late 70's...there was a band called storm. eclectic, electric, folkie,

heavy, all things to some, a question mark that was erased before

it had a chance to become an exclamation to others. if they were

starving artists, the music was sustenance enough. it was always

about the sound. all else would follow. beer bars. clubs. dives. weddings.

garage rehearsals. garage recordings. real recording studios. more

rehearsals. writing. more beer bars. auditions. s.i.r. in l.a.   showcases

for every record label in existence. nights at the troubadour with doug

weston pontificating on how to become not just good but famous and

consenting to free food in exchange for free shows. all things were

possible. wise and strange, a revered legend...and for all his

shakespearean histrionics, mr. troubadour liked storm.

enter a couple of  guys who hadn't much experience in managing bands but

were big on belief in the music and their own savvy:  kenn ellner, of the count five 

and randy phillips, law student and booking agent. a few producers puzzle over the 

3 faces of eve-style music but are vastly intrigued--enough to voice  interest in

producing this tin pot band of unknowns. roy thomas baker is storm's number one

choice. rtb helped get the band signed to abc-dunhill, but he had to move on.  mca

buys storm from abc before one track is ever cut. self-produced first album "storm"

with george tutko at the board released in 1979. european response, especially the uk ,

great. hotels. road trips. full rooms. empty rooms. more beer bars. and a slow fade...       

lights up...the new deal: capitol records, 1983. keith olsen to produce.  a & r man bobby columbi

of blood, sweat and tears fame is storm's rep. considering his musical background, an odd match

for the band, but a welcome advocate all the same. capitol changes its mind about olsen producing,

and seasoned engineer michael verdick takes the reins. fan of the band, devoted beyond belief.  david devon

drumming up a storm;  ron hansen cunningham on bass, keyboards, vocals; lear stevens on spastic

fantastic guitar; jeanette chase on vocals and piano. studio a/capitol, yeah, the big room. big-band

ghosts, old blue eyes watching? cool mics, retro everything. drums lowered into the famed capitol echo

chamber for a sound no one else tried to get. crazy times. lab rats like pinky and the brain scouring the

curved walls, nooks and crannies knowing sooner or later they'd take the world by storm. stories heard

and told, futures in the making. magic days at the tall record stack building on vine. jeanette's childhood

home lurked in the shadows of that archetypal dream machine. there was nothing like it.

mtv in infancy, light rotation in the middle of the night. what band could ask for more? a heck

of a good time making the video and who cared if anyone saw it, storm did.  but capitol votes

to spend its ad dollars on some other band. storm dissipates...leaving fred segal spandex gold

pants, perms and producers pondering the what ifs in its torrential wake...

...dim, now to dusk and departure, but the dreams don't go away.  jeanette aka jeanne aka jane

and lear aka mur aka murray aka steve go back to the drawing board. new songs. new recordings.

new doors to knock on. some remembered storm. what happened? where are they now?  jeanette

aka jane becomes singin' jane and gigs with lear aka mur, doing music that was a first love, old country.

real old. hank. as in sr. patsy. and originals. gigs. fun. work. recording. new players.

 

                         2005...newsflash from london. old pal paul suter, writer extraordinaire from the uk and 

                         ardent storm fan, tracks down jeanette with sherlock holmesian precision. someone

                         in the uk wants to re-release the debut MCA album. enter rock candy records' derek and dante,

                        champions of  bands they feel should have gotten a closer listen, once upon a  time.  

 

sometimes, there  is  justice .

                         with guinness pints raised in celebratory style (no doubt on both sides of the pond), the storm I  

                         (mca-79) reissue is released june  20  '06 with good news that storm II (capitol-83)  is slated for

                         release october '06  (read: more guinness), remastered by  masters of the trade, 16 page inserts

                         splashed with stupendous verbage a la stephen b. allen & derek oliver, & for the first time

                         storm's players  hear their self-proclaimed odd mix of bashing and bombastic ballads in cd           

                         form, as will some old fans and perhaps, new.

 

what is storm about? allegiance to eclecticism, reverance to The Sound and irreverance for being labeled. with players who can do anything, there's nothin' stoppin' them. call storm by any name, it's sweet looking back, and forward...

 

                                                                                                                                    

 

   

                                                                    

 

                                              Copyright © 2005/2008 Jeanette Chase & Storm. All Rights Reserved.

                                                                                        Radio Network Records