BIO
About The Ending
The Ending is a new beginning for Sergio Galli, the former guitarist with ‘80s pop sensations Platinum Blonde, and frontman Jesse Stull, a magnificent singer who came ‘this close’ to record deals with his old bar band U.Y.K.
Their self-titled debut is a collection of impassioned melodic rock songs, produced by Gavin Brown (Billy Talent, Three Days Grace), that have the markings of classics. From the first single, “Follow”, to the power ballad “Always” and more forceful “Heart Attack”, the hit quotient of the album is undeniable.
“I just thought, without any influences from anywhere, if I wanted to hear the most ideal music, what would it be and that’s what I wrote,” says Galli. “This is what it would be for me, and hopefully other people will agree.”
It’s one of those magical stories, in which the protagonist is pulled in by a force greater than he. Really. In Galli’s case, he had long abandoned his guitar and instead ran a lucrative architectural and design firm. “I didn’t have a stereo. I didn’t even know what was happening in the music world,” he admits. Galli had always turned down offers to guest onstage with his old bandmates, but, on a whim, said yes just to “freak out his friends” who were teasing him that those days were long gone.
“I didn’t rehearse. I just walked on stage and picked up a guitar and after the two songs, I brought the house down. Honestly, the effect I had on people there was the same effect I had on myself. When I was onstage, I had this epiphany, this feeling, like a fish back into the water,” Galli explains.
For a month, he tried to fight the feeling, but it kept getting stronger. “I thought, ‘Oh my god, I have to get back into this music thing.” He thought if he went into the studio and wrote a couple of songs, the results could be unsatisfactory and he would return to his life. He looked up some names and booked time with Justin Gray (Joss Stone, Emma Bunton), who was intrigued by the idea of working with this Canadian legend.
“What happened was the songs were good. I didn’t embarrass myself,” says Galli of the then instrumentals “Just Friends” and “Always”, which are now on The Ending’s debut. They demoed another seven or eight, before Gray suggested they put a voice to the songs. He played a recording by defunct band Up Your Kilt, to which Galli immediately responded ‘That’s my singer.’ Galli continues to sing his praises: “He’s one of the best singers I’ve ever heard.”
Gray tracked vocalist Jesse Stull down a week later. “As soon as he started singing on the recordings, the songs got even better,” says Galli. Stull himself had just about given up on music after U.Y.K. and doing some musical theatre productions before taking a job in construction. “I love the songs. I love the melodies. I love the lyrics,” Stull says of The Ending. “It’s absolutely amazing material.”
Sensing that The Ending was now gaining momentum, on a recommendation, Galli enlisted Juno Award winner Gavin Brown to toughen up the production. Having been out of the scene, Galli had never heard of Brown but it turned out the producer was a big fan. They started in Toronto before heading to Vancouver to work at one of the country’s best studios, The Armoury.
The Ending became complete with the addition of Damien Smith (drums) and Eli Cohen (bass) and, with the album done, started honing their live show, including opening slots for Def Leppard and KISS’s Ace Frehley. Along the way, Stull has adopted the songs as his own. “They’re my babies too now and I kind of brought them to life,” he says. “The lyrics that Sergio has written, it’s almost like he wrote an album just for me.” This is sure to be a common sentiment soon, as we are but at the beginning of The Ending.