When waiting on line for a Troye Sivan concert, I was confused by the sound of a guitar coming from the rear of the line. As the sound moved closer to the front, I was able to see three blond guys passing out bracelets. One had a sign which had their social media, one had a guitar, and one had the bracelets. When they stopped in front of me, they played one of their songs from their album and I instantly fell in love. I bought their album, grabbed a bracelet, and declared myself a fan. Aaron, Brandon, and Scott keep things cool and create an individual sound that needs to be heard by the world. Through keeping in touch with Scott, I was able to score an interview with the entire band— they are 3PM.
3PM covering "Starving" by Hailee Steinfeld
Tell me who you are with this three-hitter: Age, Zodiac Sign, and Favorite Color?
Aaron: I’m 19, an Aquarius, and my favorite color is wine red. Not red, but wine red.
Scott: I just turned 19, I’m a Capricorn thanks to my Christmas Day birthday, and my favorite color is pretty much any kind of blue.
Brandon: I’m the band dad at 25! I’m proudly a Sagittarius and my favorite color is just red. Not as specific as Aaron’s.
Now let's get serious- Do you guys come from musical families?
Aaron: I’m sure there is someone in my family who might be able to sing a little bit but I’m certainly the only one to ever do something with my voice. In my immediate family, my brother and mom sing a little bit.
Brandon: My situation is funny because my parents don’t play any music, but my oldest brother is a very talented guitarist and my twin brother has an incredible voice. Neither of them got into music but we always talked about making a badass brother band.
Scott: My brother and I have very similar musical tastes and have always bonded over it. He plays the saxophone and makes electronic music. So in my family, him and I are the only musical ones.
Are you guys fans of vinyl? Would you ever put your music on it?
Scott: To be honest, I’ve never listened to vinyl…I know that’s kind of upsetting but it’s just before my time!
Brandon: There is definitely a resurgence in vinyl music and it seems like everyone is either doing a deluxe edition vinyl, a super colorful pressing, a live album, etc., so maybe we’ll do something like that with our next album.
Are you guys single? (The fans need to know, of course).
Aaron: Some of us might be. But we aren't going to say who…
I found you guys at the NYC stop on Troye’s tour- have you been following him to all his stops?
Aaron: We’ve been following a few of his shows over the past month to promote to everybody in line. We’ve found this to be the absolute best way to get your name out and meet new fans. You can only do so much over social media and with the number of bands that are on these networks, your band can very easily be drowned out.
Scott: At these shows we play some of our music for everyone so they have a little taste of 3PM and then pass out our signature wristbands to make sure everyone can remember our name.
How has traveling affected your music?
Aaron: Constantly being on the road has changed, and continues to change us as people in many ways, almost all positively. We realize that you can’t take anything for granted in life and to make the best with whatever situation you have. This optimism is reflected in our lyrics, the way we play, and the way we present ourselves.
As a musician myself, I know how nerves can get…What are your nerves like before a performance?
Scott: I often get an excited/nervous feeling before we play, if that makes sense. I shake a bit, I’m smiling, and I just want to hop on stage and start playing. After the first chord hits, the nerves completely go away and I feel like I’m in paradise. No matter how many people are in the room, I absolutely love performing.
What is your favorite part of the songwriting process?
Brandon: All the music this band writes is written together, so it’s always such a fun time. We never stress over it because more often than not musical ideas fly out of us and songs seem to put themselves together. And if we have writer’s block, we eat and play video games for an hour then get back to it. Works 100% of the time!
Scott: I love being able to listen to a minute-long acoustic recording made on our phones and say, “Wow, that’s catchy. I can’t wait to make a full song out of this.” We write great together and it always brings us closer as a band.
Are you guys working on new music right now?
Aaron: Yes we are, and we’re so incredibly excited for it to be completed. This new album will showcase what we’ve been saying about our sound. Every song is our baby and we love them to death and are very proud of what we’ve written.
What is your favorite band memory?
Aaron: Hands down, my favorite band memory was first meeting Scott and Brandon. They were swinging through my previous home of Atlanta while promoting on a tour and contacted me about looking for a new singer. I just remember getting a message along the lines of “hey you have a great voice, have you ever thought of being in a band?” And the answer was 100% yes. From the second we met we became best friends and that’s how I knew it was a good fit. I have never been so excited for anything in my life. About 5 months later, here I am the singer of 3PM. Life is crazy.
Brandon: The whole transition process was tough and took a while, but finally announcing Aaron into the band was the greatest feeling and it started a new chapter for 3PM. A huge weight was lifted from our shoulders, we had a new sense of direction, and such hope for the future!
Scott: A couple weeks ago, we played our first show together and it was the most fun I’ve had in a while. We had a short set, but being able to look over and see both of them totally ecstatic and having a good time made me feel great. We’re three best friends and we get to play music together. What could be better than that?
As maniacal as it sounds, any last words?
Brandon: Just thank you to everyone who has been there from the beginning and joined us along the way and those reading this article. Nothing makes us happier than being able to keep doing this with our lives. Without our fans we would not be a band.
Aaron: We can’t wait to share our new music with you; we know you’ll all fall in love.
The band recently made a cover of The Chainsmokers and Halsey’s new song, "Closer." Check out the video below!
