You couldn't make it up, if you tried

Now

dreamsentinel — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:16:41 +0000

Everybody has an outlook, and an opinion. Everybody feels things and deals with things in different ways.
The way I see it, our past, present and future don’t separate. Everything that ever was, is, everything that is, will be, and everything that will be, will carry on.
People try to tell me that the past doesn’t matter, but every moment now is the past. You know the feeling, you wait for an event to happen for months, and months. The feeling of excitement builds, and you think ahead of time; what you’ll feel when you get there, and how you’ll feel after. When the time arrives, it both arrives, occurs and ends before you even have time to think, and what do you get after? A memory. Therefore everything that is, was and will be, is a memory, and shouldn’t be repressed, hidden, or referred to as meaningless.

Every good and bad thing that’s ever happened to me, is part of me. I want to be judged by my past. I want to be judged by my present. I want to be judged by what I aim to do and what I’ll be able to do.

I want to live for now, and to have everything, because now is all we have, whether it’s happened, or yet to happen.

How racist ARE we?

dreamsentinel — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 18:11:05 +0000

Apologies for stealing my title from that crap documentary/experiment on channel 4 last year, but I feel it suits.
Racism is a delicate subject that few dare to delve into anymore due to the fear that it may end in argument or be socially unacceptable, but personally I don’t have a problem with discussing racism and I don’t think others should either. I mean, nearly all of us have told black jokes, we’ve all put on an Indian accent and laughed at the name of a curry, so if we take part in a form of tributary racism, then we should man up and get talking about the real deal.
Racism is something we all understand. We’ve all heard Martin Luther’s speech, we’ve all learned about segregation in the south and the KKK. We all know about slavery and shudder at the thought of the times when the masters of the world would care for their swineherds more than the coloured folk polishing their shoes, and yet we seem to be under the impression that racism is a thing of the past, and it certainly isn’t.
I hear racist remarks on a daily basis from family, friends, and even on tv, people referring to folk as ‘my black friend’ for example when they could have just said ‘my friend’. I’m not going to lie, I do it too, but I’ve grown up in a country where there aren’t really many ‘coloured’ people. Throughout my time in primary and secondary school there was only a maximum of two black children, a couple of asians, and the rest were welsh or english.
I have a feeling that most ‘racism’ isn’t necessarily malicious, it’s simply a reaction from people who are seeing folk who do not mirror those they are used to.
An example of this would be my gran. My gran casually uses phrases like ‘Negro black’ and ‘Dusky people’. In the political correctness bible this would be seen as racist, however my gran is just making use of the old fashioned language she knows and using it to describe the colour of people’s skin.
It doesn’t really matter that ‘colour doesn’t matter’ because it’s just a description. If you want to call me white, call me white, I won’t think of it as discrimination, you’re just describing me.
In the case of the workplace, black/brown/yellow? people do face hardships, it’s true, but that will change over time. I would imagine if a white person went over to Africa and tried to get a job they would face similar problems, or even in China. No matter where you are, if you look different, you’re going to stick out like a sore thumb, but what does it matter? If people stare, they are probably wondering what you’re doing there, not saying ‘That person must be less intelligent because they’re a different colour’.
We live our lives in a way that is most comfortable for us. If we have lived in a society lacking in diversity, then we will become accustomed to that and will find anything out of the ordinary slightly threatening. I personally don’t think it’s a problem, if we all come together and respect and embrace eachother fully then cultures will mix and people will no longer have differences and there’ll be no point going abroad because our countries will have the exact same shops and the exact same foods as any other.
When racism turns violent, THAT is when it becomes a problem, and when there is obvious discrimination about the intelligence of people from other cultures, that’s a problem also. Who cares about jokes, do you really think black people from ‘the bronx’ don’t joke about white trash women and how wimpy white guys look?
Let’s just drop the awkwardness and get talking about it, and the same goes for homosexuality, religion, and all the other ‘sensetive issues’.

dreamsentinel — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:51:17 +0000

On Friday evening I decided to venture out, feeling a little more impulsive than usual I decided to join a friend and his mates who I didn’t know.
Managed to convince the mother to give me a lift into Swansea (I didn’t fancy driving and avoiding the booze this time) and I waited on the Kingsway for my friend Sam to arrive.
I avoided the planned meeting point due to an abundance of chavs lined up there (Outside Mcdonalds,need I say more?) so I lingered on the street corner outside somerfield. Sadly I wasn’t safe here either, as two female chavs (I will not assign them any humanity by calling them people) and their male friend (nicely decorated with scabs and bruises on his face and a huge scar across the back of his head) were arguing and wandering around there also.
It soon became apparent that one of these female creatures had paid a certain fellow some money for valium she did not receive. I worked this one out from the creature shouting down the phone ‘I wants my monies back,I wants my monies back,or my valium,ew fuckin’ ripped me off’.
The male creature then took over the phone call, telling the dealer that if he didn’t give the female her money back,or her valium, ‘ew missus is fackin’ gettin it’. He also threatened to send his ‘boys’ up to ‘ave’ him. Rough translation would be ‘pummel’.
This whole situation brought back memories of my time in school. When I was 14 or so I got into the ‘goff’ phase, black became my favourite colour, metal became my religion and naturally, chavs became the enemy.
Looking back on it now, it was a pretty crappy time. I looked quite dreadful in those days, and my fashion choices were beyond questionable. I’m not surprised I was mocked, but it always amazed me how the ‘chavs’ could torment myself and my friends so much.
Most of the time it was funny, once my friend told some kid that he had the intellectual abilities of a goat, to which he replied ‘speak english ew goff’.
I once got asked if my bedroom was a goth, how does that work? Also, some guy made fun of me for having black hair. My hair has never been black nor will it ever be.
My friends and I always figured all the tormenting was done out of jealousy. We were the ‘high flyers’ in school, managing to get the better grades even though we weren’t popular, and most abuse was rooted in envy no doubt, but it was still so unnecessary to put us down, even if it did make them feel better.
I would never walk down a street and shout abuse at someone for looking different, even if I did think they looked ridiculous. What is it that happened in this country to suddenly make that acceptable?
Is it a lack of responsible parents? Is it a lack of proper education? Can we blame it in on ‘gangsta rap’ and computer games?
Personally I feel the problem lies in everything being wrapped in cotton wool these days. Education is no longer about drumming information into pupils, it’s about helping people to understand everything. Back in the days when my parents were in school, if you didn’t learn something properly, you were punished. These days, if you struggle, you are babied and given extra support. You are told that it’s okay to fall behind, and motivation to carry on is lost.
Although I wouldn’t say I fell behind, I found that modern methods of education made me complacent and lazy. It was all too easy to learn everything using a method instead of actually drumming facts into my brain.
If I sat a GCSE exam now there’s a good chance I would fail, do I really remember facts about biology? God no. My mum and dad however remember everything because if they didn’t, at the they would not have been told ”aww, never mind, we’ll get you a tutor”
Teachers no longer have the power to enforce discipline. Classrooms are over run with kids who don’t respect teachers or anyone else but demand respect for themselves without earning it.
I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that’s made our generation so dreadful, maybe we take things for granted because life is too easy now (for young people,anyway). Parents are too set on giving kids what they didn’t have when they were younger, and this (in a lot of cases) has resulted in spoiled kids.
I’ve never understood it myself. In terms of privelages I guess I’ve been spoiled, my mum always did everything for me, my parents always kept me financially stable and taught me to do so myself. I’ve never needed for anything and I’ve always been close to my family, that’s why I’ve never understood teenagers who spend every night going out drinking, smashing things up, getting pregnant and then giving their poor parents an earful for no reason.
Why don’t the government do something about this? The focus seems to be put on new methods of education instead of better discipline and more punishment. Anyone who plays up on the streets or vandalises schools should be sent to some sort of boot camp, not given a slap on the wrist and a warning.
Gang criminals aren’t even dealt with anymore, the village next to mine has it’s own ‘mafia’ and the town nearby has a whole stream of people (the name of the gang slips my mind) ready to dispose of anyone who ‘disrespects’ anyone they like.
Some kids from my old school recently burned down part of the local church, and got away with it because everyone knew who it was, but nobody was willing to come forward with evidence.
KICK THE SHIT OUT OF THEM, THEN BACK INTO THEM, THEN OUT OF THEM AGAIN.

I can’t think of any more to add yet. I might eventually. The end.

Everybody wants you to make it – May 2010

dreamsentinel — Sat, 22 May 2010 13:26:51 +0000

Every body wants them to make it, but sadly this is probably the last song The Storys are going to release, from their new album Luck.
I’m going to miss them :’(

Cleggeron

dreamsentinel — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:48:04 +0000

This one’s for @jefffyke who suggested I write a poem about the coalition.
I haven’t forgotten the other suggestions, those are next!

Gordon Brown was nursing his head
as he saw a face peek through the door
A Cameron had snuck through the pantry
and was nesting on the kitchen floor
‘Get out’ cried Brown with a whimper
‘You’re not the prime minister yet’
‘But I will be’ said Dave with a snarl
‘In fact, I’m willing to bet’

Mr Brown kicked the creature outside
and set traps in around no.10
in case that sly creature was slippery
and managed to get in again
But alas it was not to be
as within just a matter of days
Mr Brown and his family moved out
and went their separate ways

For britain this was simply disastrous
as without those traps left behind
a Cameron was lurking much closer
and his reign would not be as kind
By some miracle along came a Clegg
with an optimistic little scurry
that Cameron suddenly fell for
and wanted to snap up in a hurry

So the Cameron addressed the public
with the Clegg smiling sweetly by his side
and told everyone change was coming
though many believe that he lied
with their misty eyes locked on eachother
and coalition under their belts
Cleggeron may not be so happy
when their plan for reform melts

So off they went hand in hand
No.10 looked on Cameron with fear
like a horror film, doors would slam closed
when the slithering fellow was near
Clegg, unlike Cam, was much kinder
With a spring in his step most delightful
But his alliance with Cameron seemed silly
If not terribly terribly frightful

Now all we can do is observe them
As they bicker about matching ties
And swear at Cameron wholeheartedly
until he gives in and says his goodbyes.
So we pray that the future is brighter
as the Cameron cloud draws closer
Even with Mr Clegg at his side
we’d be better off led by a toaster

Ticks (1993)

dreamsentinel — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:30:04 +0000

I finished watching this lovely little film this afternoon, and I will add it to the list of horror films I’ve seen that are so terrible you have to enjoy them for comic effect.
This film stars Seth Green as a nerdy looking teenager as well as Alfonso Ribeiro, who you’ll know better as Carlton from the Fresh Prince.
This film didn’t exactly make it into the history books, as a friend pointed out to me it’s not even on wikipedia, however it’s a classic that I think you must see.
What could you possibly dislike about a film involving mutant ticks that make people hallucinate when bitten? Nothing, that’s what. Check it out and have a giggle

A Nightmare on Elm street (2010)

dreamsentinel — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:02:01 +0000

Yesterday afternoon my friend and I decided to see the new remake of the classic ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ due to our mutual love of horror films, and I’m very glad we did.
The film is very similar to the original but obviously has a new depth in terms of graphics, and if anything the storyline is a lot clearer. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the film, jumping out of my skin at the most predictable of moments which is exactly what I want from a horror film.
The film begins with a character we don’t see in the original. The scene is set in a diner and the whole dream killings aspect of the film is brought to our attention immediately.

The complexities of the Krueger-nightmare phenomenon are delved into in a more visually explicit way for the first scenes of the film. We don’t see the blonde just looking worried about a nightmare before getting killed as we do in the original, we get a bigger window to look through into her suffering.

The next two deaths in the film are similar to those of the original, however the rest are not. You won’t see a Johnny Depp getting swallowed by his bed this time, but where the ridiculous deaths are lacking the storyline is enriched. We learn a lot more about the character of Krueger, more about his victims, and we even see exactly how the parents took their revenge; How Krueger became such a monster.

It is definitely worth seeing alongside the original movie and it should be respected in it’s own right as Wesley Strick takes us on a new ride.
The story takes on twists unlike that of the original. For a while we are given the impression that perhaps Krueger is not a villain after all, merely taking revenge because of false accusations resulting in his brutal murder, but we learn soon enough how sadistic Freddy was and why his memories were kept in the dark by the parents of children he came in contact with.
If you’re one for comedy-horror, this film has elements of that too. Freddy’s quotes for exaple ‘How’s this for a wet dream?’ had my friend and I in stitches. This film doesn’t take itself too seriously, and you shouldn’t either.
Watch this film with an open mind, use your knowledge of the original to appreciate the new levels this remake unlocks. If you’re a horror lover, it’s worth a see.

Diets : for people who DON’T want to lose weight.

dreamsentinel — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:08:23 +0000

For the past 2 years I’ve been working hard to change my lifestyle and my body to become a healthier, fitter, and all around more aesthetically pleasing person.
After dropping 4 stone and busting my butt to get there, I’d say I’m almost exactly where I want to be. It’s an amazing feeling when you know you’ve achieved something you never thought you could, and looking in the mirror actually makes you feel happy, and doesn’t fill you with self loathing.

Ever since I started losing weight, I never really labelled it as ‘dieting’. I’ve looked at fad diets, I’ve gone through every diet and exercise website out there, and I even found myself looking at pro-ana websites for tips a few years ago, but did I decide to survive on an one apple and a cucumber every day? No.
The truth of the matter is, if you really really want to change your body, you’ll know about it. You won’t be sitting there thinking ‘I’ll diet tomorrow’, you won’t look up fad diets in an attempt to drop a few pounds for ‘summer’ just to gain it all back over the winter months. You certainly won’t be eating ‘low fat‘ versions of macaroni cheese.
Those fad diets may shift a few pounds, but what are pounds anyway? They are a measure of weight. They are not a measure of your waist, or your thighs. Sure, you might lose half a stone on an atkins diet, or you may lose even more on a detox, but will that really make you feel better?
What is weight in the grand scheme of it all? You can brag all you want to friends about the pounds you dropped, but at the end of the day pounds are simply a measure of weight, and that weight could easily have been body fluid stored in places you didn’t even know you had.
Oh wait, but you’ve lost weight now haven’t you? That means you’re cured! You can eat a cheeseburger and you’ll be fine! In reality, you’ll gain the weight back faster than you can say calories, and your metabolism will probably be slower than ever. Congratulations.
Unless you are obscenely lucky, the only way to lose weight is by doing it the old fashioned way; introducing healthier food into your diet, cutting out the foods you don’t intend to use for calorie-burning energy, and exercising, any way you can.
By cutting down on carbohydrates, your body can start working on fat burning. Increasing protein, healthy vegetables, salad and fruit will kick start your metabolism. People all fall for the misconception that losing weight is all about cutting out the fat, but it’s really not.
You can have fat, you need fat, but if you mix fat with carbohydrates like potato, bread, and other stodgy white foods, it’s going to stick to you unless you burn it off with intense cardio exercise. Why do you think athletes eat large portions of pasta before running? It’s energy that they can burn off whilst remaining lean.
This is why pizza is bad for you. People think pizza adds an inch to your waistline with every bite because of the cheese, and yes the cheese is bad, but it’s the combination of cheese with bread that makes you lose the will to live in the morning. These stodgy foods will make you feel lethargic, tired, and you won’t want to burn them off because they have a high G.I. Foods with a high G.I cause blood sugars to bounce around and confuse you, so you’ll not only crave more terrible food, you’ll have no motivation to exercise or do anything else for that matter.
Another way to speed up your metabolism is with bursts of cardio and drinking plenty of water. Getting your heart pumping for say 20-30 mins before meals will set your metabolism to burn off calories as you consume them. Don’t eat immediately after, of course, but it really helps, and if you can, have a decent hour cardio workout every day or two. Don’t forget resistence in between (weights/toning exercises,building muscle to burn fat) to maximise your overall toning and weight loss. Keep in mind, unless you’re doing cardio, sit ups won’t reduce your waist line, they’ll only increase muscle underneath the fat.
Keeping a food diary will really get you to look at your eating habits and it will motivate you to lose weight when you realise the crap you’re consuming.

Those of you who spend hours watching Supersize vs Superskinny just to get the diet tips from Anna Richardson don’t really want to change.
If you’re watching ‘You are what you eat’ but you’re not making note of the food ideas, you don’t actually want to lose weight.. You think you do, but really wanting it would motivate you.
If your goal is to get in shape with a fad diet, then you’re ruining your body, and you will suffer for it in the long term. Those celebrities don’t get ripped by sitting on the sofa with a can of coke and a pizza, they have personal trainers and get up at the crack of dawn to sweat it in the gym.

Don’t fool yourself, give your body what it deserves.
And I’m out.

(P.s,this blog ended up sounding quite threatening,I do apologise)

7/03/2007

dreamsentinel — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:53:54 +0000

Never lost

To a flock of young people, a guider
to a loving wife, provider
how is it that your wings were clipped
when you were a free born glider?
The happiness, the smiles, the laughter
in your memory will go on long after
for your heart in spirit will remain
untouched
alive
never lost

I wrote this poem in an attempt to pay my respects to my Uncle, who died from Alzheimers on the 7/3/2007, and it was read out at his funeral.
Alzheimers disease seems to be one of those that is often misunderstood. Most people have the misconception that Alzheimers is merely the deterioration of memories, and general forgetfulness, but it is so much more than that.
The most common joke I’ve heard relating to Alzheimers is ‘Well, I have Alzheimers, but at least I don’t have Alzheimers’. I’m not going to lie, it’s an amusing joke, but I want to make sure those who use the line aren’t only using it because of ignorance about the disease, thinking it’s just a little problem that comes with age.
In the early stages of Alzheimers,when my Uncle was unaware of his condition,he made some mistakes while at work (He was an art teacher).
One day,whilst invigilating for an exam, my Uncle handed out the wrong papers, and that, amongst a few other things led to him being given time off due to ‘stress’. Unfortunately, further tests showed the true cause of his problems, which we as a family knew would only get worse.
My Uncle’s diagnosis in his mid fifties was rare, as Alzheimers is generally something that effects the older generation. Sadly, the illness is increasing in younger people at an alarming rate, which is extremely worrying, as I personally believe the disease is ten times as debilitating as cancer..
Throughout my Uncle’s deterioration, it was obvious he would never get better. From driving to places, forgetting he’d taken a car and walking home, to forgetting how to dress himself, and forgetting how to walk up stairs.
My Uncle was slowly being eaten away by this monster, and within a few short years he’d gone from a happy man, in love with his wife and thoroughly enjoying being alive, to a shadow of his former self.. Being unable to go for the long walks he used to love, being unable to use a knife and fork properly, going through episodes of anger,depression.. One week even blaming my Auntie for his illness, telling people she’d been hitting him on the head, and ended up so angry he threw chairs around the house and my Auntie had to run out to the garden to call an ambulance.
From this point on my Uncle was hospitalised, and sadly he never came out again.
It was an agonising process that my Auntie had to go through, visiting him in hospital every day, trying to play him the music he loved as a lame attempt to maybe provoke a response. By his final days he was nothing, just a shell really. The last word he managed to say was ‘BLOODY’ which he shouted about four times, and then he never spoke again.. A pretty blood curdling cry of anguish from what I heard, I’m glad I didn’t have to hear it myself.
My Uncle finally passed away on the 7th of March 2007 as I already mentioned, when his organs finally gave up, and he was not revived, as my Auntie had agreed when she realised keeping him alive would be pointless.

The funeral was one of the hardest days of my life. As a family we all coped pretty well that day until the hearse pulled up outside. My Uncle and my Mum both found that heartbreaking, as did I, but I didn’t cry at that point.
Walking into the crematorium was difficult. There were so many people lined up, paying their respects to a teacher they’d loved, a friend they’d spent years going to ‘clwb bach’ with.. I couldn’t believe the turn out. We walked in to the sound of Josh Groban’s ‘February Song’ – a song which always makes me sad now, and walked out to the sound of Mary Fahl’s ‘Going Home’ an absolutely beautiful song that will always mean a lot to me.
It was even a hard day for my cousins who live in England, and I don’t get to see them as often as I like. It was a horrible moment when we all broke down together after walking out of the crematorium. It’s weird to see a teenage guy cry.. I hadn’t seen my cousins cry since petty arguments in our childhood!
I may not have been that close to my Uncle, but I’m very close to my Auntie, and family means more to me than anything else. Losing my Uncle meant losing a part of my Auntie, a part of her that will never come back, and to this day she’s bitter and I don’t think she’ll ever get over losing her one true love… The man she’d been with since the age of 17.
Well, there are a lot more memories I could go into, but I don’t want to bore/depress you all with the details, so here’s one of the last moments when my Uncle was self aware, and happy. I hope one day I’ll only remember the good times.

You’re taking my heart away, this time ♪

dreamsentinel — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:57:32 +0000

The lyrics above come from a song by my favourite band, and now they sure mean a lot more to me than they did originally.
This favourite band of mine, ‘The Storys‘ have moved me in a way no other band ever has before, and sadly, they have decided to call it a day, release a final album and go their separate ways. I will genuinely have a break down when I see them for the last time.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw this incredible band live in concert. It was in 2008, and I had just finished my AS level exams so my mum booked us tickets to see this band her friends had spoken so highly of. They were playing in the Talbot Hotel, in an amazingly beautiful place called Tregaron, where I’d been before as a kid with my parents and always loved.
I had briefly listened to the band on myspace, not really giving them the attention they deserved as they seemed a bit of an odd mix, a singer who used to be Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar;
(skip to 2.50 onwards,you’ll have a little chill!)
A bassist with a huge afro, a guitarist who always wears a hat,a middle aged drummer who dresses like a teenager (converse,cropped trousers,etc) a shy keyboard player who also plays every other instrument under the sun, and finally another singer/guitarist who would always play barefoot, and wore sunglasses on stage regularly.

After seeing them live, I was gobsmacked, and from that day I became completely obsessed. I bought one of their albums at the concert, and my mum and I listened to it on repeat for the journey home.

♫ Show me love my arms are open
It’s only now I’ve been awoken
Lead me to the journey’s end
Save me from the colder season
Tell me there’s a deeper reason
Lead me to the journey’s end ♫

In the past two years I’ve seen the band 7 times, and there’s one more gig to come, the farewell one, sadly .
Becoming a fan of the band for me meant a lot more than just listening to music. It was a lot like joining a family,really, all of the storys fans are closely knit together thanks to the forum (which I signed up to immediately after the concert) and I met every member of the band after the first gig, getting autographs, photos, and even discussing my hobbies and exams with the quirky punky little drummer.

Throughout my time going to see this band, the band members started to recognise me, and it’s one of those giddy-feeling-inducing moments when members of your favourite band wave at you and say hi, and ask how you are when they see you. Especially when Steve Balsamo does it, mmm.
I made lots of friends on the forum, many of whom I still talk to regularly via facebook and so on, but without the atmosphere of gigs to meet in I feel I’ll probably lose touch with these people, and it’ll be sad never seeing them again. Considering most of the fans are 40 years old+, I was surprised at how well I got along with them all. They’ve always treated me equally, and talk to me as if I’m the same age as them. To be perfectly honest, I always enjoy the company of people older than myself, but it’s always nice to see the feeling is mutual.

Listening to The Storys music has always made me feel at home, I’ve treated every song like an old friend, and I’ve never ever felt sick of listening to any of the tracks, and that’s never happened to me before.
The Storys are by far the best live band I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen Iron Maiden in concert. Each gig sends tingles down my spine, as Steve’s incredible voice leaves everyone speechless, Rob’s amazing heartfelt guitar solos cause jaws to drop, and the harmonies provided by the rest of the band (who can all sing) just add a special west coast touch to the music. (This is my footage of ‘Roll like a stone’ live, quite possibly my favourite song of all time )

Anyway, I’m rambling..
Not too long after I saw The Storys for the first time, Dai (one of the lead guitarist/singers) quit the band to pursue his solo career, and I was absolutely gutted, though relieved I’d seen him play with the band at least once.

( Sadly, some American fans were travelling to the UK for one weekend to visit an university for their daughter, who was a huge fan of Dai, and they were able to make two of the concerts, both of which were without Dai…She was distraught,of course!)
Pretty soon after, Dai was replaced with the singer Rosalie Deighton
A singer with a very distinctive voice, who definitely gave The Storys a very different sound. I was a little unsettled hearing her at first, she had been included in one of the album tracks before; ‘Trouble deep” , but hearing her sing harmonies that were meant for a male voice was very strange.

After getting to know Rosalie, and seeing her learn the band’s tracks and guitar music by heart, I became as attached to her as I am to the band.
With every gig I found myself more in love with the music,the atmosphere,the fans, everything this incredible band created. During one of the most recent gigs, I invited along two good friends of mine, and both of them loved the band, one of them(@ponderingpanda) now loves the band almost as much as I do.

The band have supported Elton John, Santana and Van Morrison, they’ve gigged all over Europe and all over the UK. They played at an evening with radio personality Bob Harris, by special request from the man himself who had helped them get onto the radio, and many more events like this, but look how far they got?
This band never got all the credit it deserved, and now us fans are missing out because people didn’t give them the time of day. They aren’t new or hip, they sing songs about meaningful things with a sound that took talent to create, but of course it’s not cool enough for the mainstream, so it’s been overlooked.

I’m going to love this band for the rest of my life, and if they’d just stuck around a little longer, I would’ve introduced you all to the wonders of a live Storys concert. The videos just don’t do justice.
I’ll leave you with more videos and photos, memories I’ll be keeping close to my heart forever.

[Disclaimer: all photos are my own,and all videos are my own apart from 'Gethsemane' - courtesy of Maria's youtube page for Steve Balsamo]

(^ That song was written after the band read a story about a man on death row in Texas who would never get to meet his unborn son.)

♪ You’re not around
To hear all the things I need to say
You’re not around
To chase all of my demons away

So I’ll just sit
In the fast approaching gloom
Lift up these tears
To the fast approaching moon
And hope that this same light will shine down on you
Now you’re not around
You’re not around ♪

http://www.thestorys.co.uk

http://www.youtube.com/user/xlostvoicesx

http://www.youtube.com/user/blackqueen66

http://thestorys.proboards.com/

http://thestorys.smugmug.com/

http://www.myspace.com/rosaliedeighton

check out http://www.myspace.com/eaglesbush , The Story’s drummer/keyboard player decided to get together and start a separate music project.

OKAY I’M FINISHED NOW