Steve Balsamo of the Storys. Pic: Terry Morris
ONE of the UK's most admired Americana-style bands are preparing to write the final chapter of their colourful tale.
But members of The Storys say that June 19’s emotional farewell gig will leave room for a postscript to a partnership which has brought praise from mega-stars Elton John and Celine Dion.
Formed in 2003, the Wales-based sextet have released two albums, played scores of headline gigs and have supported the likes of Van Morrison, Santana and Katie Melua.
They have a large and devoted following across Wales, the UK and as far afield as Holland and Germany. The Swansea-based outfit specialise in strong 70s-style West Coast-influenced songs.
Lead singer Steve Balsamo said: “We’ve had a great six years together and have memories that will be with us for the rest of our lives.
“However, we all think the time’s right to try something new. We all have our own projects to take forward and we’re eager to support each other – there are a lot of exciting things in the pipeline.
“Our big hometown gig in the summer will be an end to The Storys at this stage but we’ll leave the door open to possibly getting back together in future years.
“We thank our fans from the bottom of our hearts for all their support; we look forward to giving them a fantastic final live show.”
Tickets are now on sale for June’s Swansea Grand Theatre farewell gig. Full info: www.thestorys.co.uk.
The Storys formed in spring 2003 and brought together six of the Swansea music scene’s finest talents.
They were Balsamo (vocals/guitar)
In 2004, the band began recording their debut album – The Storys – in the Afan Valley village of Glyncorrwg. They produced it themselves and it featured self-penned crowd-pleasers such as Be By Your Side, Cinnamon and Roll Like a Stone. It was released in October 2005. Be By Your Side later featured in TV’s One Tree Hill, one of America’s top-rated soaps.
June 2004 saw their first gig when more than 70,000 music fans attended the Olympic Torch Concert outside Buckingham Palace. It was soon followed by a support slot with Tom Jones, a busy gigging schedule and singles releases.
2006 saw the album picked up by the Warners/Korova label and May that year saw The Storys embark on a UK tour supporting Elton John and playing regularly to crowds of more than 20,000. December brought three European capital support slots with Katie Melua
In 2007 the album launched in America on Rykodisc, recording began on a follow-up album at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studio, near Bath, and there was a UK and European tour with Elton John.
2008 brought the release of second album Town Beyond the Trees, featuring more self-penned anthems including Long Hard Road, Evangelina and the title track.
The Storys appeared in 2008 Jason Statham movie The Bank Job, continued to gig heavily across northern Europe, including with Celine Dion, played in an Elton John concert at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium and this year staged homecoming show at the city’s Brangwyn Hall and at Port Talbot’s Princess Royal Theatre.
The Storys have been big supporters of worthy causes, including the rebuildling of Neath’s fire-destroyed Gwyn Hall, the RNLI, Macmillan Nurses and national charity the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Side projects, which will continue, have seen Balsamo work with Deep Purple’s Jon Lord and with Rob Thompson in new band Oystermouth, and Alan and Brian Thomas work together as duo Eaglesbush. Collins, Deighton and Thompson have all got solo recording projects on the go.
The Storys at Swansea Grand - June 19, 2010. Tickets £17.50 - on sale now, 01792 475715.
More info www.thestorys.co.uk, www.myspace.com/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
