The Storks are The Volvox Collective's flagship band- and the oldest, having formed in 2001 . Its current members are Tomi Mendel (Vocals, Guitar, Ukelele, Toy Accordion), Chris Spencer-Cooke (bass), Scott Meisburger (drums, keyboards, vocals), and Omar Najam (guitar, percussion).

Formation:

The band was formerly known as Inseyed Joke, forming in 2001 with Tomi, Chris, Omar, and then-drummer Bryan Worth at Chaboya Middle School. This first incarnation was notable for a handful of shows and their song "First Love", written by Tomi and Chris.

When the band graduated Middle School, Tomi and Chris elected to go to Bellarmine College Preparatory, and Omar to San Jose High School. Bryan Worth did not remain in the band after Graduation.

Transition Into The Storks:

While at Bellarmine, the two old members of Inseyed Joke ran into Scott Meisburger. Originally a skater punk drumming for Hardcore band Raid, he joined the band as its new drummer, replacing Bryan Worth. They practiced and only had the occasional show every so often, but this changed during the band's sophomore year, when Bellarmine Theatre Tech head honcho Luke Cortez Sharkey persuaded the band to play the 2003 Funbunny Festival.

Their first major performance (minus Omar) was marked by their refreshing pop-rock style, albeit marked by a lacking musicianship- the young band was immature and out of time often. Subsequent performances (now featuring Omar and also including a performance on High School Sports Focus) showed mark progress in the band as they wrote new songs, adding various instruments, and tightening up as an outstanding live act. In short, while the band garnered relatively few fans (compared to other local juggernauts like Half-Decent and Stand Accused), the following they had were rabidly loyal to them.

Funbunny 2004:

By the time the end of 2004 rolled around, The Storks had evolved from the raggedy, sloppy band into an exceptional band with an incredible live prowess. Several new songs like Mr. Jeffski (influenced by a short story that band friend Christopher Casuga wrote), Eating Tomatoes, Bubblegum, and Orange Sidewalk were officially premiered at the show. It is also at this show that the band forsook their tradition of playing Killer Tofu (a song written by fictional band The Beets in the animated cartoon show Doug), seeking to be known more for their actual music than their gimmicks of past. Debate has raged over whether or not the band has succeeded in this endeavor- their live sound is often drowned out by the antics of their rabid fanbase.

The Storks Today:

The Storks have not recorded or performed since 2006, but Tomi and Scott are currently active with Orchestral Colour Records, which has expressed some interest in releasing a Storks single or EP in the foreseeable future. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.