| The Storys | |
|---|---|
The Storys playing at St Davids Week Festival, 2009 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Swansea, Wales |
| Genres | Acoustic, Country rock |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Korova, Hall Recordings |
| Website | www.thestorys.co.uk |
| Members | |
| Steve Balsamo Andy Collins Rob Thompson Brian Thomas Alan Thomas |
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| Past members | |
| Dai Smith | |
The Storys are a Welsh rock band from Swansea, Wales, UK, formed in Spring 2003. Their main influence is 1970s U.S. West Coast bands in the country-rock genre. The band currently consists of Steve Balsamo (vocals, guitar), Andy Collins (vocals, bass), Rob Thompson (vocals, guitar), Brian Thomas (drums, percussion), and Alan Thomas (keys, mandolin, banjo) and formerly included Dai Smith, who sang and played guitar until August 2008, when he left. He was replaced by Rosalie Deighton.
Contents |
The group features four singer-songwriters all taking lead vocals on different songs. They count as inspirations such vocal harmony-based bands as Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and The Beatles.
They recorded their eponymous debut album The Storys in an old converted cinema in the Welsh Valleys and released the album themselves, setting up their own label - Hall Recordings - before signing a record deal with Warners and having their album re-released on Korova in March 2006.
Their first gig was to over 70,000 people at The Olympic Torch Concert outside Buckingham Palace, and was followed by a support slot with Tom Jones and a series of gigs in venues such as Bush Hall and The Borderline. The band also supported Elton John on two European tours.[1]
Town Beyond The Trees, the band's second album, was released in 2008 on the band's own label, Hall Recordings, after Korova folded in 2007. It was recorded in Spring 2007 at Peter Gabriel's Real World studios near Bath, UK. The album was produced by Jon Kelly (Beautiful South, Kate Bush, Deacon Blue, Paul McCartney). It received favourable reviews from such publications as Maverick Magazine, Uncut Magazine, Classic Rock Magazine, Rock 'n' Reel Magazine etc.
The band have also supported Santana (Switzerland), Celine Dion (Holland), Sinead O'Connor (Belgium), Elton John (UK),[2] Runrig (Germany) and Van Morrison (UK) as well as touring the UK in their own right.
Dai Smith left the band in 2008 and was subsequently replaced by folk singer/songwriter, Rosalie Deighton.
The Storys' music was featured in the movie The Bank Job and the band had cameo appearances in the film in the wedding scene.
The Storys have just announced they are to split and play one final concert at the Swansea Grand Theatre on Saturday 19 June 2010.[3]