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STORYHILL
http://www.storyhill.com/
[BIOGRAPHY]
[PHOTOS]
[PRESS]
[TOUR DATES]
[AUDIO]
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BIOGRAPHY
Acoustic/pop duo Storyhill began in Bozeman, Montana, where Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson grew up and started performing together as teenagers. Both were musical from the get-go, singing with choirs, playing in bands and mastering many musical instruments—piano, guitar, trumpet, violin, harmonica, bass and accordion. Although their 7th grade world geography class is what ostensibly brought them together, it was their musical passions that made them close friends and lifelong musical collaborators.
They recorded their first tape as Chris and Johnny in 1989, upon graduating from high school. Although they then temporarily parted ways—Chris going to Spain and John to Minnesota for college—they continued to play music. Chris, who had previously played piano with John, took up the guitar and focused on his songwriting, soaking up the Spanish culture. Meanwhile, John was making a name for himself on the campus of St. Olaf College, where he was pursuing a music degree for violin performance. He got regular gigs in town, performing his own original material. He encountered such success selling his and Chris’ first album that he encouraged Chris to come out and join him so they could play together. Chris did, and together they developed a strong fan following on campus and in the nearby Twin Cities as an acoustic songwriting duo. After graduating in 1993, they toured the country, playing the college circuit. For three years they toured constantly and recorded several self-released albums, selling an impressive number at their shows. Exhausted from the travel and finding themselves pulled in different directions, Chris and John, or Storyhill as they were now known, embarked on a series of farewell concerts (much to fans’ dismay). Chris moved west to Seattle, then back to Bozeman where he continued to play his own songs and collaborated with Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter Justin Roth, resulting in a live recording—2 forms of ID. John, on the other hand, went east, moving to Norway for a year. There he wrote material that would result in his first solo album, recorded when he returned to Minneapolis. He began performing solo and with his band Alva Star.
Meanwhile, Storyhill fans continued to clamor for more so Chris and John played a few sold-out reunion shows in Minnesota and Montana. Discovering the old chemistry was still there along with some new creative energy, they reformed Storyhill and fully committed themselves to touring and recording as a duo. They enlisted the help of rock/pop songwriter and Grammy nominee Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Dixie Chicks, Trip Shakespeare) to produce Storyhill’s new album, their first to be released on independent roots label Red House Records. The album, simply named Storyhill, is a return to the basics that have made Storyhill so popular—strong melodic songs. While the album is largely acoustic, Wilson provides some piano, bass and guitar parts, and Eric Fawcett (N.E.R.D., Mike Doughty, Spymob) plays drums and percussion. Supporting the new album, Storyhill will be touring extensively in 2007. This summer they will also host the 2nd annual Storyhill Fest, an event that draws fans from across the country for a weekend of outdoor live music in the Montana Rockies. In addition to their work with the duo, Chris and John continue their separate pursuits in Montana and Minnesota. Chris has built his own studio and accompanying guesthouse in Bozeman, where artists come from all over to record their music. John works as a producer for St. Paul’s Fiction studio and continues to play with Alva Star and rock band The Hopefuls.
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PHOTOS
Click on a thumbnail to download that hi-res JPEG (suitable for publication):
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TOUR DATES
- Mar 28, 2009 * Fitzgerald Theater St. Paul, MN * Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Jul 3, 2009 * STORYHILL FEST * Bozeman, Montana
- Sep 5, 2009 * STORYHILL FEST MIDWEST * Deerwood, Minnesota
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PRESS
"Storyhill, two guys with guitars who harmonize on thoughtful lyrics, takes a few cues from Simon & Garfunkel. The duo -- Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson -- has been together on and off, but they're back on tour with a new, self-titled album. They say the folk disc incorporates pop and Americana, and it's being sold only at live shows until early 2007." - Boston Globe
Storyhill Back to Basics on New Album
By TED SULLIVAN, Chronicle Staff Writer
The saga of Storyhill unfolds like a dramatic episode of VH1's "Behind the Music."
The acoustic duo from Bozeman met in geography class at Willson Middle School. They wrote their first song for a chorus concert in high school. By graduation, they had recorded their first album.
Eventually, they attended college together at St. Olaf in Minnesota. They toured for a few years after college, released 13 albums and sold 50,000 records on their own.
But they got tired of each other, traveling and sharing motel rooms as they toured endlessly. They began to have creative differences about the direction of the Storyhill. It wasn't long until they split, put out solo records and started their own bands.
"I guess we were just getting tired of being associated with each other," said John Hermanson, one-half of Storyhill's acoustic guitar duo, who lives in St. Paul, Minn.
"I had to quit that lifestyle. It was just like living out of a suitcase," said Chris Cunningham, the other half of the pair, who lives in Bozeman.
But like any great duo, they realized they were better together than they were apart. Breaking up allowed them to explore musically, gain their own identities and gave them perspective "on what it means to be in Storyhill as a duo and what our music means to people," Cunningham said.
After all, the band had loyal fans who still bought albums online after they broke up, wondering whether there would be a reunion.
"It just came to a point where it kind of seemed natural to revisit Storyhill," Hermanson said. "We just thought if people still know about us and want to hear about us, we should do it."
When Storyhill plays at the Emerson Cultural Center Saturday night, the acoustic duo won't be the same band they were at Bozeman High School.
Now 35, the Hermanson and Cunningham are older, married, mature in their songwriting, play to each other's strengths and appreciate how special they are on stage together.
The band has been touring this fall, flying to cities across the country on weekends to play live shows. They even recorded a new album, self-titled "Storyhill," and record labels are listening.
The album is currently available at concerts, although the band hopes to sign with a record label and release it commercially next year.
"We've each developed our own voice now, independent of each other and spread our wings a bit," Hermanson said. "With this record ... in a lot of ways, we feel like it's our first record. We made a commitment to each that now we are going to pursue Storyhill more aggressively. The thing Chris and I do together is just sort of natural."
The new album is their 14th release, described as a simple collection of stories about love and loss. The band recorded the album together in an attic studio to replicate their live sound on stage, allowing Storyhill's acoustic, folk sound to come out of the guitars.
Ironically, the duo collaborated on a deeper level than ever before, even though they live hundreds of miles apart, they said.
Both men currently own their own production studios, so they recorded music on their own and sent it to each other in digital formats. They then wrote, rewrote and edited lyrics and music via e-mails and regular phone calls.
The result is an intimate, sincere album that gets Storyhill back to basics.
"It's really basically a live album. It's pretty much stripped down, without a lot of fancy production," said Cunningham, who believes "Storyhill" is the band's best work ever. "It's just the most solid selection of songs we've written. That's why we called it 'Storyhill,' it feels like a rebirth."
Storyhill recorded the album with the help of producer Dan Wilson, who has worked with Semisonic, Dixie Chicks and Mike Doughty. Eric Fawcett of N.E.R.D. played drums on the album. The band self produced its previous records.
For the past few weeks, Storyhill has been playing on weekends in California, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and other parts of the country. The band is attracting new fans, playing for crowds of about 100 to 500 people. During the shows, they play all of their new songs, as well as some old favorites.
"The new stuff is really being received well," Hermanson said.
When the band returns to Bozeman to play its new music, they look forward to playing where they used to perform choir concerts, knowing that they are committed to taking Storyhill wherever it goes.
Maybe they'll sign with a record label. Maybe the new record will be distributed nationwide. Maybe the guys from Bozeman will gain national fame and fortune.
"For the first time, we're diving into this larger sphere and we're excited about being a duo," Hermanson said.
After all these years, they're just finally figuring it out, Cunningham said. The sound is the same, but the music and songwriting is better.
"I just think we both discovered it's something that's not going to go away," Hermanson said of Storyhill. "It's something that we want to be a part of for a long time."
Storyhill is scheduled to perform at Emerson Cultural Center Theater on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for students and $15 for general admission. At the door, tickets will be sold for $17 general admission.
More information is available at www.storyhill.com
REUNITED ACOUSTIC DUO STORYHILL IS BACK TO BASICS WITH STORYHILL
STORYHILL ANNOUNCES FALL TOUR DATES
Brooklyn, NY, Aug. 1, 2006 - Montana acoustic folk duo Storyhill are ending their years long hiatus by playing a string dates to support a new album they have recorded, Storyhill, a brilliantly simple collection of stories about love and loss. Originally scheduled to come out in September, the band has put the national release on hold while they explore the interest the album has generated from record labels. Storyhill will currently be available exclusively at live shows until early 2007.
Storyhill is the record Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson always knew they had in them. And with help from producer Dan Wilson (of Semisonic, Dixie Chicks and Mike Doughty fame) and N.E.R.D. drummer Eric Fawcett, they're ready to share it with the world.
Artful, intelligent and accessible, Storyhill is the kind of career-defining statement you might expect from a group that's been writing and touring non-stop for years. But the band officially parted ways in 1997 to pursue other creative projects after nearly a decade of collaboration. Storyhill more than makes up for all that lost time and proves the band is just getting started.
"This record definitely marks a turning point for us," says Cunningham. "In many ways, it feels like our first album, even though we've been at this for a while." "That's part of the reason we called the record ‘Storyhill'," John adds. "This is a fresh start—we're finally where we want to be as a band. And we're ready to give our music the attention it deserves again."
Storyhill puts a worldly, bittersweet spin on a classic folk vibe, blending pop, country and Americana in the tradition of Neil Young. Its most tender moments, meanwhile, channel the melancholy charm of Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel or Jeff Buckley.
Determined to capture the band's famed onstage dynamic, Wilson recorded the songs live in a single-room attic studio, keeping overdubs and percussion to a bare minimum. His intimately organic setup gives the signature Storyhill harmonies and interwoven guitars ample room to shine.
"They already have a great live sound; it's as if the blend of their voices almost turns into one voice sometimes. I wanted to find a way to capture that sound, that intuitive, spooky blend, and keep the instrumentation to a minimum. We wanted the listener to feel like they were in the room with the guys, and I think a lot of the tracks feel that way," says Wilson.
Both Chris and John credit Wilson's production and songwriting know-how as a major force in shaping the direction of the new record. "With Dan behind the board we felt free to just explore these songs, and really bring them to life," says Chris. "It was incredibly liberating."
Even the band's nine-year hiatus played an important role in elevating their sound to a new level. The break gave them a refreshing perspective on the creative process.
The duo collaborated on a deeper level than ever before, trading ideas back and forth and reworking songs tirelessly, ultimately whittling down 30-odd songs into the record's final 11 tracks.
"It was a tough job," Hermanson admits, "because we like different things about songs, and define great songs differently. The balance of creative tension, trying to arrive at something we are both happy with, is what makes us who we are."
"The songs we're most excited about are the ones that are most collaborative," says Chris. "We can't wait to see where this new approach will take us."
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AUDIO
Click on an audio track below to download a mp3:
Storyhill - Self-Titled [2006]
Blazing Out of Sight [mp3] - 6.36 mb
Love Will Find You [mp3] - 4.38 mb
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