really get t...Chelsea Automatic
Cheap red wine, Ponzi schemes, and...
By Adam Scoppa
You don't really get to interview Chelsea Automatic; you just let them talk amongst themselves and take turns hurling insults. Occasionally, you can try to steer the mess in the direction of information worth knowing.
"I hope he uses that shot of me with a road flare in my mouth," muses singer J. Fina.
"He looked like Groucho Marx," explains bassist Eric Hangover
"I thought I looked like Jesse Ventura from Predator," Fina retorts.
Chelsea Automatic is the band your high school principal detested, your father called 'a bunch of bums' and your mother took one look at and nearly fainted. At least that's what they would have you believe.
Eagerly gulping down red table wine at their favorite haunt, Kafe Kerouac, singer J. Fina, guitarist Alex Donaldson, bassist Eric Hangover, drummer Jim Possible, and their manager Jeremy Marx revealed themselves simply to be a tight group of friends with a healthy disregard for political correctness and a lot of time on their hands - time spent, it seems, relentlessly perfecting and pushing their glammed-up garage rock agenda on anyone within earshot.
That, and making a music video involving zombies.
To arrive at the cocky, crafty outfit they are now, Chelsea Automatic had to take the long way around - a strange, boozy trip that began when the now 24-year-olds were teenage friends, transporting them from campus dive Bernie's to Boston and back. A decade and a few band names and styles later, they're older, wiser and ready for anything.
"Something I don't take for granted anymore is the fact that we can all play together really well," says Fina, citing lessons learned as a result of performing as the hair metal-inspired Crash Midnight in Boston. "You've heard of Guns and Roses? Worse than that," he says of that band's sound.
Frustrated with the project, the musicians scrapped Crash Midnight and returned to Columbus to form Chelsea Automatic two years ago. This time around, the boys peddle a more catchall guitar-rock sound that nods to their early days in the punk scene, hints at their Boston incarnation, and even dabbles in dance music.
In attempting to describe Chelsea Automatic, Hangover offered a puzzling monologue that began, "If you stayed up all night ..." and culminated with margaritas, girls, and a swimming pool. (It should be noted that, at this point, the second bottle of wine had been opened.)
A better introduction to their sound might be to check out the hilarious music video for "Conquerer John," which features the group battling bloodthirsty undead with shovels and instruments. Culled from this year's EP of the same name, "Conquerer John" treads much of the same ground that the confident 2008 debut The Band Drinks Free did, now infusing their Slash-ing guitar riffs and sing-along choruses with Brit-pop sensibilities.
Chelsea Automatic records their material at Clintonville's Central City Studios, always employing local indie-rock guru Jon Chinn to twiddle the knobs. Chinn has deftly zeroed in on the bands desired sound: a keen balance of the radio-ready with the down and dirty.
"The first song that we did, he blew us away with some of the ideas he had," recalls Fina, "and every time we go back ... he knows exactly what we want and what we're going for."
The band is currently gearing up to gain exposure at Harrisburg's Millennium Music Conference in February. Meanwhile, in Columbus, they recruit vagabonds sleeping on their campus porch to distribute albums to the public.
Live shows find Chelsea Automatic with its members frequently upside-down while playing or singing. On stage, depending on how much of whatever has been consumed, their polished recorded sound gets deconstructed in favor of a charmingly sloppy aesthetic - the kind of reckless rock n' roll circus they've cultivated from countless local and out of town shows.
The musicians' camaraderie is nearly as infectious as their sleazy hooks, and it is extended to the audience for a beer-sloshing, crowd-surfing sideshow. In spite of this deplorable behavior, the group has managed to receive very few arrests and make friends in many of the cities it has performed in.
Chelsea Automatic is partial to heading east for a homecoming gig of sorts in Boston, or further north to their favorite destination: Brooklyn, New York.
"There's this burrito cart ..." Fina begins.
"Sometimes we've had up to 15 people just make the trip with us and make a weekend out of it," says Donaldson.
"It's a good vacation from our everyday lives," says Marx.
"... Of crunching numbers and being hedge fund managers," Donaldson quips.
"By the way, invest in our Ponzi scheme," urges Hangover.
Then they spent a fascinating amount of time arguing about White Castle.
Originally Published: January 1, 2010
This article can be found online at http://614columbus.com/magazine/01-01-2010/chelsea-automatic
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Columbus Alive! feature(Dec. 2010)
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"Michael Jackson is our favorite artist," J. Fina said. "We have that in common with Kanye West."
..."Michael Jackson is our favorite artist," J. Fina said. "We have that in common with Kanye West."
Another trait Fina's band Chelsea Automatic shares with hip-hop's grandest auteur is a tendency to talk big. They regale interviewers with tales of hard-drinking rock star excess; their bio proclaims them "the most important band in America;" they titled their upcoming EP "Before We Were Huge."
Chelsea Automatic is far from Kanye levels of pop wizardry, but they're getting better at backing up their boasts. The songs they've compiled so far for "Before We Were Huge" are punchy rockers laced with pop pheromones, inhabiting a sweet spot in the narrow terrain between Phoenix and The Strokes.
The EP, which may expand into an album depending on how many tracks they record this winter, would already be finished if their preferred studio, Central City Recording, hadn't shut down temporarily to move to the new Wonderland building.
"We're in a period of mourning," guitarist Alex Scott Donaldson said.
They've been seeking out a suitable location to resume recording. In the meantime, they'll play Ravari Room on Friday with Vancouver solo act Val Halla, who just wrapped up a tour with Ted Nugent. The band met and befriended Halla at the hotel bar when both acts played the Florida Music Festival.
"She was the only girl that could drink as much as we could," Fina said.
The band is primarily focused right now on churning out more studio tracks, especially after MTV decided to include their song "Death of Me" in an upcoming episode of "The Hard Times of RJ Berger."
"We're trying to just constantly produce in the studio," Fina said.
Drummer Jim Possible chimed in: "Like Kanye West."
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Columbus Rock City
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LOCALS ONLY
Columbus Rock City
Thursday, February 19, 2009 6:27 AM
By Chris DeVille
What: C...LOCALS ONLY
Columbus Rock City
Thursday, February 19, 2009 6:27 AM
By Chris DeVille
What: Chelsea Automatic
When: Saturday, Feb. 21
Where: Scarlet & Grey Cafe, Campus
Web: myspace.com/chelseaautomatic
For the guys that comprise Chelsea Automatic, the past year has been about coming home and getting back to basics.
First, the geography: J Fina, Jim Possible, Eric Hangover and Alex Scott Donaldson grew up in New Albany but quickly gravitated toward the Columbus punk scene. They were the snotty teens sneaking drinks at Bernie's and playing at Midgard Comics in bands like Ken Starr Report and The Spooks.
When they graduated high school in 2004, Donaldson left to study guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston. One by one, the other guys found their way to Beantown, eventually forming an '80s-style metal band and playing around the East Coast.
By last summer, they had grown disenchanted with their band, the Boston music scene and the technique-first wankery of musical academia.
"You would think, Boston versus Columbus, that Boston would have the better scene," Donaldson said, "but Columbus is Columbus Rock City."
So they returned last summer looking for a fresh start. They moved into a house on Campus, started writing songs and booked as many shows as they could. They aimed to write "drinking songs and dancing songs," straightforward rock 'n' roll built on power chords and melodic howls.
Within weeks of forming the band, they dialed up producer Jon Chinn, whose previous clients - New Bomb Turks, The Favors, The Sun - were among Chelsea Automatic's earliest influences.
"I think of the bands I listened to when I was young and I think literally half of them were produced by this guy," Donaldson said.
The band works fast. Less six months after they formed, they entered Central City Recording with Chinn and cranked out their debut album, Band Drinks Free.
Although it features silly titles like "Pay the Toll if You Wanna Rock N Roll," the album is one of the more impressive debuts to emerge from Columbus lately - slick, brash, catchy and reminiscent of British breakout bands like The Kooks and Arctic Monkeys.
The band has been sending the album to every label they can find, even companies that specialize in German pop and spoken word. Until they find a taker, they're putting it out themselves. The release show March 6 at the Newport Music Hall will be filmed for an upcoming DVD release.
Chelsea Automatic has lots of other upcoming shows around the state, including Saturday's gig at the Scarlet & Grey, which will no doubt be followed by one of their notorious house parties at their nearby pad. They like to play their album for drunken revelers in an attempt to embed it in their subconscious.
As Fina put it, "We're inseminating the city of Columbus with booze and our music."
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Fast Friends
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Fast Friends - Chelsea Automatic
Story: Cary Smith
If you trudge through the apartment shared by...Fast Friends - Chelsea Automatic
Story: Cary Smith
If you trudge through the apartment shared by the four members of Chelsea Automatic, you’ll come across guitars and amps, side-by-side the typical junk littering most rentals on Ohio State’s campus. Beer cans and cheap red wine bottles poke out from behind couches, becoming more and more prevalent as you approach the basement/practice space/house party/concert venue. This is where the magic happens, this is where the riffs and lyrics are put together with a Guns N’ Roses-like attitude of a hard-rocking 80s party band in the only way they know how.
“We really just start out with a cool riff or part we’ve come up with,” drummer Jim Possible says. “Then we just write about whatever’s going on. It comes pretty easy for us, really.”
Possible, vocalist J Finna, guitarist Alex Scott Gordon and bassist Eric Hangover have been playing music together since they listened to their first punk records and were still waiting to get their driver’s licenses. They shared the stage together and in different bands throughout Columbus until college got in the way forcing some members to Boston. In this short time, members got a taste of life outside their familiar band life.
“We found out how absolutely excruciating it was for us to play with other people,” Finna says. “When we got back together, everything just came so easy for us.”
After moving back to Columbus and recording with Jon Chin, making a zombie-filled music video and using some of their connections with Boston friends to play up and down the East Coast, Chelsea Automatic has created a buzz around town. So much so that they have a spot at the music festival South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
“It’s going to be crazy going down to Austin,” Finna says. “I’m pretty sure that drinks are free for the artists, so that’s just an added bonus.”
Go to www.myspace.com/chelseaautomatic for more information on Chelsea Automatic.
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MMC Noteworthy: Chelsea Automatic
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Well, this is it. Our last Millennium Music Noteworthy of 2010 is Columbus Ohio's Chelsea Automatic....Well, this is it. Our last Millennium Music Noteworthy of 2010 is Columbus Ohio's Chelsea Automatic. If you are one who believes that the music at a party is a major consideration that helps set the tone for whole affair, then you'll probably dig Chelsea Automatic. And if you're playing Chelsea Automatic at your party, people might not know the words to sing along, but they're definitely going to get louder, they'll definitely get rowdier and there's a chance they might just start dancing.
With Chelsea Automatic you almost get the sense that they are intentionally over the top. That this is all kind of a performance piece, a throwback to another age. Like they are to garage rock what The Darkness was to the music of the late 70’s. There is a bit of a garage revival going on right now, but not much of it has the swagger and over the top kitsch of Chelsea Automatic.
Guitarist Alex Scott Donalson left Columbus after graduating from high school and enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He’s clearly got some guitar chops, and while we was in Boston he slowly but surely convinced his future bandmates to migrate east. After becoming disillusioned with an 80’s metal band they had formed, they moved back to Columbus, stripped away all the pretension and formed Cheslea Automatic.
Their EP Conqueror John has all the guts of an Arctic Monkeys disk and is as booze-fueled as the classic style they emulate or, at the very least, channel. The band goes to great lengths to make itself out as over the top partiers raging out against “The Man” which is definitely a throwback to a simpler time.
You can catch Chelsea Automatic at Coakley’s at 11:00pm Saturday night.
http://blog.spotobe.com/index.php/spot/entry/mmc_noteworthy_chelsea_automatic/
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The Future of Rock and The Best MySpace Bands You're Not Listening To
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This is a band that has taken full advantage of their page and ability to present themselves as prof...This is a band that has taken full advantage of their page and ability to present themselves as professionally as possible. Their site looks friggin’ amazing, their videos are beautifully shot, and the quality of the their recordings are pitch perfect. Oh yeah, and they’re also amazing.
From rockin, guitar driven songs like “Conqueror John” to insanely fun party tunes like “Sunday,” this is definitely a band to get hip to as soon as possible. And hey, they come from the great state of Ohio. What more could you ask?
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Chelsea Automatic in The Buzzin Box
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This band’s energy is that of a locomotive train running at full tilt. Even on their slower tempo so...This band’s energy is that of a locomotive train running at full tilt. Even on their slower tempo songs you can feel their force. With a sound that is riveting and fresh Chelsea Automatic will surely be a household name in the near future. Hailing from Columbus Rock City, Chelsea Automatic plays a brand of modern garage rock that your parents don’t want you to listen to.
All in their early 20’s, twin brothers Jim and Alex took it upon themselves to recruit lifelong comrades Eric and J to form an association built on pure ambition. In just one year together, Chelsea Automatic has self-produced three radio quality EPs, been featured in every major publication in their home city, and taken their rock and roll circus throughout the Midwest and East Coast, including New York City, Nashville, Cleveland, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. Highlights of the band’s headstrong tenure include their CD release party at Columbus’s legendary Newport Music Hall, guest spots at SXSW, the Vans Warped Tour, M.E.A.N.Y. Fest in New York City, and the Millennium Music Conference, and upcoming appearances at the Florida Music Festival and LAUNCH Music Conference.
Chelsea’s discography is as follows: Life After Whippits EP (September 2008), The Band Drinks Free (March 2009), Death Of Me EP (July 2009) and Conqueror John EP (Digital Release: November 2009). The band is currently in the studio recording their new EP titled Our Heroes Hate Us (June 2010). You can currently view and purchase Chelsea Automatic fan gear at skreened.com and preview and purchase their Conqueror John EP on iTunes.
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Columbus Dispatch Article
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LOCAL LIMELIGHT
Chelsea Automatic
MEMBERS Jim Possible (drums), Eric Hangover (bass), J Fina (voca...LOCAL LIMELIGHT
Chelsea Automatic
MEMBERS Jim Possible (drums), Eric Hangover (bass), J Fina (vocals), Alex Scott Donaldson (guitar) STYLE ", Columbus edition" NEW MUSIC , available at www. myspace.com/ChelseaAutomatic) CONCERT 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Billiard Club, 911 E. Dublin-Granville Rd. (614-885-9299, www.myspace. com/bcpool) adMISSION $7
Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:14 AM
The band formerly known as Chelsea Smile will play its first show Friday as Chelsea Automatic -- thanks to cease-and-desist letters from the Los Angeles band Chelsea Smile.
"They're threatening to sue because they hate that we are a better band," singer J Fina said.
The four members of the rising garage-punk band recently gang-answered questions:
Q What does your music sound like?
A It's a cross between the New Bomb Turks and the Hives with guitar solos. It pretty much sounds like Guitar Hero, Columbus edition.
Q Song, record, concert, act of God -- why does your band exist?
A We've been playing in essentially the same band with different lineups since the eighth grade. That's when we first picked our name -- because the movie Snatch came out and we thought anything British was sweet. ("Chelsea smile" is slang for a type of torture.)
It's just been the same group of friends we grew up with who collectively realized this is the only thing we're capable of doing.
Q What is your favorite quote about the group?
A There is nothing that has been said about our band that you can print. I think that's good.
Q Why should someone see you in concert?
A Our shows tend to go from musical performance to giant party involving every man and woman within a mile radius.
Every time we play out, new people come and they all tell us it's the most fun they've ever had -- ever. I'm pretty sure it's because we bribe them to come with free drinks. But when they realize there are no free drinks, they stick around. It's pretty much awesome.
-- Aaron Beck abeck@dispatch.com
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Rowdy Rockers Aim to Take Over Columbus, then the World
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Rowdy Rockers Aim to Take Over Columbus, then the World
February 11, 2009 by James E. Donaldson
...Rowdy Rockers Aim to Take Over Columbus, then the World
February 11, 2009 by James E. Donaldson
For the local band Chelsea Automatic, anything less than world domination through their music is unacceptable.
"We have already taken the proper steps to take over Columbus. Our musical motto is: first Columbus, and then the world," stated lead singer J Fina.
The ambitious group describes their music as garage rock that your parents don’t want you to listen to. They have been together for almost seven months yet already have a full-length, professional album under their belts.
Despite playing shows every weekend in Columbus, the band has played in Cleveland and is getting ready to play in cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Athens.
The band consists of Fina on vocals; Eric Hangover on bass guitar, Alex Scott on guitar, and Jim Possible on drums. Half of the band, including bassist Hangover, attend Columbus State Community College and are doing remarkably well with their grassroots approach to marketing.
"After every show, we usually have an after party. [Our fans] are more inclined to come out and see us play when they know that we are going to be spending the money that we earned for the show to supply the alcohol [after the show]," stated Hangover.
The talented quartet has made a name for itself in the Columbus music scene with their combination of catchy guitar riffs, searing vocals, and solid drum grooves.
"Everyone who attends our live show ends up saying that we’re their new favorite band," said vocalist Fina. Their debut album, The Band Drinks Free, will be availible for their CD release show March 6th at the Newport Music Hall.
"If you like garage rock, blues, and watching a rowdy band take over on stage – we invite you all to come along and see us," Hangover said. The future is bright for these four Columbus-born rockers and their band, Chelsea Automatic.
They have been in constant contact with a Los Angeles agent who found the White Stripes and REM. The agent will be flying from L. A. to attend the Newport show, March 6.
"Things have been moving so fast, and always up ever since we got together," said Hangover. "We try to play good blues rock music that our fans can dance to, and then afterwards we always have a killer after party. It’s like everyone is one big, united, incestuous, partying family. We have almost taken over Columbus. Today Columbus, tomorrow the world."
Check out Chelsea Automatic for yourselves at http://www.myspace.com/chelseaautomatic or http://www.chelseaautomatic.com
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UWeekly Feature/Interview
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Chelsea Automatic
Rowdy Rockers
January 21, 2009
By Bram Fulk
Even though the current incarn...Chelsea Automatic
Rowdy Rockers
January 21, 2009
By Bram Fulk
Even though the current incarnation of the band has only been officially around since July of last year, local garage band rockers Chelsea Automatic are quickly making a name for themselves on the Columbus music scene. The band – described by frontman Jeremy Fina as a cross between "90's Epitaph punk and Millennium garage rock"- already has a radio-quality record under its belt as well as a reputation for throwing quite the rowdy after party. As the band prepares for a slew of Columbus concerts as well as their first big trip to the Big Apple, Fina took a few minutes to talk with UWeekly about growing up in the Columbus music scene as well as the finer things in life such as smashing TVs and sneaking beers as 14-year-olds into their first gig at Bernie's nearly a decade ago.
UW: How did Chelsea Automatic come about?
JF: Well, we've all been friends since 8th grade. Originally, it started out as a band for a talent show and it was more like a Red Hot Chili Peppers-type band. Throughout the years, though, we've gone through various incarnations and now we are Chelsea Automatic.
UW: How did you get your start playing professionally? Where was the first place you played?
JF: Bernie's. We were 14 years old playing in Bernie's and, coincidently, it was the first place most of us ever drank for the first time.
UW: Was it at the same time? I mean, when you were playing there?
JF: Oh, yeah! We would either get people to get us drinks or we would sneak forties in. (laughs)
UW: Nice! Now, you've played in various bands for eight or nine years now. What's the Columbus music scene like to you?
JF: Well, it's really different because you have a lot of different people playing. You have older guys that have been playing since they were our age and [they've] basically moved past the point of being able to make music for a living and you have bands that just want to go out and get hammered and get laid and everything. But, there are- I don't know. There's just a wide variety of music and it seems like it's a lot harder for just a rock act to get out there because there aren't very many groups to play with, but there's a demand for it. We've noticed a lot of people have said that there aren't very many rock groups and they really enjoy the fact that they can come out and see us because, most of the time, if you want to see something rock, it's going to be grungy punk...or way out on the indie side – there's a bunch of metal bands out, too. There's just a wide variety of bands. I don't know; it's interesting.
UW: What's the songwriting process like for you guys?
JF: Usually, the way it works is, Alex [the guitarist] and I usually collaborate on stuff – he usually writes all the melodies for the music and I write all the lyrics - then the rest of the band fills in the blanks.
UW: You have several Columbus shows coming up in the next few weeks, don't you?
JF: We have Skully's on Friday with Honey Gun. They're an awesome band; friends of ours. Then we have The Newport on the 30th – that's going to be a lot of fun – then, after that, I think it's Garage Bar. That's one of my favorite venues to play [but] I've never played at Skully's or The Newport before, so that's probably not fair. But, at this point in time, Garage Bar is my favorite because they have just decked out that whole place like an old diner. It's pretty sweet.
UW: You're also traveling to New York for a gig at The Trash Bar in Brooklyn. Is this you're first trip as a band?
JF: Yeah. Some people in the band have not been out past Dayton to play before. It's going to be interesting. We're going to Cleveland and we have three cars, so we're trying to figure out a trailer situation. It's just really exciting.
UW: You personally have traveled with other bands, though. What's the craziest thing that's ever happened to you on a road trip?
JF: Well, that's really hard to pick a specific incident. As far as traveling is concerned, I wouldn't say us traveling is anymore crazy than what happens on a daily basis. For example, just last week – I'm not going to name specific people, but – we have a habit of having ridiculous after parties every time we play and that leads to people staying over and the party continuing for often three or four days. One day – okay, I'll just tell you – Alex likes to break things. When he gets hammered – there's a baseball bat in the house and we've had to hide it from him a few times – it's just like that show on Fuse – Rock Bottom – where [bands] have, like, an out of control person and they just break shit and stuff and they have an intervention. Well, it was like that times 10. Alex was going nuts with the baseball bat – he was breaking glass everywhere – and then, there was no more glass to break, so he starts smashing the TV. There's a church across the street and then – after the TV's good and smashed – he single-handedly drags it up to the steps of the church and then starts yelling – I forget what he was saying – something about telling God to convert it to HD or something. He was hammered drunk, man!
Originally Published: Issue 727 - January 21, 2009
supersonic
