Calico System

by Stewart Mason
Although the name suggests something to do with either kittens or old-fashioned fabrics, the Calico System are in fact a standard-issue metalcore band from St. Louis, MO. Claiming Pantera and Helloween as their primary influences, the Calico System formed in 1998, playing local gigs and recording demos with a variety of lineups until a final version of the group solidified in 2001. Singer Mark Owens, guitarist Shawn Keith, bassist Nick Schaflein, and drummer Erik Ramsier self-released the Calico System EP in 2002, followed by another EP, Love Will Kill All, in the spring of 2003. Local gigs and national tours supporting fellow screamo acts like Hatebreed and Poison the Well raised the Calico System's profile enough to land the band a contract with the Eulogy Recordings label, home of the Low End Theory and Evergreen Terrace. The Calico System released their debut album, The Duplicated Memory, in the fall of 2003. Following that album, the quartet added a second guitarist, Rick Giordano. The Calico System released their second album, They Live, in November 2005.