Story One – The Interview

• 1st Dec 2006

Lots of bands are now offering their music ‘gratis’ on their websites, but swapping Kenny Chesney baseball caps for fake rubix cubes?
Things started for Story One “around 5 or 6 years ago” according to lead vocalist Tom Evans, at the University of Nottingham where he met guitarist Barny Barratt and drummer Mike Woolf. In his third year of Uni, Tom went to Paris where he came across Gerald Youna, who completed the line up.
The band have received incredible feedback on their current album ‘Disposable’, the recording for which Tom “thinks” started last year: “It’s a bit of a haze to be honest, we were in this giant castle in the South of France for about four months, flying back to England for gigs”.
The album title comes from one of its tracks; however it’s more of a message to the music industry today as it seems, with the band describing the album as “a fuck off to being force fed”. To reflect the ‘Disposable’ title, the band have created the ‘Disposable Gallery’ on their website, a swap shop where anyone can exchange unwanted items, amongst which you’ll find a space invaders game, ninja flip flops, and Barny’s copy of Craig David’s multi…erm…selling album ‘Slikker Than Your Average’ (interestingly at time of writing the only item not snapped up). Some of the weirder items recently on offer have included “a fake 1980s rubix cube, even some items of lingerie”!
Their next single however is going to hit slightly more sensitive areas. ‘Saving Grace’ was written about a fan with whom the band spoke to through the Myspace website. They think she wasn’t well, possibly depressed. Despite pouring her heart out to the band and making some progress with her condition, one day her profile disappeared, and all communication stopped. Obviously this worried the band, and they still don’t know of her whereabouts. This emotional tribute to her is echoed by an extremely powerful video, featuring a female slowly declining in front of her webcam. Despite it having been on public display for less than 48 hours, it’s already hit home with fans on the band’s Myspace page, one such comment stating: “saving grace stands for all those Myspace freaks who obsess on their computers, to me…” According to Tom: “A lot of the things in the video were inspired by the things she [Grace] said.
“There’s a big movement of bloggers online, some people are really vulnerable. They need more than just online friends, they need human contact”.
The band are planning on releasing ‘Saving Grace’ as a AA side with their cover of Granddaddy’s ‘AM 180’, the proceeds of which will go to one of the mental health charities mentioned on the ‘Save Grace’ Myspace page.
Not many bands today have the flair and imagination, combined with the thoughtfulness and intensity, that Story One appears to have. Having already been picked up by Radio 1’s Colin Murray (who described AM 180 as “possibly the best cover we have ever played on the show”) it’s only a matter of time before they go mainstream. Keep an eye out for the name.

More info at:

link
link
link