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In 1983, vocalist Tony
Kramedas set out to produce an album for major label release. These recordings, done over time as budget permitted, had a more electric 1980s sound with guitars, synthesizers and drum machines. The project came to a halt when Kramedas became ill; he died in 1985, as have
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as "a non-official offshoot" of SFGMC along with three official subgroups. Automatic Pilot soon came into their own as an independent force, creating a niche at the fringe of the nascent gay musical movement and a new musical style.
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as vibrant independent artists in contrast to "the financial concerns and artistic reserve of the larger gay cultural institutions" of San
Francisco in 1982. They were played on the nationally syndicated
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several other band members. During
Automatic Pilot's final months, Brown and McQueen became involved in writing and performing music for the original 1984 Theatre Rhinoceros production of
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Guthman, Edward: "AIDS and the Arts: How the Bay Area Has Been Hit", page 22. San
Francisco Chronicle, December 7, 1986 (On the death of Automatic Pilot singer Tony Kramedas)
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The ensemble consisted of up to four part vocals led by
Matthew McQueen, backed by pianist Karl Brown, with violin, flute/sax, and a string bassist and drummer from the
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Sugar, Jon: "Karl Brown: A Crackling
Thunderbolt in the Darkest of Skies " page 22-30. Bay Area Reporter, November 14, 1985 (Interview is mainly about Automatic Pilot)
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format of live performances and studio works, and a detailed history. The site also features music from The AIDS Show and newly rediscovered video (in both
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into somewhat twisted song structures that are both interesting and accessible. Their sound, dubbed "erotic jazz wave" has been compared to cartoon music,
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Thompson, Mark: "1982 Reviewed: The
Promise and Problems of Gay Culture Spotlighted in San Francisco", pages 51-58. The Advocate, January 20, 1983
289:"San Francisco," page 57. New York Native, April 11–24, 1983 (uncredited performance photo; correction published page 55, April 25 - May 8, 1983)
235:"Satiric-Erotic New-Wave Band", page 61. San Francisco Chronicle, September 1, 1982. (Blurb presented as a short article, not a calendar listing)
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Automatic Pilot continued to perform in San
Francisco at various venues including the Castro Street Fair, the On Broadway Theater and the
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published four full length articles on the band between 1982 and 1985. Their music was featured on regional radio shows including
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They achieved notoriety early on with songs such as "Sit On My Face" and "Killer Purses" performed at benefits for the SFGMC,
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The master tapes sat on a shelf until 2002 when the
Automatic Pilot website was launched, with many complete recordings in
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format) from
Automatic Pilot's December 1982 performance at the Valencia Rose. The CDs were released in 2005.
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De Gracia, Jerry:"Automatic Pilot Soars Into Uncharted Territory" page 32. Bay Area Reporter, April 1, 1982
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as a starting point, writers Brown and McQueen incorporated elements of jazz, classical, theater and the
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Keane, Peter: "Automatic Pilot Slips Into Cruise Control" page 28. Bay Area Reporter, February 17, 1983
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This article is about the 1980s music group. For the automatic vehicle guidance system, see
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Guthman, Edward: "Merry Musicmakers from Coast to Coast". The Advocate, March 5, 1981
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genre fits best due to the time period, punk influence and experimental bent.
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gay performance space, venturing as far as the Chute II Bar in Reno.
200:(Recorded at San Francisco's On Broadway Theater, September 1, 1982)
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Automatic Pilot was covered regularly by local media including the
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262:"Which Wave?" page 19. Bay Area Reporter, September 30, 1982
134:'s Fruit Punch. Nationally, they appeared in the
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33:band. Created in 1980 by members of the
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79:San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band
226:San Francisco Chronicle, May 10, 1979
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342:Musical groups established in 1980
100:. Automatic Pilot anticipated the
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327:Musical groups from San Francisco
194:(Studio works from 1981 to 1985)
53:. They derived their name from
332:American post-punk music groups
51:Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
35:San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
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337:LGBTQ-themed musical groups
84:With an acoustic parody of
61:'s trial for killing Mayor
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37:, they were described by
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312:Automatic Pilot website
121:San Francisco Chronicle
104:bands by a decade. The
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55:psychiatric testimony
146:Orquestra Sabrosita
192:Back from the Dead
47:Theatre Rhinoceros
127:Bay Area Reporter
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186:Discography
151:Dr. Demento
98:Frank Zappa
90:avant-garde
67:Harvey Milk
321:Categories
205:References
49:, and the
106:post-punk
102:queercore
86:punk rock
59:Dan White
21:Autopilot
94:klezmer
73:History
180:MPEG-1
124:. The
96:, and
29:was a
178:and
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132:KPFA
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