David Storey

Even if David Storey‘s debut full-length album being released tonight downtown at Free Times Café isn’t technically autobiographical, its title, Coming Home, is certainly an apt summary of the new juncture that he and his artistic career have reached.
For after nearly 25 years of applying his wit, sensitivity and artistry in the service of others in the fields of directing and production for videos and television, David really is coming home: to his first love, music.
An early musical career in the ‘80s saw him get college and MUCH Music airplay, rave reviews by NOW and CASBY and Toronto Music Awards nominations for his Roots-Rock songs, which were compared to John Prine and Steve Earl. But after becoming a father he left music to raise a family and forge a stellar career in the broadcast arts.
Initially he helmed award-winning videos and television specials for the likes of Tom Cochrane, Stompin’ Tom and Anne Murray. He then moved into comedy productions, eventually developing, producing and directing the hit tv show and movie “Corner Gas” before going back on stage with his own songs in 2011 after the series wrapped.
Since relocating to the Toronto area in 2012 Storey has steadily been building a music career that has all the promise of matching or surpassing the success of his previous endeavours. He’s acquired a strong contingent of fans —many of them fellow songwriters— who admire and enjoy the wry playfulness and penetrating insights about life’s changes, characters and passions in his tunes.
I’ve written before on a couple of occasions about the honesty, integrity and deftness of his songs as shared in many live performances I’ve heard since first meeting him when he came out to one of my open stages and also as contained on a 5-song debut ep, movin on, that he released in 2012.
Wistful, witty, poignant, incisive and memorable, Storey writes about quirky people, situations we can all relate to and the dichotomies and synchronicities of the social and natural worlds around us. He steers us through majestic, exhilarating views but also pokes in corners, finding the secret layers and internal rhythms of both.
The new 9-track album shares more of that fascinating voyage of discovery and remembrance. In the studio, as he does at live shows, he lays it all out without pretense or any attempt at guardedness. Deceptively simple, the lyrics have the economy, bite and delight of a master poet and his yearning voice and somewhat minimalist guitar playing (abetted by some accompanists on the new album) bring his word pictures to vibrant, sometimes painful life.
There are powerful new tracks here that cover ground Storey fans will have thought they knew only to discover there is much more to see. There are songs about the struggle of life, such as the gloomy but resonantly enchanting “St. Adelaide”, the pithy “I Can’t Complain” and earthy “Crusty”, along with the soul-baring, spiritual title track (and an actual “Hymn #1) and also philosophical numbers such as “Sea To Sky” and the somehow hauntingly uplifting metaphorical contrapuntal of “Last Loon On The Lake.”
Since I first heard ‘Loon’ done live in 2013 I’ve regarded it as Storey’s next big hit on my chart. My earlier fave —from the ep and happily also included on this release in a re-recorded production that amplifies the lurking menace of its bathos— was “Greatest”. Evidently I’m not alone in my high regard because, in addition to making the album available at tonight’s 8:30 show in the club at 320 College St., a brand new video for ‘Loon’ is also being unveiled, to be broadcast on a big screen behind the stage between sets.
Speaking of David Storey videos, he’s also now posted a vid on YouTube of him in the late 80s with his 6-piece electro-Pop band. The surprisingly still evocative and catchy track, She’s My Girl”, which contains all the effects-driven studio tricks the decade was discovering along with fairly retro sepia visuals of the group on stage, was aired many times on MUCH —and he promises to perform the song as part of tonight’s show!
Evidently David Storey is savvy enough to incorporate all aspects of his talents in putting together this show tonight. But it now seems clear that, as lauded and successful as his prior accomplishments have been, compared to the art he’s creating now in music they really amount to mere preparation, tools to get him back to where he once belonged and “movin’ on” along this next exciting branch of his road. - Toronto Moon Magazine

David Storey
movin on
File Under: folky singer/songwriter
Review by Bjorn Chardi - Canada In Tune Magazine

I’m not sure how old David Storey is exactly but based on the photograph on this ep’s cover we can assume he’s not a teenager. I mention this because time, age and maturity seem to be the big themes here and David Storey seems to struggle with them in ways that create a dichotomy in his music and persona between a weathered man and an angsty teen.
The opening track “The Greatest” starts off with folky finger picked guitar and then Storey’s distinct vocals come in: “let’s go down to main street and hock a goober off the bridge” ...the song then goes on to depict more childhood hijinks his buddy and he got into, but told in the present tense. In the second verse, also in the present tense, we learn that said buddy is married and diagnosed with cancer. Both eras and both mindsets are equally present at the same time, as tends to happen when one recalls their childhood friends later in life.
I mentioned Storey’s vocals earlier and that is the other anachronistic dichotomy one must struggle with when listening to this disc. His voice is gravely and a bit uneven as if it has seen years of abuse by smoking and hard liquor but his delivery is full of passion and driven in a way one usually associates with younger punk/emo singers. His melodies are dynamic and require a level of vocal acrobatics he doesn’t always pull off, but these moments are usually accompanied by dead on harmonies that sweeten and smooth over the rough edges nicely.
There is a lot of humor in the lyrics, depicting the challenges of everyday life in a very unromanticized way. You don’t always know whether to laugh or pity Storey’s stories, because they very well may be your own. This is a challenging listen and likely an acquired taste, like scotch. But when the day comes you find yourself reflecting on the type of man your inner child has become this will be the ideal soundtrack.
RIYL: Bob Schneider, Mike Ness, Conor Oberst
Website: www.davidstoreymusic.com
- Canada In Tune Magazine

Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, sometimes with and ironic twist, is a theme that runs through rootsy singer songwriter David Storey's debut CD "Movin On" being released in the new year. Wether it's the passion of a goalie in a pickup hockey league, the"culinary sensiblities" of a redneck cooking hot dogs Keiv, or the little mundane moments of a relationship that resonate in memory long after it's over, His sometimes quirky and quite poignant songs delve below the surface to mine the nugets below. One song, lead off track "Greatest" is redolent with pain masked as nostalgia that builds to a painful climax. Tommorrow he does the 10 pm feature at my 8 pm to 1 am open stage at Hirut. - Toronto Moon Magazine

I’ve seen Roots songwriter David Storey perform his songs that contain profound messages and poignant depths on several occasions now, since he regularly came out to my former open stage, for which he also did a very impressive feature a couple of months ago. He was participating partly as a way of leading up to release of new ep of originals, ‘movin on’, which has powerful material among its five tunes, especially the song I’ve raved about before: “greatest”.

Although David’s 8:30-11 show tonight at Free Times Café (320 College St. just east of Augusta) isn’t an album release per se, it’s significant because it’s his first ever headlining gig —and in a room renowned for being one where a lot of superb talents first appeared. It’s also a good chance for you to pick up this slim disc for just $5, while also enjoying his artistic takes on other songwriters of substance. - Toronto Moon Magazine

Canadian TV icon stops by Halton Hills Cultural Symposium
Work Your Way to the Top
Work Your Way to the Top
Melanie Hennessey
Canadian director and musician David Storey entertains the packed audience at Friday night’s Halton Hills Cultural Symposium at the Helson Gallery.
Independent Free Press
By Melanie Hennessey
Persistence and adaptability are key if you want to make a living in the Canadian arts industry.

This message was driven home by director and musician David Storey during his talk at the Halton Hills Cultural Symposium Friday evening.

The annual event, which featured a ‘Made in Canada’ theme and included spoken word and musical performances by local youth, drew a full crowd of arts enthusiasts to the Helson Gallery.

Storey, who’s best known for directing Tom Cochrane’s Life is a Highway music video and the hit TV show Corner Gas, imparted his words of wisdom that he’s gathered over several decades in the Canadian arts scene.

“If you’re going to get into this industry, you have to start young and do an apprenticeship and work your way to the top."
- David Storey
The Woodbridge native got his start in the field as a teen hosting a CBC show called Drop In, where he acted, sang, played guitar and interviewed guests. By the time he reached his early twenties he realized that he wanted a change.

“I much preferred the stuff behind the camera,” he said.

After attending Ryerson University for radio and TV arts, he became a production assistant, working his way up to a spot as assistant director— a process that took 12 years.

“If you’re going to get into this industry, you have to start young and do an apprenticeship and work your way to the top,” he said, noting those who experience “quick luck” in the arts field, such as Justin Bieber, are few and far between. “The rest of us have to work our asses off to get there and it’s going to take time.”

With the introduction of Much Music in Canada, Storey then began directing low-budget music videos, followed by a couple of videos for Canadian sensation Stompin’ Tom Connors and then his big break— Life is a Highway for Tom Cochrane, which garnered international attention, a Juno nomination and several Canadian Music Video Awards.

He went on to direct music specials for artists like Corey Hart and Anne Murray, along with TV commercials for clients that ranged from McDonald’s to the Ontario Lottery Corporation.

Storey’s decision to switch gears after this and return to the television show scene ended up leading to the biggest success of his career. He was directing a CBC show called Comics when he met Canadian comedian Brent Butt.

“We later hooked up in Vancouver and Corner Gas was born,” he told the crowd.

But the show would’ve never come to be if Storey hadn’t made a good impression on a young man named Brent Haynes, who offered him a coffee in the CBC control room way back when.

“He started asking me questions and apparently I was very nice to him. Fast-forward 10 years and he is now the head of the Comedy Network,” said Storey. “I’m working on one of his shows and he flew out (to Vancouver) to see me and said, ‘You don’t remember me, but you were really nice to me on set. Why don’t you fly out to me in Toronto and pitch five ideas for a comedy show?’”

Haynes was intrigued by Storey’s Corner Gas pitch and ultimately brought it to life.

“My lesson there is, always be nice to the people you’re meeting on the way up,” he said. “That may not have happened if I hadn’t talked to him in the control room that day and been nice to him.”

With hopes that the show would be well-received and garner at least 500,000 views, Corner Gas hit the air.

“And we got 1.5 million views,” said Storey. “We jumped in with both feet, did what we wanted to do, and it was successful.”

The award-winning comedy series about life in small-town Saskatchewan went on to air around the world for six seasons.

The veteran director said one of the biggest things he’s learned in 40+ years in the arts business is the importance of finding your artistic voice.

“It’s a difficult thing to do,” he said. “But when you find it you’re going to know it, and that’s when people start to pay attention. That’s the magic moment.”

And despite popular belief, he said it’s also possible to make a decent living in the Canadian arts industry.

“I was persistent. I think persistence is huge,” he said. “You have to be persistent and you can’t give up. You also really have to be adaptable in Canada because you never know what’s going to happen and you need to work. I did fashion commercials; somebody had to do it, so I did it.”

Throughout his career as a director Storey has also pursued his love of music, writing songs and playing the guitar.

“I’m just having fun with it,” he said. “I encourage anybody interested in playing the guitar to get out and do it. There’s lots of open mics around the area here in Georgetown, so take the plunge, go out and do it.”

The evening also included a Halton Hills Cultural Year in Review video, presentation of the United Way of Halton Hills’ Eudaimonia youth music video contest award to Shaela McCracken and Jon O’Neill, and the annual general meeting of the Halton Hills Cultural Roundtable, which hosted the symposium. - IFP.ca

David Storey’s – Coming Home Reviewed by Scott Bruyea – Over 20 years ago David Storey started something special. You could find him performing in Toronto music clubs like Lee’s Palace, The Horseshoe and Sneaky Dee’s, building an audience while garnering critical raves and award nominations.Storey’s career path was soon altered, however, and life took him in a divergent direction for a spell, to develop and produce stories in a new way with different tools. Now the Inglewood resident has come full circle to embrace music, the love he left behind, once again.
The result is Coming Home, a collection of original musical anecdotes full of honesty and a clever wit that land on the ear effortlessly as Storey paints pictures that Canadians will recognize and understand – heroes left behind at the lake, surly life survivors, lovers reflecting on years together, and mythical wisps “rippin’ through the alpine,” with the beautifully crafted “Saint Adelaide” standing out as one of his most touching performances.
However, every tale leaves a taste of hope and gratitude, and when you wind your way to the title track at the end, you’ll understand why we should all be happy to have David Storey back behind his acoustic guitar, embracing his first love. - In the Hills Magazine

10. David Storey – Coming Home (2015, Self)DavidStoreyComingHome200
Singer-songwriter David Storey spent 25 years working as a video director and TV director/producer (including co-developing and directing the hit comedy series “Corner Gas”) before returning to his first love – music. If ever there was an album that grew on me during the year, this was the one. I loved it. Nine semi-biographical songs about small town life, relationships, and the life challenges we all face – all delivered with empathy and a wry humour. You may also want to check out the interview and session David recorded with me at the end of the summer. - Folk Roots Radio