24 Hour Service Station's first signing in 1994 was Rosewater Elizabeth,[5] an up-and-coming ethereal group in the Tampa Bay area music scene. The label then went on to release records by Shoemaker Levy 9, Questionface, and a tribute album to The Smiths entitled Godfathers of Change. In 1997, Dickson put the label "underground" to take a different path in the music business, starting a sales and marketing career with Sony Music.
Re-launch
In 2007, Dickson re-launched the record label while also maintaining the helm as General Manager[6] of Reax Music Magazine.[7] The label then released the Car Bomb Driver[8] album Evacuate, and by 2008, 24 Hour Service Station had put out a total of 17 releases and signed 13 bands including History,[9] Win Win Winter,[10] and The Beauvilles.[11] Songwriter and guitarist John Wesley, who had released two albums on 24 Hour in the mid-1990s and another during the hiatus (The Emperor Falls), continued releasing music on the label during the restart. By 2009 artists such as electronics musician Pocket and Kites With Lights had signed to the label, with The Fantastiques, a band from Minsk, Belarus, following suit.
Ceremony - A New Order Tribute (2009)
The album was dedicated to Tony Wilson, with all proceeds going to his charity
Ceremony – A New Order Tribute is a 2009 compilation album of New Order covers by independent acts from the United States and Europe,[12] compiled into a double CD Digi-pack and two additional digital albums. Produced by Sonshine Ward and Marshall Dickson, it was released in February 2010 by 24 Hour Service Station, with contributions from artists such as Peter Hook of Joy Division, Kites With Lights, and Rabbit in the Moon.
Allmusic reviewer William Ruhlmann gave the digital album 3.5/5 stars, and praised in particular the tracks that strayed in style from the original New Order compositions.[13]
The album is dedicated to the founder of Factory Records and New Order producer Tony Wilson, who died in 2007 from cancer.[14] Marshall Dickson was originally inspired by Wilson to start 24 Hour Service Station.[citation needed] The album benefits the Salford Foundation Trust's Tony Wilson Award.[14] Artists donated time and recordings to support the charity, which "assists young people who demonstrate a special talent or ambition in the arts or creative skills."[15][16][17]
Most of the bands signing to the label remained from the Tampa, Florida region, including The Beauvilles, Non-aggression Pact, singer-songwriter John Ralston, and punk rock band Pink Lincolns.[4] Yes But No, a duo of young sisters that contributed to the Ceremony compilation, are also from the area.[19]
