System and Station

‘A Series of Screws’ is System and Station’s 8th recording and fifth LP. The title speaks volumes about a band that has been crafting and perfecting their epic brand of rock over the past decade. Led by Ryan Heise, whose song-writing acumen is both colossal and melodic, System and Station write songs that are accessible, complex and endearing. With Larry Crane (Tape Op, Jackpot!) at the wheel once again as longtime producer/engineer, ‘A Series of Screws’ can be viewed as both an evolution and...

‘A Series of Screws’ is System and Station’s 8th recording and fifth LP. The title speaks volumes about a band that has been crafting and perfecting their epic brand of rock over the past decade. Led by Ryan Heise, whose song-writing acumen is both colossal and melodic, System and Station write songs that are accessible, complex and endearing. With Larry Crane (Tape Op, Jackpot!) at the wheel once again as longtime producer/engineer, ‘A Series of Screws’ can be viewed as both an evolution and a pinnacle in the story of System and Station. With a dedication to honing the songs focusing on what the band does best, ‘A Series of Screws’ delivers plenty of hooks in a tighter package, building on a trajectory that began with 2008’s ‘A Nation of Actors’ and continued with last fall’s ‘I’m Here To Kill’ EP. At the root of it System and Station are a hard-working/touring indie-rock band with plenty of arena-sized moments. Both sides of that equation are fully realized on this album which begins with a nod to Zeppelin in “Pain Pills”, ends with a resonant Pacific Northwest-type groove in the title track, and in between offers the sort of loud/quiet/loud dynamics and guitar heroics (”In The Valley”, “Pardon Me”) that have earned them comparisons to bands like Shiner, Sunny Day Real Estate and Built To Spill. System and Station have been writing and recording their smart, angular Indie-pop/Rock for just over a decade now, and while many bands, music cycles or trends have come and gone in that time, System and Station forge ahead sounding as fresh today as they did with their earnest first recordings from Smart Studios in Madison, WI back in 1998 and 2000. Bio System and Station formed as a 3-piece in Boise, ID in 1998. From their inception, and through moves to Madison, WI and back to the Pacific Northwest (Portland, OR has been home for the last 8 years) singersongwriter and mainstay RFK Heise has guided them through 5 full-length records and 4 EP’s. Along the way they’ve gone on 20 national tours, owned two very loyal Ford E350 Club Wagons, and have had approximately 12 breakdowns (some in -20 degree weather, some strictly mental). They torched approximately 4 computer monitors in San Antonio, have seen 1 man dressed as a nun physically defile another person in New York, and have been jumped by 1 crackhead and 2 hookers in Knoxville, TN. They crashed at the house of the producer of the Oprah Winfrey show (along w/Caustic Resin) without him knowing it at the time. They’ve had 1 fight with a gang of dj’s in Las Vegas, have been in 1 Texas jail cell, and have been pickpocket by a gypsy in New Orleans. System and Station have played with everyone from Marky Ramone to Shiner, from Alex Chilton to Built to Spill, from Jeremy Enigk to Canyon, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to The Meat Puppets...oh yea, and also Sloppy Seconds. They’ve met some of the most inspiring and amazing people on planet earth who have taken them in without a second thought, and that is their favorite part of all of this.