AutoVaughn: A four-piece collective from Nashville, TN that's set on making the world listen to them; a concept that's articulated to a fine point, judging by the crowd's inability to resist the temptation of moving closer to the stage. Conceding, by the final song, the audience allows the music to take them where it must. A musical dictatorship if you will...and you will. Most seem to be not only fine with the forced approach, but are thrilled after the AutoVaughn experience, whether live or recorded.
The band recently played a packed-out show for Rachael Ray's SXSW day party, after which Rachael was quoted as saying, "AutoVaughn live is one of the most kick ass jams I've ever seen! And the CD rocks, too!" AutoVaughn will be releasing their new EP in the coming weeks, aptly titled *The Cycles*. The album was recorded and mixed by Brian Virtue (best known for his work with Jane's Addiction, Audioslave, and Deftones) and co-produced by AutoVaughn and Virtue. The six song EP will be available exclusively on Amazon.com and at the band's live shows for the first few weeks, at the request of Amazon MP3's Senior Business Developer, Griff Morris, who called AutoVaughn "the best band at SXSW 2008."
AutoVaughn is comprised of four young lads currently living in Nashville, but the individual members have roots planted deep in the blue-collar crossroads of Indiana and Ohio. Their backgrounds provide plenty of inspiration, as the songwriting on the new EP lashes out at the hardships of living in today's unstable world. Between a falling industry/economy, religious faction, and a world at war, one might say that AutoVaughn has a proverbial "beef" with the current world view, voiced in songs like "Our Confidence," proclaiming, "The climate's changing don't you know?!... Our confidence is almost gone!" Whether they meant to or not, they're onto something... the climate of music and the world is indeed changing, and in more ways than one. In other songs like "Missing Something" and the title track "The Cycles," these subjects are breached in shameless but tasteful pop fashion. The album concludes perfectly with the apocalyptic "Dream A Little."
Much like the character of the band, *The Cycles* EP doesn't take itself too seriously with the inclusion of tracks like "Inertia" and "Love Her to Pieces" that address the timeless battle of male vs. female. In the new EP, AutoVaughn manages to blend the post-80's tension of Nirvana with the brit-pop influence of Oasis and The Police. *The Cycles* is a six song masterpiece that will leave you eagerly awaiting the next release from AutoVaughn and searching for a copy of their last record, *Space*.
