Blood, sweat and tears used to mean something, more than just clichéd words. They represented the core attributes of what makes rock special.
RFK Heise, a rock veteran, has been crafting music by that standard since long before reality television became a dominant star-making machine. As front man for Portland, Ore. stalwarts System and Station, he’s built a devoted audience through strong songwriting and an honest attention to craft. Early in 2014 though, Heise decided to make a daring move: to take on the recording process alone. What resulted was a hard rocking opus titled Heavy Habitat under the moniker Last Giant. The album is slated for a late 2014 release with live support from Adam Shultz (bass) and Matt Wiles (drums).
Heise worked on Heavy Habitat while touring in support of the latest System and Station record, and spent more than seven months honing and demoing the new material. “It’s easy for me to wear two hats,” he says. Although the process of going it alone was scary at times, the upshot was a measure of creative control he felt he needed for his artistic expression. “This record was more personal,” Heise says. “I could just hear every song in full.”
Heise’s decision to record solo came from a desire for artistic clarity. Collaborating with System and Station allowed the members to develop material together, to the overall improvement of the original concept. “Not these songs though,” he is quick to say. While some of the Last Giant songs came from dreams and others were spawned from real life experiences, each is, as Heise describes, “my own soundtrack. A statement of my life at the moment.”
Heise characterizes the recording of Heavy Habitat, in which he played every instrument, as an emotional and energizing process. Even though there was pressure to realize his ambitious vision, he relished his opportunity to bring this record to life. While in the studio, Adam Pike of Toadhouse Recordings (who also worked on Red Fang’s Whales & Leeches) served as an engineer, tasked with helping craft its hard rocking sound.
The impetus of Heavy Habitat was to craft something hard, straightforward and ultimately satisfying, the germ of which came under the influence of a great deal of 70’s heavy metal. As Heise puts it, “it’s a serious party record. A hard hitting party record.” The constant in Heise’s projects is the need to create real, honest albums, filled with songs that you like and are willing to stand behind. “The record,” he says. “That sets the standard.”