Story of the Year

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Big Blue Monkey)

Template:Short description Template:DMCA

Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.

Story of the Year
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:InfoboxImage/data' not found.
Story of the Year performing in São Paulo in 2009
Background information
Also known asPage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
  • 67 North (1995–1998)
  • Big Blue Monkey (1998–2002)
BornScript error: No such module "person date".
OriginSt. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedScript error: No such module "person date".
GenresPage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
Years activePage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
  • 1995–2011
  • 2013–present
LabelTemplate:Pluralize from textPage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
SpinoffsPage Template:Hlist/styles.css has no content.
Members
  • Dan Marsala
  • Ryan Phillips
  • Adam Russell
  • Josh Wills
Past members
  • John Taylor
  • Perry West
  • Greg Haupt
  • Philip Sneed
Websitestoryoftheyear.net
File:Story of the Year (Page Avenue) logo.svg

Script error: No such module "Check for deprecated parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri,[2] in 1995 under the name 67 North.[3] Originally playing nu metal, the band eventually changed their name to Big Blue Monkey in 1998, and then subsequently changed it again to Story of the Year in 2002, after the release of their self-titled EP on the indie label Criterion Records. At the time, they claimed they had discovered that a blues group named Big Blue Monkey already existed. Later, on their podcast Page Avenue Crew, they clarified that they just did not care for the name and had just made up the excuse of another band having the same name.

It would not be until eight years after forming that Story of the Year saw its first piece of commercial success in its major label debut album, Page Avenue (2003), containing the popular singles "Until the Day I Die" and "Anthem of Our Dying Day". A second album, In the Wake of Determination, followed in 2005, but did not achieve the commercial success of its predecessor. The band eventually left Maverick and signed to independent label Epitaph Records to released their third album, The Black Swan on April 22, 2008, followed by 2010's The Constant.

On August 11, 2017, Story of the Year teased a 90-second clip of a new song off their crowd-funded fifth studio album. The pledge campaign began in November 2016 and was completely funded in less than three days. The band used high-profile producer Aaron Sprinkle and mixers Tom Lord-Alge & J Hall to complete their fifth studio album. They confirmed via the pledge site that the new album will be titled Wolves which was released through PledgeMusic on December 1, 2017. The album's wide release was on December 8, 2017. And in March of 2023 as a 4 Piece band again, but this time with Sneed gone and the return of Bassist Adam Russell, the band saw the release of Tear Me to Pieces. They followed this up with a world tour in 2023–2024.

History

67 North & Big Blue Monkey (1995–2002)

The band were formed in 1995 under the name "67 North" by guitarist Ryan Phillips of the band Means Well, drummer Dan Marsala, vocalist John Taylor and bassist Perry West. They changed their name to "Big Blue Monkey" in 1998 before releasing the first EP Three Days Broken that same year. In 1999, they released another EP called Truth in Separation, their last under the line-up. In 2000, West and Taylor would both depart from the group, leading to Marsala moving to vocal duties, and the recruitment of Means Well drummer Josh Wills as well as the members' long time friend Adam Russell of the band Locash on bass duties, despite him never having played bass prior (previously a guitarist prior to joining the band). It was at this point that the band relocated to Orange County, California, where the final Big Blue Monkey EP was released in 2002 titled Story of the Year, which they would then change their name to later that year.[3]

Page Avenue (2002–2004)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". After spending many years as a local band with different line-ups, recording three EPs and multiple demos. Story of the Year signed a deal with Maverick Records in 2002, then recorded and released their first album, Page Avenue in September 2003. The first single from that album was "Until the Day I Die". It first received radio airplay around July–August 2003 on stations like KPNT. The second single, "Anthem of Our Dying Day", featured a music video directed by Joe Hahn of Linkin Park. Pushed by the success of both singles, Page Avenue was a success and was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2004,[4] and went on to sell 846,000 copies in the US by 2007.[5]

MTV News reported on their website that during a radio show in May 2004, the band members of Story of the Year got into a fight with the roadies of metal band Godsmack.[6] Pictures of the band members' bruised faces were posted on their homepage. The members of Godsmack were not involved in the fight.

Live in the Lou/Bassassins (a CD/DVD combo of live performances and touring video) was released on May 10, 2005. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in late 2005, indicating shipment of over 50,000 units as it is video longform format.[7]

In the Wake of Determination (2004–2006)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". After the Page Avenue tour ended in late 2004, Story of the Year returned to the studio with producer Steve Evetts in 2005, to record their second studio album. In the Wake of Determination, released on October 11, 2005, is much heavier sounding than the previous album. As of October 2007, the album had sold 180,000 units[8] and failed to achieve the same success that the band's two previous releases had. Although not as successful as its predecessor, the album debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard 200.

The Black Swan (2007–2009)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Story of the Year released The Black Swan in 2008. For the album, they brought back producer John Feldmann and Elvis Baskette. The album received praise from music critics and achieved decent commercial success, more so than the previous album. The success was led by the first single off album, "Wake Up".

For the recording of The Black Swan, Story of the Year decided to end their five-year relationship with Maverick and signed with Epitaph Records.[5]

Story of the Year played on 2008's Taste of Chaos International tour with Atreyu.[9]

The Constant (2009–2010)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". In May 2009, Story of the Year began work on another album.[10] On December 31, the band released "I'm Alive" to radio airplay.

The Constant, was released on February 16, 2010 through Epitaph Records.[11] The Deluxe Edition, available on iTunes, has two bonus tracks, "Your Unsung Friend" and "Tonight We Fall".

Story of the Year recorded a cover of Waterproof Blonde's song "Just Close Your Eyes" for professional wrestler Christian Cage. Their cover version was included in WWE Music album A New Day, Vol. 10 that was released on January 28, 2010.

Side-projects and hiatus (2011–2013)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Bassist Adam Russell was announced to be the bassist of post-hardcore band Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows, along with Craig Owens (lead vocalist, Chiodos), Matt Good (guitarist, From First to Last), Nick Martin (guitarist, Underminded) and Aaron Stern (drummer, Matchbook Romance).[12] Russell left Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows in 2012.

Singer Dan Marsala formed a comedy punk rock side-project in 2009 named The Fuck Off and Dies.[13] The band has gone on to release two full-length albums, Songs In The Key Of Fuck (2011) and Dear Liver (2015).

Guitarists Ryan Phillips and Philip Sneed continued to pursue their side project, Greek Fire. They have released a debut EP and two independent albums, Deus Ex Machina and Lost/Found.

Bassist Adam Russell and guitarist Ryan Phillips set out to make a movie about rise and fall of the music industry and where it stands today called "Who Killed (Or Saved!) The Music Industry". Funded by Kickstarter, they were filming in 2013.

On February 4, 2011, at The Pageant in their hometown of St. Louis, the band performed their first album, Page Avenue, in its entirety, as well as other fan favorites. They posted that this was a "thank you" show to all their dedicated fans for 10 years together. City Spud, of the St. Louis rap group St. Lunatics, made a guest appearance during the show.

Reunion, Page Avenue 10th anniversary tour (2013–2014)

On March 8, 2013, the band announced they reunited for a world tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their debut album Page Avenue. It was also stated that the band has re–recorded Page Avenue, entitled Page Avenue: Ten Years and Counting with release date on October 8, 2013.[14] Originally they planned it to be a full acoustic version of the album, but after the collaboration with City Spud during their concert in 2011 they decided to re–record the album with a different feel to each song rather than just acoustic versions.[15]

Wolves and lineup changes (2014–2019)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". On September 30, 2014, the band announced on their Facebook page that bass player Adam Russell left the band. The band also said they were writing a fifth album.[16] On November 7, 2016, the band announced via their PledgeMusic page that they would be releasing a new album sometime in 2017 entitled Wolves.[17] On October 25, 2017, via their Facebook page, the band confirmed the PledgeMusic exclusive release date of Wolves on December 1, with the album's wide release taking place on December 8.[18] According to Wall of Sound,[19] the album has hints of the band's earlier work scattered throughout and a vintage feel, akin to that of Stranger Things.

In March 2018, Philip Sneed announced his departure from the band citing he was let go via management, and not long after, the band announced the return of Adam Russell.[20]

Tear Me to Pieces (2020–2025)

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Beginning in October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Story of the Year performed their first three albums in three individual livestreams under the title Ghost Signal.[21]

In March 2021, Page Avenue was certified Platinum by the RIAA.[4]

In January 2022, it was announced that Story of the Year would join the When We Were Young festival among over 60 other emo bands including My Chemical Romance and Paramore.[22] The band released their new single "Real Life" on August 24, alongside the announcement that they had signed with SharpTone Records and a new set of tour dates alongside Hawthorne Heights and Escape the Fate.[23] In October, it was announced that Story of the Year's sixth album would be called Tear Me to Pieces, with a new music video for the title track.[24] The album was released on March 10, 2023.

A.R.S.O.N. (2025–present)

In October 2025, the band released the first single "Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)" for their new upcoming album "A.R.S.O.N.", which was released on February 13th, 2026.[25]

The band are confirmed to be appearing at Welcome to Rockville taking place in Daytona Beach, Florida in May 2026.[26] They will support Silverstein on tour later in the year along with Origami Angel.[27]

Musical style and influences

Story of the Year has been categorized under several genres, especially emo,[28] screamo,[29][30][31] post-hardcore,[32][33] and pop-punk.[34][35][28] AllMusic describe the band as hard rock, as well as "emo punk" and "emo-inflected post-grunge"[2] and the band has also been labeled as alternative rock[36] and melodic hardcore.[37] Story of the Year's material as Big Blue Monkey is considered nu metal.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.

The band's influences include Skid Row, Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, NOFX, Pennywise, Sick of It All, and H2O.[34]

Band members

Page Template:Col-begin/styles.css has no content.

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:100 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1995 till:09/02/2026 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors = 

id:Vocals value:red               legend:Lead_vocals
id:BVocals value:pink             legend:Backing_vocals
id:LGuitar value:teal             legend:Lead_guitar
id:RGuitar value:brightgreen      legend:Rhythm_guitar
id:Bass value:blue                legend:Bass
id:Keys value:purple              legend:Keyboards,_piano
id:Drums value:orange             legend:Drums,_percussion
id:lines1 value:black             legend:Studio_album
id:bars value:gray(0.93)

Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 BackgroundColors = bars:bars ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:3 start:1995 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1995

BarData = 

bar:Taylor   text:John Taylor
bar:Phillips text:Ryan Phillips
bar:Haupt    text:Greg Haupt
bar:Sneed    text:Philip Sneed
bar:West     text:Perry West
bar:Russell  text:Adam Russell
bar:Marsala  text:Dan Marsala
bar:Wills    text:Josh Wills

PlotData = 

width:11
bar:Taylor     from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2000   color:Vocals
bar:Marsala    from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2000   color:Drums
bar:Marsala    from:01/01/2000 till:02/11/2011   color:Vocals
bar:Marsala    from:03/08/2013 till:end          color:Vocals
bar:Wills      from:01/01/2000 till:02/11/2011   color:Drums
bar:Wills      from:03/08/2013 till:end          color:Drums
bar:Phillips   from:01/01/1995 till:02/11/2011   color:LGuitar
bar:Phillips   from:01/01/1995 till:06/20/2000   color:RGuitar width:3
bar:Phillips   from:03/08/2013 till:end          color:LGuitar
bar:Phillips   from:10/01/2014 till:end          color:RGuitar width:3
bar:Haupt      from:06/20/2000 till:01/15/2003   color:RGuitar
bar:Sneed      from:01/15/2003 till:02/11/2011   color:RGuitar
bar:Sneed      from:03/08/2013 till:10/01/2014   color:RGuitar
bar:Sneed      from:01/15/2003 till:02/11/2011   color:BVocals width:3
bar:Sneed      from:03/08/2013 till:03/01/2018   color:BVocals width:3
bar:Sneed      from:05/06/2007 till:02/11/2011   color:Keys    width:7
bar:Sneed      from:03/08/2013 till:03/01/2018   color:Keys    width:7
bar:Sneed      from:10/01/2014 till:03/01/2018   color:Bass
bar:West       from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/2000   color:Bass
bar:Russell    from:01/01/2000 till:02/11/2011   color:Bass
bar:Russell    from:01/01/2000 till:02/11/2011   color:BVocals width:3
bar:Russell    from:03/08/2013 till:10/01/2014   color:Bass
bar:Russell    from:03/08/2013 till:10/01/2014   color:BVocals width:3
bar:Russell    from:03/01/2018 till:end          color:Bass
bar:Russell    from:03/01/2018 till:end          color:BVocals width:3

LineData = 

at:09/16/2003 color:lines1 layer:back
at:10/11/2005 color:lines1 layer:back
at:04/22/2008 color:lines1 layer:back
at:02/16/2010 color:lines1 layer:back
at:12/08/2017 color:lines1 layer:back
at:03/10/2023 color:lines1 layer:back
at:02/13/2026 color:lines1 layer:back

</timeline>

Discography

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". Studio albums

References

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Tearing us to pieces – Review of Story Of The Year's "Tear Me To Pieces"". chaoszine.
  2. ^ a b Story of the Year at Allmusic.com Accessed May 17, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sharpe-Young, Garry. New Wave of American Heavy Metal. p. 291.
  4. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Epitaph Records: Epitaph Signs Alt/Rock Heavyweights Story Of The Year". Epitaph.com. October 29, 2007. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  6. ^ Story of the Year Say Godsmack's Crew Kicked Their Asses. MTV News, June 2, 2004 Accessed February 6, 2007
  7. ^ Gold and Platinum Database Search Script error: No such module "webarchive". Type in "Story of the Year"
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Harding, Cortney (October 29, 2007). "Story Of The Year Inks With Epitaph". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Kerrang! Atreyu to headline Taste Of Chaos 2008". .kerrang.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story of the Year begin writing next album". Punknews.org. May 21, 2009. Archived from the original on October 28, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story Of The Year Present The Constant - News Article". AbsolutePunk.net. February 16, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ilvonen, Keagan (October 5, 2010). "D.R.U.G.S Announce Bass Player". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved October 5, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Paul, Aubin (November 16, 2009). "Story Of The Year vocalist launches pop-punk side project". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  14. ^ Script error: No such module "cite tweet".
  15. ^ So...it's been a while, huh? After... - Story of the Year. Facebook. Retrieved on 2013-08-25.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story Of The Year part ways with bassist, post letter to fans on their future - News - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. September 30, 2014. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story of the Year: WOLVES". PledgeMusic. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story of the Year". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brown, Paul (December 1, 2017). "Story of the Year - Wolves (Album Review)". Wallofsoundau.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brown, Paul (March 28, 2018). "Phillip Sneed ousted from Story of the Year". Wallofsoundau.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Punk/Rock Band Story of the Year Playing First Three Albums in Full in New 'Ghost Signal' Live Stream Series". Rock Cellar Magazine. September 23, 2020. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Linzinmeir, Taylor (January 18, 2022). "When We Were Young festival features stacked lineup of Paramore, My Chemical Romance, many more". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Major, Michael (August 24, 2022). "Story of the Year Return With New Single 'Real Life'". Broadway World. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."STORY OF THE YEAR Announces 'Tear Me to Pieces' Album, Shares Video For Title Track". Blabbermouth. October 12, 2022. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  25. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story of the Year set to release 2026 album, 'A.R.S.O.N.'". Melodic Mag. October 17, 2025.
  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Octane's Welcome to Rockville Announcement Mix: My Chemical Romance, Guns N' Roses & More". SiriusXM. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."14 New Rock + Metal Tours Announced This Past Week". Loudwire. April 10, 2026. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  28. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."GODSMACK Vs. STORY OF THE YEAR: Indiana Concert Ends In Savage Beating". Blabbermouth.net. June 1, 2004. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chalfant, Dan (November 9, 2005). "Screamo band 'back in action'". The Northerner. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sharpe-Young, Garry (2005). New Wave of american Heavy Metal. Zonda Books Limited. p. 291. ISBN 9780958268400.
  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Crane, Matt (January 24, 2014). "10 Bands Who Will Influence the Inevitable Pop-Screamo Revival of 2017". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Childers, Chad; Trapp, Philip (June 25, 2019). "This Post-Hardcore Guitarist Competed on American Ninja Warrior". Loudwire. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  33. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Maceli, Ashley (February 24, 2010). "Story of the Year back with Constant release". The Suffolk Journal. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  34. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Zaleski, Annie (September 29, 2004). "Special Delivery". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Weston, Colin (June 17, 2004). "Story of the Year Get Godsmack'ed!". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story of the Year brought post-hardcore alternative rock into the mainstream". AXS. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story of the Year – Wolves (Album Review)". December 2017. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Page Avenue Crew • A podcast on Spotify for Creators". Creators.spotify.com. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  39. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Friedman, David (April 23, 2004). "Story of the Year rides hot streak into Hartford". The News-Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Page Avenue Crew • A podcast on Anchor". Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  41. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."STORY OF THE YEAR Announces New Album 'A.R.S.O.N.', Shares 'Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)' Single". Blabbermouth.net. October 16, 2025.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.

Retrieved from "https://cosmopedia.co/index.php?title=Story_of_the_Year&oldid=376885"