Change The Station

Change the Station's debut full-length album, Follow The White Noise, displays unique musical imagination and skillful prowess yet contains plenty of raw energy and driving melodies to appeal to the indie-rock masses. With a rocking female rhythm section and an energetic male vocalist/guitarist, this NYC trio oozes with style and originality. Recorded and mixed at Newkirk Studios in Brooklyn by producer Ben Rice (The Mooney Suzuki, Surefire, Radial Nerve) and mastered by Don Grossinger (The Rolling Stones, Rage Against The Machine, Sonic Youth), Follow The White Noise balances aggresive rock and melodic arrangements uniquely and flawlessly.

The band worked for the past eight months on this 11-song album, and pouring almost every cent and ounce of energy they have into the production process has matured the trio. With Michelle Feliciano's steady balance of driving bass lines and synthesizer melodies, Change the Station combines elements of electro-rock and alternative grit. This combination could be elusive without the right kind of producer to tie all of their influences together. "Being in the studio every day with Ben (Rice) has taken each of us to another level musically," recounts frontman Ian Jacobs. "It was a long year, but this record is who we are as a band." The finished product is a true representation of an honest and entertaining group coming into their own as musicians. Lisa Poole, whose powerful yet precise drumming is the constant backbone of Jacobs' melodic musings, agrees with his assessment: "It's our first record and there were definitely some bumps in the road. But now it's done and we couldn't be more proud of it, and can't wait for everyone to hear it."

NME will sponsor Change the Station's release show for Follow The White Noise at The Annex in NYC on Thursday, June 26th, also featuring The Ettes. Change the Station also has a 2008 summer tour planned throughout the east coast of the U.S. - Various

"As electro seized air waves, Change the Station embraces a sound that fuses alternative rock and electronic elements, contributing to an era in which Indie bands have brought the synthesizer to yet a new level. Although the band seems to be influenced by a variety of genres, the best face of Change the Station lies in the darker of songs like "Sew It Up" shaped by the pounding drums ad Ian Jacobs' ominous tones, which seem to embody the bands' genuine personality." - The Deli Magazine, Fall 2008

(Change the Station) appeared to have a bit of a hardcore background, but have clearly spent enough time living in Brooklyn to have absorbed the sensibilities of noise bands and indie-rock. (they) delivered a blistering set of tunes that featured some pretty original, angular guitar riff-age and vocals that bordered on that confessional "emo" sound (in a good way—no crying). - Deli Magazine Online (www.delimagazine.com)

Change the Station, a brooklyn trio, operating from an interesting intersection of Punk and New Wave. - Fairfield County Weekly

Song review for "My Will":

High Quality Rocker from the Get Go
This song grabbed my attention from the very beginning. The ragged guitar tone paired with the spacey delay effect peaked my curiosity and drew me in. I was rewarded by the addition of a solid bass line and sweet and simple drum beat to the guitar riff. The groove that the band set up is a perfect combination of simple and timeless rock rhythm and very current instrument sounds (drum mixing, guitar effects, etc.). The vocals are also interesting and current-sounding with the EQ effects used to make it sound kind of lo-fi old school. Once the chorus hits, the ragged rock edge gives way to a chorus featuring a almost reggae style guitar pattern with a nifty keyboard sound in the background. The two work very well together to create a good head-bobbing moment there. I think that is some quality arrangement and production.

- Reviewer: "Stereo Hill"
Baltimore, Maryland

Song review for "Get Me":

This is a beautifully crafted and a well performed song that captures the listeners interest from the first note. Its got the sleek stylings of Interpol, combined with the angular guitar quirkiness of the Archers of Loaf, topped with well-placed bass synth melodies, and anchored by solid, gut wrenching drums which tie everything together as the song weaves in and out of its changes.

- Reviewer: "SnackWheat",
Richmond, Virginia
- Listeners/Reviewers on garageband.com

It seems as though CTS has grown up quite a bit since last time I saw them one year ago, although the band still looks about three days past their high school prom. It seems like this is a band that is gaining momentum and a very clear vision of the sounds they are after. Singer/Guitarist, Ian Jacobs, leans towards some blues and alternative rock styling, but also uses a lot of sustained notes to add depth and character. Jacobs also displays his pop appeal at every turn, with jagged and catchy guitar riffs. This trio feeds very well off each other on stage too, as they filled the crowd's ears with thier more "danceable version of grunge rock" as I heard someone in the crowd put it. For me CTS just plays crisp and hypnotic songs that at times are aggressive but find a way into my head, melodically.
-witnessproductionprogram.blogspot.com
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I love their music. I hesitate to call it pop music, but what the hell, its catchy as hell, which qualifies it as pop to me! They write great intense songs that incorporate lots of different influences, but they make it all their own. Singer/Guitarist Ian Jacobs... throws out all these great melodic riffs all over the place.

-www.crepuscular-hour.blogspot.com/search/label/cmj - Witness Production Program / Crepuscular-Hour

In a city with a plethora of independent bands, the musical options on any given night of the week can appear endless. With an all-too-rare configuration, Change the Station offers something unique in both sound and structure.

(The rest of this 2 page article can be found in NYC's U Groove Magazine - Winter 2008 Issue) - U Groove Magazine / Show Group Entertainment

"Immediately galvanizing..."

"Ian Jacobs... (has) got a techno-geek meets Iggy Pop thing going on in his vocals that isn't hard at all to enjoy...
It's hard to expect more than Frankie goes to Hollywood from a microkorg keyboard, but (Michelle) Feliciano proves she can get blood out of that turnip...
Count me impressed. I sincerely hope to hear more from
these guys... barring that, try to get to NYC to catch them live."

-Verbicide Magazine, Issue #19. - Verbicide Magazine

Change the Station serves up rock that's inventive yet familiar in the best way possible. The surprising elements are new wave electronic effects and a wide range of styles including indie rock, pop, blues and even reggae pulled into a steamy grunge rock base; We'll call it grungy-electro rock.

Anchored by gritty vocals and intense guitar riffs, the trio prides itself on fierce but balanced arrangements of guitar, drums, bass and synth. Refined melodies lure you into an almost trance-like state just as the powerful drum lines bring you back to the moment, sometimes feeling a little reminiscent of Jon Spencer.

The end result is songs with a refreshing architecture held at the joints by dependable characteristics. Change The Station leaves you positive, even purposeful about getting into this modern sounding rock.

-Wendy Toth
New York Press, PDN, PDNedu, and Vision magazine.
- Wendy Toth - Vision Magazine

Change the Station has emerged as a smart little trio that generates pithy pop tunes ripe with minimalist grit and tight drumbeats. Live, this band is rather infectious with their coolness of style and insatiable grooves. Change The Station�s first self-titled EP is no less entertaining with smooth, almost dreamy tunes flaunting filtered vocals and simple, just right keyboard lines. Rock with shoe-gazing soul; tracks like �Get Me� and �My Will� combine raw underground energy with punchy pocketed beats that change unpredictably, yet flawlessly. With all the edge of a rock band, Ian Jacobs combines Pixies delays with raucous blues tones to create and awesomely potent and memorable sound. Meanwhile, his lovely muse Michelle Feliciano compliments him perfectly with synthesizer and bass arrangements. Genuine and real, the seven songs on CTS�s EP are a welcome relief from the drudgery of cookie cutter bands out of Brooklyn. They�re definitely worth checking out.

-Maria Perhaps
Deli Magazine - The Deli Magazine