Funny and fantastic is the tale of StorySide:B's beginning. StorySide:B founders Lucio "Lu" Rubino (frontman/guitar) and Jordan Mohilowski (drums) entered the Exalting Him 2003 national talent search, which aired internationally on TBN. Winning the band division, the guys finished second place overall. Rubino says, "Participating in this contest was the encouragement that we needed to move forward in our musical journey and continue to follow God's path for us."
Rubino and Mohilowski then returned to St. Augustine, FL and continued working on the growth of StorySide:B, playing for several thousand kids at Youth Quake events in Florida and cutting a 5-song EP. Eventually bass player Ron McClelland and guitarist Matt Lande joined the line-up about the same time that Air1 radio network picked up the single "More To This Life." Shortly thereafter, StorySide:B rounded out its live sound by adding Preston Pohl on guitar.
Gotee president Joey Elwood heard the band play an acoustic set and a month later the guys met with label founder tobyMac. "We met backstage after one of his shows and played some tracks for him on the tour bus." That meeting led to StorySide:B signing with the label.
Individually digging in while gelling together as a band, StorySide:B recorded its debut project, Everything And More. Produced by Rubino and mixed by J.R. McNeeley (Relient K, Jeremy Camp), the music is straightforward, melodic rock. Two singles from the album, "Miracle" and "Everything And More," both peaked at No. 2 on Christian CHR radio. StorySide:B's follow-up record, entitled We Are Not Alone, was released in 2007.
Tragically, on January 18, 2009, McClelland collapsed and died while playing basketball. The remaining members of the band later announced that they had parted ways.
Pohl appeared on the NBC show The Voice in 2013, impressing three of the judges and eventually making it through to the live rounds.