Automatic Lover

Doors 7PM / Show 8PM

$15ADV / $20DOS

You can think of Automatic Lover as a concept band, where the concept is simple: bring together musicians with a lifetime of inspiration to make music that moves. Like pulling from a wall full of vinyl, the sound can change on a dime, sliding from deep groove to backbeat, from driving rock to soca. It’s music that revels in surprises. 

Page through their influences and you’ll hear strands of the Budos Band and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Khruangbin and Deep Sea Diver. They can be as electric as early Police, as funked out as the Brand New Heavies, and as joyful as Manu Chao.  

The band grew up onstage with some of the midwest’s best funk, hip-hop, and acid-jazz bands. Singer Uriel Lopez-Rodriguez honed his latin pop and hip hop sensibilities through years writing and producing artists across Mexico City, California, Arizona, and Wisconsin, including The Prolé, where he first played with keyboardist Matt Reif. 

Brett Farrey (bass) and Shanan Galligan (guitar) were the rhythm section in the hip-hop/acid-jazz combo Smokin’ with Superman and alt-rock Little Earthquakes. 

Joey Banks (drums) carries on the legacy of his close friend and mentor, Clyde Stubblefield as well as a wide portfolio of projects from Steely Dane to the Funkee JBeez. 

The horn section featuring Ben Knox (sax), Jamie Kember (trombone), and Mike Boman (trumpet) are among the area’s most in-demand musicians, gracing the stage with bands from The Big Payback to the Youngblood Brass Band. 

After their first year playing festival stages across the city, the band has a full night of original music slated to record and release, starting with the singles Helena and Sick Love.