Finite Automata

Finite Automata performing live in 2009 in Mobile, Alabama.

Finite Automata

Origin:	Pensacola, Florida
Genre:	Post-Industrial Electro-Industrial Experimental Electronica
Years Active:	2006-present
Label:	unsigned
URL	www.myspace.com/finiteautomata
Current Members:	Mod (c.) Grendel Vik Martinez
Former Members:	Mat Porter

Finite Automata is a Pensacola based electro-industrial group drawing heavily from post industrial and darkwave bands such as Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and Project Pitchfork. Their sound has been noted as fusing elements of EBM, darkwave, elecktro, and dark ambient. They are known locally for their highly confrontational live performances which feature the use of strange contraptions, sharp objects, candles, wire, and various props. They are also known for their disturbingly fatalistic approach when dealing with the subject matter of their material, which is often introspective and politically charged.

Background

The band came together as a chaotic side project in mid-2006 and was plagued by line-up changes, with front-man Mod (Dom Price) the only consistent member until early April of 2007, when he was approached by c. Grendel (Christopher Stanley) who expressed interest in helping with the project. Grendel became Finite Automata's primary keyboardist and composer, with Mod arranging sequences and providing snarled growling vocals.

In September of the same year the two were joined by Ex-Pathetics guitarist Mat Porter; who became the band's gadgetrist and primary guitarist. Porter contributed to the song Filth In Eyes; a confrontational piece inspired by the band's disagreement with the activities of Westboro Baptist Church and religious bigotry in general. Porter left the band in early 2008 due to conflicting musical interests with c. Grendel and Porter's repeated tardiness to practice and recording sessions.

Porter was replaced by Vic "Vik" Martinez in September of 2008, who added unorthodox guitar work and provided a much needed third layer to the band's overall sound. Martinez also incorporated elements of bass synth and live sample triggering to the band's live performances.

The group has gained a modest following in the Pensacola music scene, however this is often overshadowed by acts of other genres. The group makes infrequent appearances due to the enormous amount of planning and scale required for their performances. They have played local venues such as Sluggo's, End of the Line Cafe, and The Handlebar. The band has played shows with local acts such as User Assumes Risk and Vomit Gun.

The groups name comes from a term in computer science relating to finite state machines. The band uses the name as an allusion to human behavior being primitive or predictable in nature.

Style

Finite Automata's overall style is much akin to bands of the same genre, most notably Skinny Puppy and Frontline Assembly. Most works have a deep, dark layered sound reminiscent of bands from the early eighties post-industrial scene. Percussion tracks are often forged out of found material and recorded sounds which are spliced and altered to give them their characteristic harshness. The band's primary keyboardist, c. Grendel, often cites Project Pitchfork and Depeche Mode as his primary influences, contributing to his melodic style of composition. The band's instruments of choice are Yamaha and Ensoniq keyboards dating from the mid to late eighties; citing the metallic and brassy quality of the instruments' output. The band often makes use of heavy sampling, most notably from obscure 80's and early 90's science fiction and horror films. Usage of warped live radio broadcasts during live performances is also common.

The band's vocal and lyrical influences include Nivek Ogre, Peter Spilles, and Rozz Williams. The subject matter of the music is often convoluted as Mod's lyrical style is often recited from an observational point of view, lending to the ambiguous nature of the band's lyrical content.

Performances by the band are often full-scale productions, with the band often bringing their own lighting crew, equipment, props, costumes and volunteer cast of actors. The band's performances often feature themes of control, greed, vanity, torture, fatalism and helplessness, often with Mod being "tormented" by various masked figures throughout the performance. The theatrics often make liberal use of stage blood and feature strange contraptions and masks sculpted and created by Mod himself.