Automaton by Harvey McLaughlin

This room has ghosts.

Ghosts that scream and wail in the oblivion as if they were shooting dice and drinking in an all night lounge. Ghosts that speak in tongues. Ghosts that dress from some other world, some other time in the past - I’m talking corsets and JNCO jeans.

I can hear them on this record (at least I think I can).

It wasn’t the intention to disturb these spirits; I didn’t even bring a ouija board to the sessions. But when they heard what we were doing, they made their presence known and demanded to be involved. It was not an easy process, as collaboration with the after world is arduous and intense. Have you ever tried harmonizing with a spectre?? There’s nothing like a poltergeist banging on your piano top for not staying on tempo.

We did these recordings analog style on a temperamental reel-to-reel, deep in the belly of a vault-like basement on October 21st 2018. We recorded way more than intended and most of it got cut. What you’re hearing here is a snapshot of what was floating around us at the time and I’m very proud to capture the mood, in all its ghostly glory.

Thanks to all y’all that made this real - living, dead and undead.

Harvey Mclaughlin
September 2019

Harvey McLaughlin is an old man trapped in a young man's body. Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Tom Waits, Warren Zevon, Randy Newman and that dude with the crazy hair from 'Ancient Aliens' and a comic book geek all rolled into one defiantly contemporary package.