Lo-Fi Resistance to perform at Tioga Trails on Oct. 10; third Lo-Fi Resistance album to be released on Wednesday

 

On Sept. 23, 2014, 26-year old Randy McStine, of Endicott, N.Y. will release his third Lo-Fi Resistance album, The Age Of Entitlement. This will be a digital-only release, and will be available at www.lofiresistance.bandcamp.com.

For McStine, who completed a tour of North America and Europe with Sound of Contact (soundofcontact.com) in May of 2014; as well as a cross-country tour with The Pink Floyd Experience (thepinkfloydexperience.net/) just prior; “The Age Of Entitlement” will be his third release under the Lo-Fi Resistance moniker.

In support of his latest release, McStine has put together a band to perform cuts from each Lo-Fi Resistance release to include his first release, “A Deep Breath”; his second release, “Chalk Lines”; and his Sept. 23 release, “The Age Of Entitlement”.

His band, with members Randy McStine (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tom Brislin (keyboards and vocals), Phil McGovern (guitar and vocals), Michael Wu (bass and vocals), and Ronen Gordon (drums and percussion), will perform on Friday, Oct. 10, with doors opening at 9:30 p.m. at Tioga Trails located at the corner of Main and Lake Streets in Owego, N.Y. and again on Saturday, Oct. 11 at New Jersey’s Proghouse Homecoming Weekend 2014 in Dunellen, N.J. You can visit www.njproghouse.com/homecoming-weekend-2014/ to learn more about this festival.

Tickets for the show at Tioga Trails in Owego are $15, and are being sold exclusively on-line at http://lofiresistance.ticketleap.com/. Adam Weitsman, owner of Ben Weitsman and Son and Upstate Shredding, is also serving as a sponsor for the Owego event.

McStine also noted that his keyboardist, Tom Brislin, would open the show with a 30-minute set. Brislin typically performs as a solo artist, and is also known for his work with Yes, Meat Loaf, Debbie Harry, Renaissance, and Spiraling. Brislin is the author of 30-Day Keyboard Workout, and is a Senior Correspondent for Keyboard Magazine.

According to McStine, the Owego and New Jersey shows are the only two Lo-Fi Resistance performances scheduled for this year.

McStine has over a decade of experience, at the young age of 26, and is building a reputation for himself locally, nationally, and internationally.

Describing the latest Lo-Fi Resistance album, “The Age of Entitlement”, McStine noted influences from ’70s electronic music, art-pop, progressive rock, and more.

“It is a foot in the past and a step into the future,” said McStine during an interview on Wednesday.

McStine also talked of his newest release, stating that he recorded and mixed the whole thing in his studio; a first for Lo-Fi Resistance.

He also noted that it’s the first time in four years he has performed as Lo-Fi Resistance, with one of the last performances in 2010 being at the Ti-Ahwaga Theater located on Delphine Street in Owego, N.Y.

The sold-out show, according to McStine, was for “A Deep Breath”, an album that had been released four months prior to the performance.

The History of Randy McStine

McStine began playing guitar at the age of five and performing publicly at the age of ten. His formative years were spent playing in classic rock cover bands, while also pursuing original music. McStine’s early work was focused on guitar- driven, instrumental rock until he began to sing at the age of 15.

Setting up a small studio in his Upstate New York apartment, McStine started writing and recording new material in 2009 with no clear agenda. As he pooled together funding from solo performances, guitar lessons and landscaping work, a new passion and focus was evident as the unnamed project continued. Completing a new, full-length album was McStine’s ultimate goal.

Initially performing all of the album’s instrumentation, McStine eventually decided to bring in outside support for the drum tracks, blindly reaching out to ex-Spock’s Beard drummer Nick D’Virgilio to fill the seat.

D’Virgilio would not only perform on most of the songs, but also offer and accept the role of mixing the entire first album. Amongst other additional musicians, McStine enlisted longtime vocal favorite and personal friend Dug Pinnick (King’s X), for the end of a song entitled “Moral Disgrace.”

As recording sessions for the new album wrapped up in late 2009, McStine named the project Lo-Fi Resistance.

The debut album, A Deep Breath, was released independently on April 6, 2010 and was praised for its unique blending of Progressive Rock, Power Pop, and singer / songwriter influences. The album has drawn comparisons to diverse artists such as Todd Rundgren, Roger Waters, Yes, Crowded House, and The Police.

McStine began writing for a second Lo-Fi Resistance album, Chalk Lines, in April of 2011.

“Chalk Lines was an ambitious project that was recorded in several different places,” McStine added. “It both expands on and abandons the foundations of the first album.”

Drummer Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson) is featured throughout the entire second album, along with bassists Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), John Giblin (Kate Bush), and Dug Pinnick (King’s X) among its roster. Dave Kerzner (Sound Of Contact, Kevin Gilbert) splits keyboard duties with McStine, along with co-writing three songs and co-­producing the album.

Since the release of Chalk Lines, McStine has toured internationally as lead vocalist and co­-guitarist of The Pink Floyd Experience, along with filling the live guitar role for Sound Of Contact.

The Age Of Entitlement, set to be released on Tuesday, Sept. 23, is described by McStine as a bold and unique entry into the catalog, pulling influence from ’70s electronic music, art-­pop, progressive rock, and more.