ROCK HISTORY CONTINUES...
WITH "LOW EXPECTATIONS"
Ernie and the Automatics exist on that knife-edge between rock and blues. Despite
debuting at No. 7 on Billboard's Blues Chart with their independent first release
Low Expectations, the members of the band definitely channel a classic rock vibe
and bring out that audience. This may be a result of their individual histories
or it may be that the "blues" and "rock" labels are too limiting. Regardless, Ernie
and the Automatics are a fresh, rocking blues band that brings home an updated version
of the classic rock experience.
Based in Boston, MA, Ernie and the Automatics is a six-piece band fueled by two
guitars, bass, drums, keyboards, sax and harmonica. Strong vocals and harmonies
round out the mix, delivering the original songs and occasional covers that make
for an electrifying live show. The chemistry of the band is evident live and in
their recordings. If it seems as if these guys have played together for many years
it’s because most of them have.
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Keyboardist/vocalist/harmonica player Brian Maes, bassist Tim Archibald and guitarist
Barry Goudreau were in the Boston-based band RTZ together with the late singer Brad
Delp, whose inimitable pipes helped make Boston classic rock legends. Maes and Archibald
also toured the world in Peter Wolf's House Party Five. If the name Barry Goudreau
sounds familiar it’s because he and drummer Sib Hashian were original members of
Boston with Delp. Goudreau left Boston after their first two stunning albums and
Ernie and the Automatics (EatA) was his chance to re-unite with Hashian. The band
is rounded out by guitarist and Berklee graduate Ernie Boch and saxophonist (and
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer) Michael "Tunes" Antunes. Antunes spent most of his career
with John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, best known for their hit "On the Dark
Side" and music on the cult classic movie Eddie and the Cruisers.
A veritable rock royalty collective, EatA's members have sold more than 30 million
records between them and are all wired directly into the DNA of Boston's rock'n'roll
community. And it’s the hope of all involved that the music of this band will earn
them a new place in Boston's rock pantheon, a group that includes Aerosmith, The
Cars, Modern Lovers, J. Geils Band, Extreme and — of course — Boston.
Although this much history and members of such high caliber sometimes leads to unrealistic
expectations, Ernie & The Automatics first CD, Low Expectations, dispels any doubt
of whether or not these guys can still cut it – beginning with the appropriate name
of the record.
Featuring all-original material written with the participation of everybody in the
band, the music sounds fresh and is representative of the cooperative spirit of
the band. They know their past but they are not seeking to use it as their calling
card. The music and the performances have spoken for themselves opening for the
likes of B.B. King, James Cotton, Johnny Winter, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Chuck Berry,
Rick Derringer, Los Lobos, Godsmack, Extreme, America, The Fabulous Thunderbirds
and many more.
Blues with a rock edge or rock with a blues edge...either one works for Ernie and
the Automatics. These guys just want to get out and reintroduce themselves to audiences
along the road... and that’s exactly what they’re going to do, starting with some
major touring lined up for 2010.
