CREATIVE VISIONARY RIZ STORY RETURNS TO HIS MUSICAL ROOTS

28th May 2024 0 By Jon Deaux

Los Angeles-based, creative visionary RIZ STORY is getting the band back together. The founder of progressive music collective ANYONE has been making waves all his life, as comfortable rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars and music icons like Ozzy as he is 100 feet underwater.

ANYONE formed back in 1990, in a tripped-out apartment in Laguna Beach, California, a joint venture between three friends – the other two being noted musicians Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) and Jon Davison (Yes).

Members came and went, with Riz Story the constant anchor, as the band defined the sound that would become known as Maximum Acid. This mix of hard rock, heavy psychedelia, and progressive rock bore no resemblance to anything else coming out of the Southern California music scene, drawing influences from acts like Rush, Jane’s Addiction, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, The Beatles, and Yes.

By the turn of the century, the group had won a prestigious Los Angeles Music Award and caught the eye of Roadrunner Records, who went on to release their self-titled debut album, promptly bringing a tsunami of critical acclaim from around the globe – not least a 5 out of 5 score from Rolling Stone. ANYONE dazzled on stages worldwide, from notorious nights at West Hollywood’s Troubadour to celebrated festivals like Reading & Leeds, Lowlands, and Pukkelpop.

Now, Riz Story and TogethermenT Records are thrilled to announce ANYONE‘s return to concert stages.
Hailed “a true renaissance man” by Billboard magazine, rather than ringing up old friends or holding TikTok auditions, Riz Story again wants to do something different. Story intends to complete the 2024 line-up of ANYONE by partnering with an internationally-known musician’s institute to give fresh talent a global opportunity.
In addition, this long-awaited return will be accompanied by the release of a feature-length documentary on an as-yet-unrevealed major streaming platform that simultaneously covers the reformation of the live band and the full history of ANYONE. An accompanying concert film will also be released.

Riz Story explains, “When I started ANYONE back in 1990 along with Taylor Hawkins and Jon Davison our vision was to create our own sound. Since then members have included David Silveria and Gretchen Menn – all celebrated musicians. So, when it came time to assemble a band and return to the stage after a long hiatus, the idea came to me to find young musicians, students who are inspired and hungry to make their mark. Holding auditions at a top music school, to find the standout talent, then rehearse and prepare for the big concert seemed like the perfect way to give back to the next generation of musicians.

Being a filmmaker, it was natural to want to film that journey of assembling the band from young standouts and to film the resulting concert. The documentary film will simultaneously tell the story of ANYONE from the beginning in Laguna Beach, California when Taylor, Jon, and I created the sound called ‘Maximum Acid’ – So we’ll be creating 2 full-length films and giving some excellent young musicians an opportunity for worldwide exposure.”

In the intervening years, Story has divided his time between his great passion for the ocean and marine conservation (adding underwater naturalist and National Geographic certifications to his many diving credentials) with extensive film, TV, and music projects – his own creations as well as working with the likes of Paula Abdul, Jet, Kim Whalen, and country star Cooper Alan.

In 2016, Story‘s single “Fly Away” – a lead track in his debut feature film A Winter Rose – became the most listened-to rock song in America on digital formats, hitting #1 on the DRT National Airplay Rock Chart and #6 on the Billboard Hot Singles Chart. The film starred Paul Sorvino, Kim Whalen, Theresa Russell, Billy Zane, Tarynn Manning, and Robert Miano among others, and landed Story a glowing feature in Variety.

A story-teller not just by name, Riz is also an accomplished poet, author, and photographer. Fans can see some of his stunning underwater photography here and look forward to seeing his most recent cinematography in his forthcoming documentary Oceana. The film features stunning underwater footage from the world’s most pristine locations including Tahiti, Fiji, The Bahamas, and the Palawan Islands as well as profiles of leading scientists such as Dr. Austin Bowden-Kerby, the world’s leading coral authority.