JULY 11, 2012 - Playing the music of the rock gods has no doubt influenced SIXSTEP’s eclectic genre-transcendent hybrid rock style, which as one critic pointed out, interbreeds “the soundscapes of 70s classic rock, funk, jazz and blues,” creating a “separation from other sound-alikes, carbon copies and poseurs that claim to want to bring back the glory days. These guys move forward and create a new sound all their own.” Sharing these classic albums has also inspired the band—whose members include JASON GLEN PED (bass), MIKE CLEVELAND (saxophones) and RUBEN PUEBLA (drums)—to create a true concept album of their own that is best listened to like a vintage vinyl record – from beginning to end, experienced as a whole in all its spirited, incisive and socially conscious eccentricity. A blistering take on the unstable politics and economics of the world we live in, HOUSE OF CARDS is a dynamic and prophetic vision presented unapologetically with unbridled Orwellian bravado. From the “INTRO” and theatrical pop-rock opener “MINISTRY” through the dramatic soul-rock anthem “ENJOY THE FREE FALL,” HOUSE OF CARDS features songs that offer hard-hitting vignettes of different aspects of the modern world, bringing a satirical lens to modern music, relationships, technology, world affairs and the human experience via contemporary and timeless musical and lyrical themes. Every track explores a building block of the society we live in and, as SIXSTEP points out in a myriad of clever ways, it is teetering on the brink of collapse. The hard-driving guitar/sax pop-rocker “GET IN LINE” takes a cynical view of history and the ideal of revolution. Easing from a gentle acoustic start to a fiery and pointed rock explosion, the expansive, vocal harmony-laden “IRON TONGUE” challenges the all-powerful movers and shakers of the world who choose secrecy over honesty; ultimately a knock on that air of superiority. Another key track is the cleverly titled “APOCALYPTIC BREAKFAST,” which paints a grim portrait of a bleak dystopian future, first over a haunting piano/vocal section before building into a soaring choir’s call to “Please bring back yesterday.”