About 12 years ago, I sang in a band. I joined the band much longer than 12 years ago, but this specific year is relevant. I had music I really liked but none that I was obsessively in love with. That’s a lot of the reason I committed to joining up with a group of other musicians to create our own. At this point, I was a freshman in college and the band had won a slot onto a day long campus music festival. There were three headlining bands. I had heard of 2 of them, listened to 1 of them, and had no clue who the third was. The bands were, Coheed and Cambria, Boys Night Out, and the third was coincidentally named Three. 12 years later, the bands i never heard a single song from prior to that day, Coheed and Cambria and Three, continue to be bands I am emphatically devoted to.
Sometimes the universe just gives you a gift…
That very same day, I was helping my band and a friend’s band load their gear into the venue. I sat down for a second to think about what other things I needed to take care of, when I heard a group of guitarists jamming something incredible together. I looked up to realize it was just one guy; the singer and lead guitarist of Three, Joey Eppard. From across the room, I never moved a muscle and just watched this incredible guitarist play in a way I still couldn’t believe was coming from one person.
At times, Three incorporates songs in their albums of Joey playing solo in that very same style I listened to him play to warming up…
3 – Bramfatura (off the album “Wake Pig“)
There are a few other “Bramfatura”-esk songs scattered through Three’s pretty extensive discography. One of the more recent tracks is titled “Lexicon of Extremism” off the album Revisions. He most certainly makes that slap/pop guitar style’s presence known in full band songs as well.
Keeping up with Three is probably the hardest thing to do because their band name is about as internet SEO unfriendly as it gets. There’s almost no way to find the band via web search unless you know their albums and/song titles, which are named in an exponentially more unique fashion. Regardless, Three has most certainly been active with new releases. The most recent of which came out less than a month ago and is a little more mellow than the typical Three tune. That doesn’t make the song any less amazing.
3 – Crazy Eyes
The next couple songs below are much more the Three “wheelhouse” blueprint. A jazz infused metal rock sound with incredibly active vocals and dynamic song structure. Here’s a few selections from various Three albums.
3 – All That Remains (from the album “The End is Begun“)
3 – Rabid Animals (from the album “Revisions“)
3 – React (from the album “The Ghost You Gave To Me“)
3 – Trust (from the album “Wake Pig“)
I look back on that day 12 years ago, remembering getting to watch these bands warm up, interact with fans, walk around with the interest of exploring what was around them, getting to open for them and seeing them in the crowd watching me on stage, seeing them play live from side stage… it’s a defining day of who am I, musically. That was the first time, not one, but two bands made me fall in love with them at first listen. Not because I loved what I heard of their single on the radio or anything like that, but because I had never heard any of their studio work before and they owned the entire room with their live performance.
I was lucky enough to share the stage with Three a few years later at The Rex Theater and still have the show’s promo poster to this day, in perfect condition. It was even more incredible the second time around.
I guess the only appropriate way to end this post is to end it the way Three would. Every time I’ve seen and played with these Woodstock, NY metal/rock dynamo’s, they’ve always wrapped the show with this song and it brings the house down…
3 – Amaze Disgrace (originally from the album “Summer Camp Nightmare“)
There you have it. One of the best bands playing today on this big spinning ball of dirt called Earth. Speaking of dirt, did you dig Three??? Of course you did, they’re amazing! Did you know about them before today? Let me know your thoughts and any suggestions you might have for future #TunesdayTuesday posts in the comments area and I’ll see you down there.
I’m a tough sell on music so if you like what you’ve heard so far, you’ll definitely want to keep up with me on facebook, twitter and instagram for more.
By: Eli Rebich
