Paul and Storm
Encyclopedia
Paul and Storm are an Arlington, Virginia-based comedic musical duo consisting of Paul Sabourin and Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo. They had formerly been members of the a cappella
group Da Vinci’s Notebook
.
They are favorites of Dr. Demento
and regular radio guests on the The Bob and Tom Show. They tour regularly with Jonathan Coulton
, singing backup vocals for a number of his songs. Coulton has also appeared on stage to do backup for Paul and Storm's songs.
. When that group went on their "Moxy Früvous
-style hiatus," in 2004 the two struck out on their own, with Paul playing keyboard and penny whistle and Storm on the guitar.
In 2005, the duo released Opening Band, their first album release. The title stems from the lead track off the album, an idea thought up by Storm after their experience as being the opening act. While they mainly perform live as a duo, they had the help of many guest musicians on the album, including Mike Clem and Eddie Hartness of Eddie from Ohio
and Valerie Vigoda, Brendon Milburn, and Gene Lewin from Groovelily
. Groovelily performed as Paul and Storm's back-up band at the 2005 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
. The album features a number of "Rejected Commercial Jingles" as well as a commentary track for two of the album's songs.
Their second album News to Us was recorded week by week for the Bob and Tom radio show as a featured weekly news segment. Many of the tracks on the album feature the radio hosts introducing each song; also there is the audible trademark Bob and Tom laughter on the tracks dubbed as the "On-Air" versions. At the end of the album, the duo placed the studio version of most of the tracks as well so that listeners could have a more traditional album experience. The song "Your Love Is" on the album was co-written by Jonathan Coulton.
In 2007 their third full length studio album Gumbo Pants was released. This album features their fan favorite, and often live concert closing track "The Captain's Wife's Lament" as well as other fan favorites such as "Count to Ten" and "A Better Version of You". It also featured a number of very short tracks that were titled "One Sentence Songs" and more "Rejected Commercial Jingles".
In 2010 after a three-year lapse between albums, the duo released their fourth studio album Do You Like Star Wars?. The album is a collection of songs that the duo had released one by one in the years following Gumbo Pants. It includes concert favorites such as "Nun Fight", "Cruel, Cruel Moon", and "Frogger! The Frogger
Musical!". A number of the songs released on this album were written for Quick Stop Entertainment's Masters of Song Fu contest.
and the United Kingdom
. They more often than not tour alongside Jonathan Coulton, usually opening up the shows, and also providing backing vocals for a number of songs in Coulton's set.
As part of their tour, they opened for Coulton's act at PAX
in Seattle. In November 2009, they toured the United Kingdom alongside Jonathan Coulton, opening the shows with their own songs, just like at PAX.
and Adam Savage
, Paul and Storm organized a series of music and comedy shows called w00tstock, which began in late October of that year. The events took place around the United States and were billed as "3 hours of Geeks and Music".
. Regarding the fact that both of them had come up with them Paul commented that they were considering changing the name of their act to "The Meme Brothers".
publishing of secret government files. Within these tweets a person will mention a secret leaked from the Star Wars
universe. Following the success of the hashtag Storm was interviewed by Wired
and NPR
.
with a tweet from Kanye West
added as text below the image. Following its success the meme was picked up by The Onion
, Paste Magazine, the Huffington Post, and The New Yorker itself.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group Da Vinci’s Notebook
Da Vinci's Notebook
Da Vinci's Notebook was an award-winning comedic a cappella singing group.-History:Richard Hsu was a founding member and Greg "Storm" Dicostanzo a very early member of the a cappella group "The Generics" from the University of Maryland before forming DaVinci's Notebook...
.
They are favorites of Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
and regular radio guests on the The Bob and Tom Show. They tour regularly with Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan Coulton is an American singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans...
, singing backup vocals for a number of his songs. Coulton has also appeared on stage to do backup for Paul and Storm's songs.
Formation
For 12 years Sabourin and DiCostanzo were one half of the a cappella comedy band Da Vinci's NotebookDa Vinci's Notebook
Da Vinci's Notebook was an award-winning comedic a cappella singing group.-History:Richard Hsu was a founding member and Greg "Storm" Dicostanzo a very early member of the a cappella group "The Generics" from the University of Maryland before forming DaVinci's Notebook...
. When that group went on their "Moxy Früvous
Moxy Früvous
Moxy Früvous was a politically satirical folk-pop band from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. The band was founded in 1989, and was active throughout the 1990s...
-style hiatus," in 2004 the two struck out on their own, with Paul playing keyboard and penny whistle and Storm on the guitar.
Work
Before releasing an official debut album Paul and Storm released a demo EP of songs that would eventually be re-recorded for their debut album Opening Band, as well as other songs that have yet to be rerecorded. The EP was titled Shame and Cookie Dough.In 2005, the duo released Opening Band, their first album release. The title stems from the lead track off the album, an idea thought up by Storm after their experience as being the opening act. While they mainly perform live as a duo, they had the help of many guest musicians on the album, including Mike Clem and Eddie Hartness of Eddie from Ohio
Eddie From Ohio
Eddie from Ohio is an American folk band.Formed in 1991 in Northern Virginia, the band has achieved considerable local success, winning four Wammies Eddie from Ohio (or often just EFO) is an American folk band.Formed in 1991 in Northern Virginia, the band has achieved considerable local success,...
and Valerie Vigoda, Brendon Milburn, and Gene Lewin from Groovelily
GrooveLily
Groovelily is a trio, a pop band made up of Valerie Vigoda , Brendan Milburn , and Gene Lewin . The band was originally formed in 1994 as "The Valerie Vigoda Band." Groovelily's music combines classical music, musical theatre, jazz and rock...
. Groovelily performed as Paul and Storm's back-up band at the 2005 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival and dance festival formerly held at the Long Hill Farm in Hillsdale, New York, USA. In 2006, the event moved to nearby Dodds Farm, just off Rt. 22, five miles north of the Rt. 22/Rt. 23 intersection in Hillsdale, on...
. The album features a number of "Rejected Commercial Jingles" as well as a commentary track for two of the album's songs.
Their second album News to Us was recorded week by week for the Bob and Tom radio show as a featured weekly news segment. Many of the tracks on the album feature the radio hosts introducing each song; also there is the audible trademark Bob and Tom laughter on the tracks dubbed as the "On-Air" versions. At the end of the album, the duo placed the studio version of most of the tracks as well so that listeners could have a more traditional album experience. The song "Your Love Is" on the album was co-written by Jonathan Coulton.
In 2007 their third full length studio album Gumbo Pants was released. This album features their fan favorite, and often live concert closing track "The Captain's Wife's Lament" as well as other fan favorites such as "Count to Ten" and "A Better Version of You". It also featured a number of very short tracks that were titled "One Sentence Songs" and more "Rejected Commercial Jingles".
In 2010 after a three-year lapse between albums, the duo released their fourth studio album Do You Like Star Wars?. The album is a collection of songs that the duo had released one by one in the years following Gumbo Pants. It includes concert favorites such as "Nun Fight", "Cruel, Cruel Moon", and "Frogger! The Frogger
Frogger
Frogger is an arcade game introduced in 1981. It was developed by Konami, and licensed for worldwide distribution by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one. To do this, each frog must avoid cars while crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of...
Musical!". A number of the songs released on this album were written for Quick Stop Entertainment's Masters of Song Fu contest.
Live Shows
Paul and Storm have toured all around the United States as well as in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. They more often than not tour alongside Jonathan Coulton, usually opening up the shows, and also providing backing vocals for a number of songs in Coulton's set.
As part of their tour, they opened for Coulton's act at PAX
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
in Seattle. In November 2009, they toured the United Kingdom alongside Jonathan Coulton, opening the shows with their own songs, just like at PAX.
Podcasting
The duo has a weekly audio talk show podcast titled "Paul and Storm Talk About Some Stuff for Five to Ten Minutes (On Average)". On the podcast the two will often talk about food, live shows, and upcoming projects.w00tstock
In 2009, in conjunction with friends Wil WheatonWil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
and Adam Savage
Adam Savage
Adam Whitney Savage is an American industrial design and special effects designer/fabricator, actor, educator, and co-host of the Discovery Channel television series MythBusters. His model work has appeared in major films, including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and The Matrix...
, Paul and Storm organized a series of music and comedy shows called w00tstock, which began in late October of that year. The events took place around the United States and were billed as "3 hours of Geeks and Music".
Memes
In the summer of 2010 the duo created two separate internet memes via TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Regarding the fact that both of them had come up with them Paul commented that they were considering changing the name of their act to "The Meme Brothers".
WookieeLeaks
In late July, Storm started the popular internet meme of WookieeLeaks by using the hashtag #wookieeleaks on Twitter. The meme is a play on the then recent WikiLeaksWikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
publishing of secret government files. Within these tweets a person will mention a secret leaked from the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
universe. Following the success of the hashtag Storm was interviewed by Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
and NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
.
Kanye New Yorker Tweets
Less than a week after the success of WookieeLeaks, Paul created the #kanyenewyorkertweets hashtag via Twitter. Within the tweets where this hashtag is used a person will link to a cartoon from The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
with a tweet from Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
added as text below the image. Following its success the meme was picked up by The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
, Paste Magazine, the Huffington Post, and The New Yorker itself.
Adventure Quest Worlds
In October 2010 they had acted as the musical guests on the online MMO, AQWorlds, in an event that celebrated the 2nd birthday of the game.Studio albums
- Opening Band (2005)
- News to UsNews to UsNews to Us is the second studio album by comedy rock duo, Paul and Storm. In 2006 the group made a song each week for the nationally syndicated Bob and Tom radio show each one a song about current events that had happened that particular week...
(2006) - Gumbo PantsGumbo PantsGumbo Pants is the third studio album by comedy rock duo, Paul and Storm. The album features there fan favorite and usual concert closer, "The Captain's Wife's Lament" as well as more commercial jingles, a feature they started in their first album Opening Band.-Track listing:# Count to Ten# Your...
(2007) - Do You Like Star Wars?Do You Like Star Wars?Do You Like Star Wars? is the fourth studio album by comedy rock duo, Paul and Storm. Many of the songs were recorded for QuickStopEntertainment's Masters of Song Fu song writing contests...
(2010)
Other releases
- Shame and Cookie Dough (Demo EP) (2005)
- The 25 Days of Newman (Randy NewmanRandy NewmanRandall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
-style Themes) (2008) - It Might Be Xmas (Holiday-themed They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
-style EP) (2009)