Biography
Founded in 2009, Lo-Fi Resistance is the creation of 24 year-old guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Randy McStine. Once dubbed as a “guitar prodigy,” 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. Randy’s early work was focused on guitar-driven, instrumental rock until he began to sing at the age of fifteen. McStine would spend the remainder of his teens crafting his voice and songwriting, while continuing to expand his diverse musical tastes.
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 gigs, guitar lessons, and landscaping work, a new passion and focus was evident as the unnamed project continued. Completing a new, full-length album was now McStine’s goal.
Initially performing all of the album’s instrumentation himself, Randy eventually decided to bring in outside support for the drum tracks. McStine blindly reached out to ex-Spock’s Beard and Tears For Fears 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 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 6th, 2010. 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.
Randy began writing for a second Lo-Fi Resistance album in April of 2011. The new album, Chalk Lines, is undoubtedly the most ambitious project of McStine’s career to date. Throughout the eight songs and fifty-one minutes, Chalk Lines both expands on and abandons the foundations of the first album. Drummer Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson) is featured throughout the entire album, along with bassists Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree), John Giblin (Kate Bush), and Dug Pinnick (King’s X) among its roster. Dave Kerzner (Kevin Gilbert, Steve Hackett) splits keyboard duties with McStine, along with co-writing three songs and co-producing the album.
To aid in the production costs of the album, McStine launched a successful fundraising campaign through Kickstarter. A single edit of the title track was also released on May 1st, 2012. As if that track wasn’t enough of an indication, Chalk Lines will be a bold step into new and exciting territories for Lo-Fi Resistance.
Chalk Lines will be released on the Burning Shed label in December of 2012.
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