Story of the Year took root in the late '90s under a different name,
Big Blue Monkey, in St. Louis, MO. At the time of its inception, the band's sound was much heavier (think
Deftones), and the lineup that would become
Story of the Year was not yet in place.
Big Blue Monkey played frequent shows in the St. Louis area, issued several EPs, and endured the lineup fluctuations typical to any struggling combo. Creative and persistent self-promotion caught the ear of producer
John Feldmann, who in turn brought Maverick Records into the picture. By 2002,
Big Blue Monkey had become
Story of the Year, moved to Southern California, and toured with
Feldmann and
Goldfinger.
The lineup of vocalist
Dan Marsala, guitarists
Ryan Phillips and
Phillip Sneed, bassist
Adam Russell, and drummer
Joshua Willis entered the studio with
Feldmann, emerging in spring 2003 with the full-length album
Page Avenue.
Story did some Warped Tour dates that summer, and issued the record the following September. By this point the
Story sound had morphed completely and comfortably into emo-inflected post-grunge, akin to groups like
Thrice or the similarly
Feldmann-shepherded
Used. The CD/DVD set
Live in the Lou/Bassassins followed in spring 2005; it was a precursor to
In the Wake of Determination, which appeared in October. Three years later,
Story of the Year released their third album,
The Black Swan, on Epitaph Records, which they helped promote by extensive Warped Tour dates. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide