Good evening, Listener.
The Listening Room
Official Music Discovery, Lyrics & Lore Hub by Engine Room Records. Enjoy free 128kbps previews or stream in Lossless HD on your favorite app to support Michael Ragsdale.
Before the Distance: The Story of John & Erin
A Five-Song Twin Narrative by The Stardust Engine • The Stardust Engine (Ryan & Cassidy O'Connell)
Follow the complete five-song story of fraternal twins John and Erin (portrayed by Ryan and Cassidy O'Connell) across Commonwealth Polytechnic Institute's hilly Blacksburg campus—from a fatal CD track skip at a Kincaid Hall speed-dating event and an executive rescue in the chaotic bus lineup along Commonwealth Mall to finding sanctuary and completing the circle of sibling protection.
Static & Silence, Book 1: The Long Road West
The defining masterpiece of the post-grunge era. A harrowing, autobiographical concept album detailing frontman Julian Croft's survival of abuse, his cross-country escape, and his return to the 'Safe Harbor'.
Enjoying the rock opera? Streaming on your favorite app or buying the digital archive directly supports Michael Ragsdale & funds the next Engine Room Records release.
In-Universe Chronological Timeline
Sequenced according to the in-universe historical timeline (temporalCoverage).
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2017 Bands of Engine Room Records
Select any band to visit their dedicated profile (/$artist-slug) with full biography, discography, streaming links, and shareable cards.
Music, Lyrics & Narrative Intertwined
The Listening Room is the official music discovery, lyrics, and lore companion for Engine Room Records, founded by Michael Ragsdale within RaggieSoft Media. Read complete liner notes and synchronized lyrics while previewing our 128kbps web streams for free—or listen in Lossless/High-Res on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, or Fourthwall to directly support the music.
Engine Room Records does not sign outside artists—every artist on this label is an AI Persona. Any attempts to submit material or demos are automatically intercepted and permanently deleted unread at the Microsoft Exchange Transport Rule level.
Everything presented in The Listening Room and across the RaggieSoft network—including all bands, musicians, biographies, universities (such as Commonwealth Polytechnic Institute / CPI, The Forgers, The Ironheads, The Crucible, Virginia Dominion University / VDU, Piedmont Virginia University / PVU, and Monongahela State University / MSU), corporations (such as OmniCorp, Apex Records, Prairie Coachworks, and Sainte-Claire), transit agencies (Blue Ridge Transit), legal filings, and historical timelines—is a work of creative fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, real-world businesses, academic institutions, or historical events is purely coincidental.
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The Listening Room — Music Discovery, Lyrics & Lore by Engine Room Records
Explore complete albums, concept rock operas, synchronized lyrics, and four decades of in-universe lore across the Engine Room Records roster.