Bozeman Magazine

Beloved Billboard-charting duo Storyhill releases their new album Where to Begin on November 8, 2019. Back from a 4-year hiatus, Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson return to some rarely heard material from the early days of their three-decade partnership, giving new life to old songs. Surprisingly fresh, these new recordings give a glimpse of the duo’s early work while showcasing their seasoned musicianship and hallmark harmonies.

Their first studio album since their 2010 Red House Records release Shade of the Trees (produced by Dan Wilson), Where to Begin was recorded live at Peak Recording Studio in their hometown of Bozeman, Montana. It was engineered by their old friend Gil Stober, who recorded their first tape, Chris & Johnny, in 1989. He captured 12 tracks--some known by fans for decades and others rarely, if ever, performed.

“We were relearning songs from our younger years for last summer’s 30th anniversary tour, and something surprising happened,” Chris says. “We discovered more meaning, new life and deeper appreciation for songs we hadn’t sung in years. It was as if they were actually meant for this stage in our lives and for our voices today. It actually deepened our bond, musically and as friends.”

Featuring just their voices and their two acoustic guitars, the recording was mixed by Chris Cunningham. “Chris did such a beautiful job,” John says. “It sounds like how it feels to make music in Storyhill.” As is evident on songs like “Mentors,” “I Am a Lover” and “Shapeshifter,” every word and note is delicately woven yet still seem as effortless as breathing.

The album traces back to where Chris and John began 30 years ago--two singers with one unique voice. It also marks a new chapter in the duo’s career.

Much to the delight of their diehard fans, Storyhill is now back in full swing--touring, writing new songs and preparing for the return of their Storyhill Fest, a fan festival which features performances by their musical friends, including such notables as Anais Mitchell, John Gorka and Lucy Kaplansky. 

For more about Storyhill, Storyhill Fest and to view their full discography and list of tour dates, please visit storyhill.com. 

STORYHILL is a modern folk duo that brings brotherly harmonies, infectious melodies and smart story songs together in one perfect package. Their beautiful music and passionate performances have won them much critical acclaim and devoted fans (“Hill Heads”) all over the country. Celebrating 30 years of playing together, members Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson breathe and play as one unit, showing why Billboard and the Austin Chronicle have likened them to the great songwriting duos of our time--Simon & Garfunkel, the Indigo Girls, The Everly Brothers and The Jayhawks’ Gary Louris & Mark Olson. They have charted on Billboard and have been favorites on national radio shows like Mountain Stage and A Prairie Home Companion.

Chris and John started performing together as teenagers, while living in Bozeman, Montana. Both were musical from the get-go, singing with choirs and playing in bands. Although their 7thgrade world geography class is what ostensibly brought them together, it was their musical passions that made them close friends and lifelong musical collaborators. They recorded their first tape as Chris and Johnny in 1989, upon graduating from high school. Although they then temporarily parted ways—Chris going to Spain and John to Minnesota for college—they continued to play music, reuniting at St. Olaf College. After graduating in 1993, they toured the country full-time for four years--recording as independent artists and selling more than 50,000 records. Although Chris and John, or Storyhill as they were now known, were at the pinnacle of their career, they were exhausted from the travel and finding themselves pulled in different directions. They decided to call it quits. Chris went west and eventually settled down back in Bozeman while John moved to Norway and then back to Minneapolis. They each started their own families, built their own recording studios and worked on separate musical projects.

Meanwhile, Storyhill fans continued to clamor for more, so in 2001 Chris and John played a few sold-out reunion shows in Minnesota and Montana. Discovering the old chemistry was still there along with some new creative energy, they reformed Storyhill and fully committed themselves to touring and recording as a duo. They enlisted the help of rock/pop songwriter and Grammy winner Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Dixie Chicks, Trip Shakespeare) to produce Storyhill’s next album, their first to be released on independent roots label Red House Records. The album, simply named Storyhill, was a return to the basics that had made the duo so popular—strong melodic songs. While the album was largely acoustic, Wilson added some extra instrumentation while noted drummer Eric Fawcett (N.E.R.D., Mike Doughty, Spymob) rounded out the Americana sound. Released in 2007, Storyhill received rave reviews and was selected as the Best CD of the Year by the Indie Acoustic Project. They also went on to win the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Contest, which launched such acclaimed songwriters as John Gorka, Robert Earl Keen and James McMurtry. After recording two critically acclaimed albums on Red House, the duo decided to take an open-ended hiatus to reflect and recharge, focus on their families and work on some of their individual projects. Chris continued producing records for other artists out of his studio, Basecamp Recording while releasing solo recordings and playing periodically with select local players. John also released two solo albums and founded a music production company called Egg Music.

Meanwhile that magical spark, born out of years of writing, recording and performing together, continued to burn brightly. Inspired by their sold-out 30th Anniversary shows and the old material that they relearned for the tour, Chris and John are back at it with renewed energy, releasing a new album Where to Begin and playing tour dates across the country.