A Working Model

Their motto, "Taking the progress out of progressive since 2001!," gives you their real birth date, but the rest is untrue since the totally D.I.Y. A Working Model are good friends with progress and growth. When guitarist Kenny Mis and drummer Rob Logan found themselves in between bands once again, they began forming the idea of a harder progressive rock group that integrated a metal influence without giving in to it. They brought in the Lawrence brothers, vocalist Chris and bassist Tim, and A Working Model were born. Both camps were involved in other bands around their home base of Ann Arbor, MI, and AWM remained a side project until early 2002, when the group became a full-time concern for everyone involved. With Chris moonlighting as engineer, they recorded an EP in a studio they had built themselves. Their grassroots attitude continued in distribution, and the EP was handed out to fans for free in 2003. It would take three years before there was any new product, but over that time the lyrics became more distinct, the sound tighter and stronger, and the presentation more focused. While fielding out the packaging, mastering, and some other details made the credit list for their 2006 full-length, An End, a little longer, the band sold the album at a low, D.I.Y. price. That didn't stop fans from comparing the recording to Tool, Pearl Jam, the Obsessed, and others who worked with much bigger budgets. The 2009 album III featured more of a flowing, post-rock sound, influenced by the likes of Explosions in the Sky and Russian Circles. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide