Other Cities, New Friends, New Recording
March 18th 2006


Well...things couldn't be going better right now for us. And it's a good feeling to have that. Over the past few weeks we have had the opportunity to meet some people that really want to help us out and have really gone out of their way to do so. We can't begin to express how much this means to us. We have been spending a lot of time out of town playing our new songs and testing them on new audiences. Along the way, we are beginning to build great relationships with a lot of people in different cities. To name a few names: we would like to thank Eric, Erin and Erin, Michele, Erin (Korea), Mikel, Cortez to name a few. We sincerely thank all of you.

Last night (St. Patrick's Day) we played at McGuffy's in Dayton, OH. We haven't played McGuffy's in a while. In fact, the last time we were there, there wasn't much of a crowd. The thing is, McGuffy's is a BIG room. It's hard to fill. But last night, there was no problem at all. That place was PACKED. Thanks to Erin and Beautiful Sinner (a band you should check out), we were able to be a part of this show. We played third on the bill, and couldn't have had a better time on stage. Eric came, and even ran our sound! Things were just going great. We sold CD's, met new people, and listened to new bands. Good times.

Oh yea, I almost forgot. We are recording a new song! I know it's been a slow process as we record these, but we are taking our time and making them sound good. It's good to be in the studio again. In fact, it's hard to keep track of everywhere we have recorded. These songs have been everywhere. We have recorded at The Lab, Griffin House/Kicking Stone Recording Studio, Eric's apartment, the list goes on. We never know where we will end up. We appreciate everyone who has been coming to the shows. Our numbers keep increasing, which is great! Please stay tuned as we will be releasing another new song on our MySpace page....more good things are about to happen!


Keep keepin' it for real. For real.
-Brian


CD - Collective Soul (Youth)
Book - The Rule of Four
Movie - Walk The Line




Up North - Struthers Ohio
February 4th 2006


Right now, we are driving home from Struthers, OH. And it's a LONG drive! For those of you who don't know, Struthers is up in the very northeast part of the state - right on the border of Pennsylvania. We got a hotel room, which always is a good time. It feels good to be on the road again. We miss traveling. Although today we are pretty tired. The weather up here is really cold, windy, and full of snow. The dangers of travel in our little van haha. Anyway, the show was a total success. A BIG thanks to Via Sahara for having us up there. Those guys are really good and were so cool to us as were all the bands that night. They will be playing with us soon in Cincinnati. I think we managed to gain a lot of new fans which always excites us.

The cellar is an awesome club. It's good to play all ages shows too. It gives the younger people something to do, and they love buying stuff! They also love getting their CD's signed, which makes us feel like rockstars too :) We even had VIP treatment, with backstage passes, food and drinks. So cool! We saw a few familiar faces which is always nice when you are traveling, so thank you for coming out! We started off with our new song "We Believe" and it really got the crowd excited. The show went rather quick - which is what happens when you are having a good time. Jeff's voice sounded great and Tommy even played with his shirt off! I did the usual bouncing around, throwing my foot up on the drums....you know the drill. It was a blast and we can't wait to go back.

Right now, I'm in the backseat of the van typing away on my laptop. I love having this thing with me. I feel connected with the world at ALL times. This is a 5 hour drive, so I have to do something. We actually almost didn't make it home today. The van wouldn't start this morning as the snow was pounding down. Luckily the front desk lady hooked us up with a jump. Thanks Samantha! Overall, we are tired, but its from having so much fun and having a great show. Tommy is driving, Jeff is sleeping...Tommy says "i don't know what to say..." Jeff is awake and Im going to stop typing. We will see a lot of you at The Mad Frog next week! Stay warm...

Cheers
-B



Rockin' The Mad Hatter
January 27th 2006


What a night! All I can say is THANK YOU! Tonight was probably the most fun we've had in a long time. On top of that, that was probably the biggest turn out of STI fans as well! Lots of new faces, and lots of old faces we haven't seen in a while. Welcome back! A lot of people are liking the new songs, and we are so thankful for that. Also, a big thanks to Fickle for having us out. We love those guys.

When we began the set, I actually had goosebumps. We had practiced earlier that day before the show, but we seemed to be off. Things weren't working as we had hoped. But by the time we started playing, we were feeding off the crowd. There was a certain vibe in the high, and filled with a lot of energy. I kid you not, the fans were singing pretty damn loud! That is always awesome! We did our first live cover of "Gimme Some Truth" by John Lennon. And of course the famous "Baba O'Reilly" by The Who. I don't think we will ever stop playing that song. It may even play on a tape loop when we pass on....haha jk. We even did an encore of "Step Inside" which is really cool, because we didn't realize how many of you enjoy that song!

After the show, we were pretty tired. Lots of bouncing, sweating, and singing. Thanks to everyone for being so patient and waiting to hear us play so late. We signed some cd's and took some pictures. Also, a BIG thanks to Sara and Niles for helping sell our merch and being great friends. It's always good to be showered with love from so many people. I love writing these journal entries, but I'm trying to see how many of you read them. If so, please stop by the forum and post something! Next weekend we are off to Struthers, OH to do a HUGE show with a band called Via Sahara at The Cellar, check those guys out, they rock. More music is on the way. We will begin tracking our 3rd studio song "In The End" throughout the next couple weeks. Stay tuned for more updates. Thanks again to everyone at The Mad Hatter. We will see you all soon!

lots of love
-Brian

check out!
CD: Dishwalla (self-titled)
Book: In His Own Write (John Lennon)
Movie: The Machinist



From The Studio
January 16th 2006




There he is! Mr. Eric Stewart - the man behind our new sound and recordings. We are very lucky to be working with such a unique and talented guy. Eric has a natural ear for what sounds good, and how to produce bands to get the exact sound they are looking for. Eric is a master with Pro-Tools (recording software), great piano player, good singer, and good at cracking goofy jokes to keep our attention. This is actually the first time we've ever recorded in a "real" studio setting. Everything else we've done has been low key because we were so broke. We are thrilled to be working in the studio with real equipment. Here are some pictures I took during the session of "We Believe"









The cool thing is, is that we have bounced around a few different places to record these songs. We record the drums at the Griffin House/Kicking Stone Recording Studio in Dayton, OH and also the guitars and bass. "Lately" was finished there as well as the vocals. For our newest release, "We Believe" we tracked some things there, Eric's house in West Chester, and also a small home in Middletown, OH. With the help of internet and technology, we also trade ideas through email - which saves a lot of time. Please be sure to check our MySpace page and listen to the new songs as we release them. We will be on WEBN on Sunday January 22nd at 11PM - Live and acoustic. Be sure to tune in!

Our next show is January 27th at the The Mad Hatter with our good friends - Fickle. It's going to be a great show and we hope to see many of you there! Stay tuned...


the guitar player
-Brian



New Year/New Album
January 6th 2006

I apologize for the huge delay on the journal. We have been so busy, that its been so hard to keep up. I figured that I would let you all in on what we've been up to. Strip The Image is currently recording its 3rd album in Dayton, OH with the ever-so-talented Eric Stewart. This is the first time we've worked with Eric and things have been working out great. We have been recording in a remote Art Studio/Bank in Miamisburg. It's actually a cool little town. We have released "Lately" as our first single since many of you have heard the song before. The rest of the songs will be a surprise until the release of the record. Keep in mind that the studio is very expensive and we are working as hard as we can to get this done. If you would like to make a donation to the group for helping in the studio, please contact us via email.

Be sure to keep updated with our tour schedule as we are adding dates all the time. We said we wanted a break from the live scene for a bit, but we can't seem to stay away. It's what rock'n'roll is all about - sacrifice. I have been so anxious to share some of the songs we've been recording, but we promised to keep it sealed until our CD release which we are still planning. From now on I will be updating the journal more now that I finally got a new Mac laptop ive desperately needed. STI is heading in a great direction right now, please stay tuned for more!

730 am is early!
Brian

STI Update
October 4th 2005

Hello friends and fans
Hello from my computer desk...

It is a tuesday afternoon and fairly nice weather, although we are all ready for fall. At least I am. Jeff, Tommy and I are well. In fact, we are doing really well. All three of us are keeping busy with our personal lives as well as branching out musically. We are writing a lot of songs right now, and for many of you, we are FINALLY recording this month! Yes, I'm serious this time. Plans have been made, and the finishing touches are being polished on our new set of songs. I know many of you have been waiting for a long time, we are sorry, but we are getting there!

The new album, if goes as planned, will feature 7 new songs from STI. Of the 7, we have only played 3 of them live, and that's all. The other songs are a surprise! I am also in the process of designing our new website and working on new promo pics. Let's say we are editing our whole layout. Change is good. It helps you grow. Speaking of which, the new set of songs have evolved into something we have never experienced. We are so proud of our new stuff, we cannot wait to show you! We are going to need all of your support in the coming months as we take our time recording in the studio. I will of course keep all of you up to date with what we are doing and I may give out some audio samples as well. We have a LIVE clip of our new song "In The End" on our Street Team page, but only members who sign up can access the song! Go ahead, sign up!

We have a few more lingering tour dates left before we take the big break. We are planning to release the album in January of 2006. I know it seems like a long time, but it takes time too. We need new songs, and a new set list. I would like to personally thank everyone for their undeniable support of the band. Your faith in us has provided so many opportunities, and we are so thankful. Keep checking the website as I update it. Sign up to the Street Team to receive special news and MP3's. Our next show is October 14th at The Southgate House. See you there!

Thank God for music
Brian



Can You Feel It?
September 3rd/4th 2005

Catchy title huh? I'll get to the explanation of that one later. Anyway, It's Monday September 5th at 5PM and even though the rest of the guys aren't in my room with me as I type this, I can probably speak for everyone in saying that we are ALL very tired from the weekend. It's a good tired though. It's when you feel like you've accomplished something and you are proud of it. To begin this entry, I will start to talk about our night on Saturday. We played The Viper Room in Cincinnati. Great club, great people, great bands. We played with Giant Wow and The Lab Partners for the first time ever, and they both amazed us. After those two played, we took the stage, and for the first time in a LONG time, we were very impressed with our sound and setlist. Please don't read this thinking that we are bragging, that is not my intention at all. What I mean is, we are very self-critical about our songs and our performances. A lot of bands are critical, but I think it's our nature to go overboard. Anyway, the set was great and we had a kind of energy on stage that is unexplainable. We are so lucky to have the fans we have. Thanks to all of you, we couldn't ask for better friends and support. There was just something about this night that was special and if you were there, you would know what I was talking about. Blue Karma ended the night with an amazing set as usual. Great band and a great group of guys. It is so nice to play with nice people. Instantly you feel like you're talking with friends instead of just plain musicians - that's the way it should be. We are all trying to get our music out to everyone, that's the fun part! Thanks so much to all the bands and The Viper Room.

Sunday September 5th 2005...this day may remain in my memory forever. Whether you were cooking dinner at an outdoor party, scoping the best spot to lay your blanket on the flood wall, or maybe just sitting at home hanging out- Strip The Image performed at the WEBN Fireworks. We played on the serpentine wall in Cincinnati, and I believe it was the first time that all three of us (kentucky boys) had ever been on the Ohio side for the big show. A HUGE thanks to "The Dude" at WEBN for inviting us to play the event. He is one of the coolest guys we've had the privelege to meet and hang out with. Expect to see and hear more of STI on WEBN. We have some big surprises. Anyway, the show was great, the weather was great, and the people kept their hands in the air! We played our new songs which are going over so well. We also ended with a Godsmack song. Kind of funny for us to be playing, but we played 'Bad Religion' and I have never heard so many people scream and headbang. I think we were all in a great state of mind and it was a great song to end with. Expect demo's soon of the new songs as well. We have a big show on Friday at Jefferson Hall for the Zippo Hot Tour. Please come, it's even free! I know a lot of you spend a lot of money and time with us. Thank you for that. For once, an event is FREE if you arrive before 10PM and it's also 18+. We hit the stage at 11. See you there and have a safe week. Oh yea, figure out out the new closing...

Poli, di umbuendo
Brian



Live at the Levee/Holy Grail Video
August 4th/5th 2005

What a weekend! We stayed extremely busy and we haven't done two shows in a row in a LONG time. We usually refrain from doing too many shows in one month so that we don't burn out, but the month of August is packed with dates as you can see. There were just too many opportunities and so many great shows to be a part of, we couldn't resist.

Where to start? Well, on Thursday we were a part of MIX 94.1 Live at the LEVEE in Newport, KY. If you haven't been to the Levee, you definately need to check it out. We played on a stage outside with the city of Cincinnati, OH at our backs. Great view and a great time despite the 95 degree weather. Somehow or another, it didn't affect the crowd. There were so many people at the show, and many stayed the entire time we played. That's what is so great about playing ALL AGES shows - everyone gets to enjoy the music. We try and target all ranges of age groups with our music. We like to reach out to everyone so there is a variety of style, or maybe it's just the legistics of basic rock'n'roll. We never want to fall into a specific category and be stuck there. Anyway, here are some pictures, courtesy of Betsy (thank you so much!):





Moving along...on Friday we rocked out The Holy Grail in Clifton. A big thanks to The New York Dynamite (from NY) and my little brother, Michael Tolle and his friend Andrew Luttrell for opening the show. If you haven't had a chance to come here these two young guys, you HAVE to get out and listen to their set. It's good to have variety at a show, and listening to an acoustic act can really give your ears a break! Anyway, STI spent a good hour doing an interview with "The Dude" from WEBN. Thanks to Don at the Holy Grail, we were able to begin filming a video for our single Wanting off our current EP, 5th Street. We will be releasing the video in DVD format and also through our website, please stay tuned for more details on the release of the video. The crowd was great, the weekend was great...nothing to complain about. We are ready for this heat to die down a little bit, it's time for fall!!

We have a lot of shows this month, and we are going to really need your support! Thanks so much to everyone who has been keeping the coals burning. Things in the world of STI are constantly growing, and we can't wait to share the results! Next up is our acoustic show at The Viper Room and then our BIG show at the Mad Frog Saturday August 13th with Greenwheel. See you soon!

Adieu,
Brian

McGuffy's
July 16th 2005

I just now realized that we haven't posted a journal entry in almost a month! Sorry about that. McGuffys...what a great club. We have played there before, but it has been over a year since our return. Don't worry Dayton fans, we plan on being up there more often in the coming months. The stage there is HUGE. Plenty of space up there with only three of us bouncing around.

The new songs are coming together really nice. In fact they are coming along really well and fast, which is something we usually don't do. You wouldn't believe the amount of songs we write that don't make the cut. It's strange how that works - you write almost three or four songs during a band practice, then the songs never see the light of day. Sometimes they don't work the way you want them to. So a lot of songs get retired to the STI vault where they could be picked back up again another time. Anyway, back to McGuffy's...here are a few shots my dad took:



My dad (Kevin Tolle) has been taking pictures of us ever since we started. Thanks dad, we wouldn't have these pictures without ya. Also, fans/friends are always welcome to post pictures on the forum there is a section on there for pictures. The next few shows should be great. I am working on piecing together some great lineups here, so don't worry I'll be posting more tour dates as they come. We are really excited....the suspense continues. If you haven't noticed yet, we have now officially launched our street team so be sure to sign up. I am trying to run the street team sort of like a fan club as well. If you join, you will be able to hear unreleased tracks and other goodies that other people will not be able to access. Thanks to Rebecca Davis for making this possible! Oh yea, here is a picture of Tommy (the cowboy):



This is a long entry, but there is so much to say! We have also received our shipment of t-shirts. We have plenty of t's (black with white logo) and girl's "spaghetti strap" t's (white with black logo). These are available in all sizes. The shirts look great and we have plenty of them to sell. Our next show is Thursday July 21st at The Mad Hatter. We haven't played there yet, but I hear its a great venue. So be sure to come out, listen to the new songs, pick up a t-shirt/sticker/CD or just come to hang out and say hello. See you soon!

"If music be the food of love; play on"

god bless,
-Brian



Return To The Frog
June 17th 2005

What a night! There is nothing better than doing a show in your hometown and having such great support from fans/friends. This may have marked our biggest turnout at The Mad Frog yet! It is always hard to take so much time off away from playing to work on new songs and be absent from the scene. As a band all we do is write songs and practice them, and believe me, it gets very tiresome when you can't show the new material off for everyone. The new songs (Giving Up, Lately, and In The End) were a success and we like them very much. Check back soon for lyrics and demos.



Ooh - STI sequence :) Don't those shirts ROCK? They were actually homemade...yea! We would also like to thank (from L to R: Melissa, Cami, and Sarah) for selling our new merchandise and always being so supportive of our group. Also, thanks to the crowd - I've never felt more alive onstage and at peace with our music. I was in a dream-like state the entire show, watching the crowd singing along and rocking their hearts out. They provoked one of our finest performances, and made us feel incredible.You have all been so great and we want you to know it doesn't go unappreciated.

Things are moving along smoothly and new songs are being finished. Our next show in Cincinnati will be Friday July 2nd at The Holy Grail. See you there!

"All the world is a stage and the men and women are merely players."

much love,
-Brian

Rockin' in Louisville
June 9th 2005

ew Website*

Hey everyone! We finally made it back from our journey to Louisville, Ky around 3:30am - very tired. We have played in Louisville once before at Tailgater's, great music scene there. If you haven't been to Bardstown road, you really need to check it out. It is also the home to the famous mega-music store, ear-X-tacy. We had forgotten that it's been three years since our last show there! We played at Phoenix Hill, a great club with a lot of history. Bands ranging from Candlebox to The Goo Goo Dolls have all played this club at some point. We hope to return sometime again in the coming months.

STI will be returning to Cincinnati, OH June 17th at The Mad Frog. We are very excited about this show since we haven't played in our hometown for a long time! I know a lot of you will be excited to see us again. We will have new merchandise available and a new shipment of CD's will be in. Also, please check back frequently to the site for updates. We will have our current EP 5th Street available on CDBaby in a few weeks! Thanks to everyone for being so patient with us, it means a lot. Friday June 17th - Mad Frog - New STI songs...see you there!

rock'n'roll
Brian

New Website!
May 23rd 2005

Welcome to the new STI website everyone! We are excited to have a new design as I'm sure you are as well. Justin worked very hard on this design as well as showing me how to update the pages and make it more "band accessible". We owe so much to Justin for helping us along the way. You can check out his music and film page here - Edgen

Also, please be sure to check out the new features on the site - there are a few new things to play with! As always please keep checking back for more updates as I learn how to do more of this :)

Enjoy,
Brian