Formed under name 67 North

The band were formed in 1995 under the name “67 North” by guitarist Ryan Phillips of the band Means Well, drummer Dan Marsala, vocalist John Taylor and bassist Perry West. They changed their name to “Big Blue Monkey” in 1998 before releasing the first EP Three Days Broken that same year. In 1999, they released another EP called Truth in Separation , their last under the line-up. In 2000, West and Taylor would both depart from the group, leading to Marsala moving to vocal duties, and the recruitment of Means Well drummer Josh Wills as well as the members’ long time friend Adam Russell of the band Locash on bass duties, despite him never having played bass prior (previously a guitarist prior to joining the band). It was at this point that the band relocated to Orange County, California , where the final Big Blue Monkey EP was released in 2002 titled Story of the Year , which they would then change their name to later that year.