ROCK CITY MACHINE COMPANY
Rock City Machine Company
Lindsley Records
With KISS' ongoing farewell tour gaining as much momentum as its travel itinerary continues to gain more and more dates to play, a new aspiring band are poised to take their place. More specifically, the members of both Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley's own respected touring bands are vying for their own moment in the limelight as ROCK CITY MACHINE COMPANY. The name's a bit of a mouthful and could be seen as a bit of overcompensation for some at first glance - a far cry from their progenitors/current employers' mantra of "keep it simple, stupid" as far as band monikers go - but the carefree raw melodic tones of their music is worth it.
Formed by guitarists Ryan Spencer Cook and Jeremy Asbrock, along with bassist Philip Shouse, the aspiring trio first gigged frequently as part of Gene Simmons' touring band before Cook and Asbrock started touring as part of Ace Frehley's own outfit. I'm almost convinced that the band itself had officially formed at around the time that our own Larry Petro had recently interviewed them before their show with the Spaceman at Houston's House Of Blues, but their history goes back about a good decade or so when the trio were known as 80's hard rock/metal tribute band THE BIG ROCK SHOW. Ryan was actually a tenant of KISS manager Doc McGhee while he was staying in Nashville to see the band perform and upon finding out that he was an aspiring musician, he'd suggested to Ryan to try out for the 2011 KISS Kruise. The challenge was accepted and TE BIG ROCK SHOW, whose performance having mesmerized both Simmons and Stanley so much that they not only ended up playing the Kruise that year and a further six years afterwards, but they also were Gene's personal hand-picked choice as his band on his solo tour of Australia - alongside Ace Frehley's own band which the Spaceman understandably opted not to bring over due to the high expense costs of touring Down Under. So, he asked Gene if he could borrow the opening band to play with him - to which Gene said yes, as long as their performance with Ace didn't affect their performance as his own band.
Yet, as successful as THE BIG ROCK SHOW were in raising their profile in the music scene and with having KISS as one of the best referential vouchers that a young band could possibly have in recognizing their potential, they were ready to branch out of performing covers into composing their own original material. Through their connections with noted producer Marti Frederiksen (whose studio Ryan was managing at the time) and with friend Craig Lindsley (Lindsley Records), THE BIG ROCK SHOW officially began their transformation into ROCK CITY MACHINE COMPANY (named after a water purification business in Nashville whose building Ryan used to pass by frequently on his way to work). By the power and grace of Zoom throughout the better part of the past year in which Marti saw his post-pandemic work schedule suddenly filling up rather quickly, RCMC were able to produce a bulk of original material under his guidance, including the catchy and literal driving number "Can’t Stop The Train" which recently caught the attention of NASCAR during a racing event at Martinsville and saw RCMC pair up with the franchise. But, is there more to this debut album by this MACHINE for a first-time listener to choo-choo-choose from, you ask?
Plenty, as it turns out from their self-titled 8-song offering. Their aforementioned NASCAR anthem opens the album nicely, and like many a debut album which features a temptuous radio-friendly number as its opener, it dangles a lot of fine fresh fruit in front of the more adventurous listener. And despite their honorable proclamations that "you're gonna hear DEF LEPPARD, AEROSMITH, AC/DC" throughout their debut album, RCMC also frequently stray into a lane normally reserved for the likes of their more rootsier-sounding contemporaries such as BLACKBERRY SMOKE and DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS in parts. "Soul For The Gold" and "High Road" alone showcase some nice introspective lyrics reminiscent of both aforementioned bands in between the upbeat Y&T-meets VAN HAGAR-esque number "Summer Song" and the driving sleazy-sounding track "When Trouble Finds You". And a catchy yet neat cover of the BOB SEGER SYSTEM's 1968 hit "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" is so well-pronounced that it could’ve been RCMC's life code. It definitely suited what Ryan had called "something within my vocal wheelhouse" and what Jeremy further alluded to as a song "that hasn't been covered to death" as a new fanbase - perhaps amongst them Bob Seger's kids and grandkids - praises the band for steering clear of attempting either "Old Time Rock 'N Roll" or "Turn The Page" for the millionth time.
While their own current touring plans basically hinge upon overall ambiguity - or however long KISS' farewell tour is supposed to last throughout the rest of the year to be honest - RCMC have budgeted their own free time wisely with establishing both their own destiny and their own brand with the final result being a primordial-sounding debut album firmly steeped in the rambunctious and carefree hard rock 70's/80's vibe. If KISS ever did need reminding throughout their final global jaunt as to where their roots were first planted, they need only to look at and listen to RCMC's debut album as a mirroring source for their own inspiration just as RCMC had done years earlier when they'd first heard Dressed To Kill or Love Gun for the first time as their hungry arms are poised to receive the torch being passed over to them.
5.0 Out Of 5.0
Socials:
Ryan Spencer Cook
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diver.down.127/
Instagram: @ryancook1969
Jeremy Asbrock
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theejeremyasbrock/
Instagram: @JeremyAsbrock
