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| Frequently Asked Questions - This tells you more
about the band.
Top 10 Stage Questions - We really do ask each other these questions on stage, more frequently than we should ... |
| Booking the Band - |
| These are some of the questions we are asked about the band. Curious about something but don't see it here? E-mail us and ask your own question. We'll post the question and the answer. |
What kind of music does the band play?
In its current incarnation, Storywood plays acoustic rock and vintage rock and roll, plus original music. It is a full sound intended for mid- to large-sized clubs. Instrumentation is electric lead guitar over acoustic rhythm guitar and bass guitar, plus full drums, or two acoustic guitars with bass and drums.
The song selection is unique, being comprised mostly of true classic rock music originally found on the album oriented rock stations, acoustic rock, new music (but not Top 40) that fits our style, and a growing book of original music.
Simply stated, Alan Berteau owns every album ever produced (he disputes this, but its true), and he constantly pours over this work to find the best music for the band's style. This results in a set list that presents the listener with a unique mix of music not found elsewhere. It will include new artists that have not yet made it big but who have fantastic music (check the music list - if you haven't heard of them, there you are!), lesser known music of established artists (the "B-side" songs for those of you who remember that reference), and vintage music from the 60's through the present. But don't be misled, Storywood is not an oldies band - this is vintage rock like 10 Years After, Steeley Dan, early ZZ Top, Stones, Led Zepplin, the Who, and others.
Check the Songs section for a listing of the music the band plays.
How and when did the band start?
In 1990, Brian Dubreuil and Brian Andrews became friends while working together at the same company. Brian Dubreuil had been playing for several years with a partner at clubs in the area, and invited Brian Andrews to see them play. This got Brian Andrews interested in playing music again after several years away from the stage.
In 1993, Brian Andrews began looking for a female singer for whom he could provide guitar and vocal harmonies . His wife introduced him to a friend, Sabrina Cullen, who was looking for a new partner since her previous partner had gotten married and was spending time with his new family. They worked together on several of the songs she and her partner had performed plus worked on some new songs where Sabrina's voice could be featured.
Brian Dubreuil was asked by attorney Brett Furr to play for a private party benefitting the Cancer Society. Brian accepted but had an immediate problem - his partner had headed off for Nashville to work on a songwriting career. Brian had a show in four weeks but had no band to play. He told Brian Andrews it was time for the two to get together and asked if Andrews could get Sabrina to join them. Sabrina suggested that she might be able to entice her old partner, Alan Berteau, to play again. She was successful and Alan became the fourth member of the group. They practiced three to four nights a week for three weeks to come up with two hours of music for the party, focusing on acoustic music that they already knew.
During the time that they were preparing for the benefit, Brian Dubreuil and Brian Andrews became aware that Pete Richoux, owner of Richoux's in downtown Baton Rouge, had added a nightclub to his restaurant and was booking bands. They contacted Pete and scheduled an audition for the same day as the Cancer Society benefit. The audition apparently went well, and the band has been performing at Richoux's regularly since 1993.
How has the band changed over time?
When it was started, the band played only acoustic music, working with three acoustic guitars, a bass guitar (valued at all of $100 and plugged directly into the PA), and various hand-held percussion instruments. From time to time an incredibly cheap keyboard made its way on stage. Bongos were used but drums were not even considered. Three and four part harmonies were featured on true coffee house style music. Alan Berteau and wife Lori, who own every CD and album known to humankind, were expert at finding lesser known songs by popular artists or unknown songs by lesser known artists (did I get that right?). Brian Andrews wrote music and lyrics to a few original songs. Sabrina, a talented and published poet, put lyrics to Brian's music for other original songs.
Percussion went from bongos to congas, shared between Brian Dubreuil and Sabrina, and finally to a full drum kit with the addition of Blayne Coupel. Electric guitars and a better bass were added later and the song mix took on a more rock feel.
Things do change, and Sabrina left Storywood to join a popular Baton Rouge dance band, Rollover. Replacement female singers were considered and tried, but the decision was made not to replace Sabrina and to take the band in a new direction, focusing more on vintage rock, acoustic rock, and more original music.
Drummers have changed as well, as Blayne plays full time with The Debbie Landry Band and only part time with Storywood. Other excellent drummers have been and continue to be used when Blayne is touring with Debbie, including Lyndsey Spiller (previously of Kicks), John Bolter (previously of Bleeker Street), Carlo Cuneo (currently with Naked Lunch), Derrick Jarreau, and Greg Worley (previously of The Bill Wray Band).
How did you come up with the name Storywood?
One of the hard parts about starting a band is coming up with a name that describes who you are and what kind of music you play. Drawing on the fact that Brian Andrews and Brian Dubreuil were in the financial services industry while then-member Sabrina Cullen and Alan Berteau were in the legal field, we considered calling the band "Legal Interest" and "Money and the Law." Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.
At that time, the band was playing primarily folk music (i.e. Crosby Stills Nash, James Taylor) without drums or electric guitars. Brian Andrews recommended "Storywood" since "story" suggested the ballad nature of the music and "wood" suggested acoustic rather than rock or metal music. Alan Berteau was concerned about that name because he felt it sounded like a Baton Rouge residential subdivision but checked the Baton Rouge MetroKey and found no such subdivision. With somewhat mixed feelings we went with "Storywood" with the agreement that we would change the name down the road if a better name came up. The name was kept after drums were added and the song mix turned heavier.
The name "Stoywood" had a history for Brian Andrews. Some high school friends and he formed a small band for a one night performance at an incredibly poorly-attended dance. They were all reading "The Hobbit" at the time (it was the mid-70's) and, when pressed for a name for the group, Brian decided to call the group "Storywood" since that sounded like one of the places in the book. Somewhere tucked into a scrapbook is a flyer for that dance ...
To book Storywood, contact Brian Andrews at 504.928.5129 or Brian Dubreuil at 504.756.2329.
We really do ask each other these questions on
stage, more frequently than we should ...
