Story of the Year : iSOUND.COM™

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iSound Site: www.isound.com/story_of_the_year Label Site: www.isound.com/label/

Biography

Friends / Fans

olpfan	17_punk_rock_singer
AllyAtTheDisco	High Deafinition
i_wish_i_was_hott_91
Total: 5

Sounds Like

Artists:
The Used
Thrice
Further Seems Forever
Chevelle
Early November
Good Charlotte
AFI
Matchbook Romance
My Chemical Romance
RUFiO
Aphasia
Boys Night Out
Yellowcard

left standing

Genres:
Alt. Pop-Rock
Alternative Rock
Post Grunge

Featured Video

Featured Album

	Page AvenueNot Rated Released: 2003

Mp3s

Song	Play	Download	Add to station	Comments	Price	Rating(1-5)	Album
We Don't Care Anymore			Add to station	Add Comment 2 Comments	Free	4.45	[Single]
Take Me Back		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.45	[Single]
Our Time Is Now		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.7	[Single]
Taste The Poison		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.55	[Single]
Stereo		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.5	[Single]
Five Against The World		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment 1 Comments	Free	4.5	[Single]
Sleep		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.8	[Single]
Meathead		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.6	[Single]
March Of The Dead		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.8	[Single]
Pay Your Enemy		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.5	[Single]
Wake Up The Voiceless		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	4.7	[Single]
Is This My Fate? He Asked Them		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	Not Rated	[Single]
Bonus Track		N/A	Add to station	Add Comment	Free	Not Rated	[Single]
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Biography

July 2002: St. Louis-bred fivesome Story Of The Year (then known as Big Blue Monkey) hits the stage at the Phoenix, Arizona stop of the Vans Warped Tour in the Peoria Sports Complex. But, there’s no real stage — rather, the group is crammed onto a rickety platform that’s relegated to a remote corner of the venue. Although temperatures are well north of 103 degrees and the assembled audience is largely unfamiliar with the band, Story Of The Year doesn’t just play the songs on the setlist — they live for it and deliver.

July 2004: Story Of The Year hits the stage of the Vans Warped Tour, though this time it’s on decidedly different terms — for starters, they’re playing the main stage. Thousands of dedicated fans rush to the front in an effort to gain a glimpse of the group well before the first note is even heard. Precisely as they’d done two years prior, the fivesome doesn’t just play the songs on the setlist — they live for it and deliver.

It’s this remarkable consistency that’s embedded within the collective mindset of Story Of The Year. Though they’re musicians first, the band also takes time out for a bit of good, sometimes-not-so-clean fun and games. “You can’t be serious for too long,” says bassist Adam Russell.

And it’s this well-balanced attitude that’s worked to the benefit of the group, particularly in the success of 2003’s near platinum, Maverick debut Page Avenue.

The next several months post-Page Avenue’s release were filled with whirlwind blurs of touring stints, both domestic and international, interrupted by mere days of rest. In fact, Story Of The Year wouldn’t have a significant break from the road until the end of 2004, when it came time to write and record their follow-up to Page Avenue.

Writing sessions began almost immediately after the band’s touring cycle ended. “We pretty much got together in the winter and just started working it like a 40-hour-a-week job,” Marsala says. Most of the writing took place at guitarist Ryan Phillips’ house, whose residence also doubled as the band’s practice studio.

With songwriting sessions wrapped up, the band joined forces with veteran producer Steve Evetts (Snapcase, Hatebreed) to begin tracking their new album. “[He recorded] a lot of old records that I grew up listening to, some of my favorite records of all time,” says Marsala of Evetts. “That’s one of the main reasons why a bunch of us were like, ‘Yeah, we should talk to this guy and see if he’s cool.’ And the first time we met with him, it was like instantly good chemistry. He really knew what we were trying to go for and we all agreed and were on the same page.

“We felt like we were always a little heavier than [Page Avenue] sounded,” he adds. “Live, we always played heavier than our record actually sounded, so we wanted to try and capture our live sound on this record.”

Capturing Story Of The Year’s stage sonics also meant being physically able to perform on record as the band had done on tour. During initial tracking sessions for Josh Wills’ drums in a Chicago studio, Marsala, Phillips, guitarist Philip Sneed and bassist Adam Russell performed alongside Wills, making sure to incorporate all their stage maneuvers.

“We did the drums with everyone in the room and we were actually jumping and stuff!,” says Marsala. “It was really cool, we acted like we were playing a show. Even Steve was in the room, rockin’ out with us.”

And when the drum sessions were complete, Wills made it a point to let everyone know. On the last take for the last song on the record, “Josh stabbed the heads of drums with his drumstick, pushed his drums over and we were all screaming,” Russell recalls. “We were feeling the fire!”

That same fire blazed its way back to St. Louis, as Story Of The Year continued its sessions at what became the primary recording studio for the new album — Phillips’ practice room.

“It’s just a big room, so we can run around and sweat in there,” says Marsala. “We made it really soundproof and with ProTools now, you can record anything anywhere. We did guitars, bass and vocals all in our practice room. It’s easier because you’re at home, you can spend more time, you don’t have to drive anywhere or go anywhere.”

The band spent plenty of time at their new studio, mostly recording, but at times, blowing off a little steam with plenty of pranks — much like the sort found on their recent DVD release, Live at the Lou/Bassassins — like tossing snap bags at each other. (Don’t try this at home!)

“Phil took off his shirt, and I was throwing handfuls of ‘em at him,” Russell says. “He was like, ‘Dude, throw two more!’ I eventually threw like 15 at his chest and he ended up with all these red marks. We took a big straw and started shooting them at each other.

Weeks later, Story Of The Year finalized their sophomore Maverick full-length, aptly dubbed In The Wake Of Determination. “We were really excited to write a new record, we knew exactly what we wanted to do, and we knew how we wanted to come across,” says Marsala. “We were just really determined, so it seemed as if the title worked really well. That was our mindset the entire time.”

Firing off with the first single, “We Don’t Care Anymore,” In The Wake Of Determination immediately finds Story Of The Year on a full-throttle course throughout its dozen tracks. The track offers tight, synchronized guitar riffing interspersed with broad choruses, and according to Marsala is about “the pressure of making a second record for a band like us, or just the pressure in anyone’s life, you know. Having to follow up to your first record, you can’t ruin what you already had, or else your band will be over. We could worry about all these things and have the pressure get to us, or we can do things for ourselves, do it the way we want to do it, and just have fun doing it.”

“Five Against The World” finds Story Of The Year reflecting on its success and accomplishments over the past couple years. “These are good days and we’ll remember this stuff for the rest of our lives,” Marsala says. “We’re happy to see where we’ve gone. We never thought we’d get as far as we did. It’s just an awesome thing.”

As one of the most propulsive tracks on In The Wake Of Determination, “Jarhead” recalls the hyper-tempo bursts of the legendary East Coast hardcore scene. As its title might suggest, “Jarhead” also points out miscreants whose sole purpose is to cause a commotion.

“From my whole life of going to shows and over the last few years of playing shows, you’d see those guys in the crowd who you could tell aren’t there for the music whatsoever,” says Marsala. “They’re just there to beat up as many kids as they can. But it’s not only about going to shows; it’s about any random, tough guy who thinks he’s tougher than any other guy in the world. He takes his aggression out to prove how cool he is. Why are you here? We’re here to have a good time, not to try and fight people.”

In addition to having a good time, Story Of The Year also has plenty of reason to celebrate. And looking back at the band’s roots as a hard-working, independent operation, Marsala understands just how much the band’s hard work and effort has finally paid off.

“It helps that we were that band that nobody knew and we’d try to go around and sell our CD,” Marsala recalls. “Especially on Warped Tour, I see a lot of bands do this now — but at the time we were one of the only bands that would walk out there and try to put headphones on people’s heads and sell them our CDs. It’s good to have that background of working like that, just to appreciate how lucky you are to make it as far as you did.”

After all, such determination (interspersed with an ounce of good humor) isn’t just the story of the year —— it’s the story of a lifetime.

Bio written by: Johnny Loftus

Artist Forum


Discussion Topic	Creator
i can still remember when i can still remember when noone knew this band the good old dayz:)	fairiekisses

Replys	Listener
I KNOW! It's fine if some people like them, but when someone says that SOTY is one of their favorite bands, and I ask them what their favorite songs are, they should NOT name off all of their singles!! I like the singles too, but these people stick around until the singles get old and then move on! They're fair- weather fans and it makes me sick!	cLaNdEsTiNeGiRl
I can call myself a true fan.... believe me.... i'm obsessed. i didnt know about them when they were Big Blue Monkey but i heard them by their 1st single and had to get the cd.... and i did. and it was great. HELL YEAH	CarvedPride_soty
cant wait for the next one!	CarvedPride_soty
i just got the cd the other day...i havent really listened to it though. Im still addicted to my new sp cd.	rach_luvs_simpleplan
how is that the good old days??? when you dont have any fans thats not good....explain	i_heart_emo_boys187
yeah how is that the good ol days the best days are now cuz they're somewhat famous	KREWZERO
but see i dont want them to get too famous cuz then little preppy bitches are gonna be "OH MY GOD!!! I love Story of the Year!" and they're gonna call themselves fans and its gonna bug the hell out of me.	CarvedPride_SOTY
somewhat huge???? wtf!! there hugemongous	i_heart_emo_boys187
i think she basicly means not MTV famous	CarvedPride_SOTY
the good old days yeah they were not big but little peps didn't like them i just hate it when i go to a concert and i see girl with shirts that their boob are about to jump out nad with shoes you should only wear at a dance. i just hate that so yeah i love the old days and if you don't well thats cool.	fairiekisses
umm... that was confusing. i didnt get what you said/ or typed... whatever	CarvedPride_SOTY
i hope no preps start liking them...that would suck	i_heart_emo_boys187
exactly what i said	CarvedPride_SOTY
n/m forget what i said b-4 all i wanted to say is that i want gay ass preps stop caming to the shows looking like models. -huh- that makes me mad!!!!	fairiekisses
I think it's funny when the preppy chicks come to rock concerts wearing skirts, and then they just stand there. HAHAHA. Stupid preps.	bandchick
ok yeah i am right there with you on that i saw chevelle live and four girls with bags and all in skirts right next to the pit screamming cause they didn't want to get hit. they looked really all dressed up lol "what is this world caming to".	fairiekisses
uggh.... that would annoy me	CarvedPride_SOTY
When you see girls like that, that's when you deliberately throw people into them in the pit. Break nails, trash handbags, mess up hair, get 'em all nice and sweaty. Let 'em know shows aren't like the simple plan videos they see on MTV. Sadly, there seems to be more and more people there for the trend rather than the music at every show I go to. Such is life I guess...	SoCalPunk
^ YUP I AGREE WITH YOU THERE THEN WHEN THEY TRY TO GET BACK OUT YOU PUSH EM BACK IN THAT'S WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS STAND ON THE OUTSIE OF THE PIT SO WHEN SOMEONE WANTS TO GET OUT PUSH EM BACK IN	krewzero
i hate it when the preppy bitches dont know the songs or the names of the guys in the bands and they just want to fuck them (cough)bandwhore(cough) ...at matchbook romance we put gum in this one preps hair!!! lmao!!	i_heart_emo_boys187
who gives a fuck if you know the names of the songs or the names of the band members? Definately not something I care about...	SoCalPunk
fuck you! i dont fucking care about what you have to say	i_heart_emo_boys187
point is that more and more preppy little whores are acting like they're punk or skater or stuff like that... which means they have to act like they like the music even though they probably rather listen to Brittney Spears. they just wanna think they're cool for saying "Like oh my god dude can you freaking believe that i freaking went to a freaking rock concert?" well whatever... you get it.	CarvedPride_SOTY
yea yea yea	i_heart_emo_boys187
they just need to stop caming to our concerts we don't go to their fucken concert do we.........NO WE DON'T.	fairiekisses
hey nora caughTAYLORcaugh no i'm kidding but yeah preps really need to stop honestly next someone goes to a concert try to push them in the pit then just start swinging at em and like get out of there quick	KrewZero
your right faerie!	i_heart_emo_boys187
uggh. i know. remember she said that she was gonna go to the used concert in her cheerleading uniform? i told her that if she does, she's gonna get her ass kicked. which yeah, that would piss me off if i saw this little preppy blond chick at a rock show... especially with a cheerleading outfit.	CarvedPride_SOTY
i would shove her face into gravel and make her eat rocks specially if i saw this at a senses fail show	i_heart_emo_boys187
yeah if she thought she was gonna look cute in her uniform she wouldn't because it would be bloody i mean nora we both say if we were to see her at a concert dressed like that we would beat her ass shit i know i would	KrewZero
who was gonna go to a used concert dressed like a fucken cheerleader please tell she went and got the shit kicked out of her?	fairiekisses
sfsfsfsfsfsfsfsfsfsf	i_heart_emo_boys187
nah i dont think she went cuz she didnt even talk about it and EMO i get that you like sf	KrewZero
no kidding...yall annoy me so i decided to annoy you	i_heart_emo_boys187
yeah i doubt she went. she didnt even show us her tickets. which she said she would.	CarvedPride_SOTY
yeah i know and putting sfsfsf over and over again it wouldnt bug me	krewzero
shut the fuck up	i_heart_emo_boys187
um, marina, i'm kinda confused with what you just posted. ?????	CarvedPride_SOTY
you 2 are the reason why this board is fucking dead	i_heart_emo_boys187
heeeeyyyy, thanx.	CarvedPride_SOTY
great band. the best when no one knew who the hell they were. now that mtv has them smashed everywhere everyone's gonna call themselves fans. At least i got their cd b4 they went big and ti was still cheap. lol	Not_Listening
lol. yeah very true.	CarvedPride_SOTY
lol. yeah very true	CarvedPride_SOTY
oops. :)	CarvedPride_SOTY
so your a CHEAP FAN thats great	i_heart_EMO_boys187
i know. isn't it?	CarvedPride_SOTY
i wasnt talking to you	i_heart_EMO_boys187
oh ok. nevermind then.	CarvedPride_SOTY
yeah that sux when your watching tv and you hear a girl saying " like i like this band like cause they rox this is like my fav. song" you will never find them at their concert in the mash pits	fairiekisses
that was kinda cofusing but i basicly got you.	CarvedPride_SOTY
i am glad you get me but don't you agree?	fairiekisses
yeah. of course i do	CarvedPride_SOTY
i agree with you...but your one of those people	i_heart_emo_boys187
lol	simpleplanlover13
quit thinking your the shit emo now i remember why i stop coming on here	KrewZero
hey marina!!! long time no see!	CarvedPride_SOTY
hell ive known this band ever sense they first came out, you ppl have shit for brains	TypicalStereotype101
Yeah ok.. I understand what all of you guys are saying and whatnot.. but just because they don't dress in black doesn't make them any less able to enjoy the music.. as far as the mosh pits "yeah I'd throw them in lol.." yeah seriously.. I don't even fucking go in the most pits.. people who start the mosh pits are about as fucking retarded as the preps who go there.. they arent there to enjoy the music.. they are there to say "hey I got this wicked bruise in the gnarly mosh" what the fuck is that.. as for the chick who put gum in someones hair.. thats fucking retarded.. and you should be shot.. numerous numerous times.. and as for making fun of them because they say like and whatnot.. I say like all the time.. its something I do.. not because I'm a prep.. and as for the whole too many people liking them.. I do happen to agree.. I happened to have heard a few songs by them when they were Big Blue Monkey because they live in the Lou and I live less than three hours away and I go to numerous shows and heard about them through some kids in line.. and as for the kid with the simple plan screen name.. how about you stop talking about preps being stupid and scene whores when in fact the only reason you like simple plan is because you want the pierre dude to bone you.. let it go.. we're all preps to somebody.. its a way of life..	ATTICUSROMANCE
whoa... that part where you said that someone or another had to be shot.... that was eerie cuz my friend used to ALWAYS say that.....like all the time. she said, "they need to be shot" or "they need to die" or things like that. that was weird. well yeah whateva	CarvedPride_SOTY
very interesting conversation but its all true.	sotygurl3
Too long to read.	BLASTT
yeah, at first i wasnt going to read it either cuz it was long, but i put myself through it.	CarvedPride_SOTY
i dont know the members' names..ill be honest..but i do know the words to their songs..i love em..i honestly do..& yeah, i hate it when preps try to invade the punk-rock community..we should stab 'em...alluvem	sensesfailxangrypoet
it would be one thing if they enjoyed the music..the only reason im saying this, is because i know ppl who do this...preppy girls are alluva sudden getting things for skater guys..which pisses me off because theyre from 2 different worllds..but i dont really care anymore...but anyways, these preppy girls go to punk shows, rock shows..whatever..skate parks...so on & so forth, trying to snag a guy.....theyre not there for the music!..if they were they wouldnt call ppl who listen to ir skate-rats or freaks or whatever the hell...i hate preps with a passion..i hope they all die....	sensesfailxangrypoet
i still love MCR and everything but they are starting to be the band that every poser likes. sorta how GC are. yeah i know it has nothing to do with soty but i just wanted to give out that info.	CarvedPride_SOTY