Breaking Down Records

THE SHORT STORIES can be found on Faceboook here

Short Stories - Biography

Short Stories were formed in 2007 in Bristol, England by Tim Rippington and Stephen Miles. Tim and Stephen were at school together, a year apart but sharing the same musical values that made them firm friends. After school, the two went their separate ways – Tim spent the next twenty years playing in various indie bands such as the Flatmates, the Five Year Plan and later the Beatnik Filmstars. He also ran his own recording studio for five years, and produced records for, amongst others, the now legendary indie label Sarah Records. In 2003 Tim formed a new band Forest Giants, who made four great LPs before folding in 2007.

In the meantime, Steve became a school teacher, dabbling only briefly in music with a spell as drummer for Bristol indie band Modesty Blaise, but for the most part he spent the intervening years archiving old Velvet Underground recordings and making up songs on his nylon-stringed acoustic guitar, believing that nothing more would ever come of it.

In 2007 the two met for the first time in 20 years, and discovered that they still had much in common. Both had been through relationships which had led to children and then divorce. Both were now living alone and wondering what was to come next. Steve agreed to play some drums on some new songs which Tim had written, but it soon became obvious that this was a real musical partnership. Steve rapidly blossomed into a guitarist and song-writer, and within a few months the two had recorded their first LP, the somewhat 1979-sounding “Short Stories for Long Nights”. The two played all the instruments and recorded the whole LP in a rehearsal room and in Tim’s house.

The LP was followed soon after with the band’s first gig in support of the legendary Vic Goddard and the Subway Sect, one of Steve’s all-time heroes. Buoyed by this, Steve sent the LP off to some of the other musical legends who had inspired him in his youth, and discovered new friends and supporters in Martin Bramah (the Fall, Blue Orchids), Stephen Fellowes (Comsat Angels) and the Bitter Springs.

2008 saw the pair very busy just trying to survive in the world, but they did manage to find time to record a second LP, “The Night is on Fire”, which was released on the International Lo-Fi Underground label on Valentines Day 2009. The LP featured seven songs including the epic 12 minute long Losers’ Club, a homage to the many years Steve has spent visiting the Bridgwater Labour Club in search of solace and a drink..

In 2009 the band produced the aptly titled “Small Mercies” (Tim is a mere 5’6” tall, and Steve has always wanted him to call his band this), a somewhat cryptic album containing several of Steve's poems put to music, as well as an eclectic mix of acoustic songs and a few full band recordings.

Fed up with being unable to reproduce their music live, Tim and Stephen trawled through a whole host of musicians before eventually recruiting the line up of bass player Geoff Gorton, drummer Simon Harrison and keyboardist Kay Farnell who helped the two songwriters record their latest LP, the beautiful "Send My Love to Everyone", which was released in May 2013. The album has taken a long time from concept to fruition, but it's been well worth the wait.