Published: June 25, 2010 1:10 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight June 2010 Edition
3Union
Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
3Union
Brandon, Shaun, and Ryan (who are all brothers) make up the fantastic trio known as 3Union. From their catchy hooks to their amazing voices, fans will fall in love with the band. In this recent spotlight with Brandon, Shaun and Ryan, our Webzine spoke to the brothers who reveal why they are meant to make music. Here is what transpired.
Isaac: Let’s get started with this interview. When and how did you first become interested in music? How long have you been playing music?
Brandon/Shaun/Ryan: Well, our parents are musicians, so when we were born, we were just thrust into music! Music has always been a part of our lives, and we love listening to and playing it!
Isaac: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences and why?
Brandon: Our biggest musical influences are bands like Relient K, We The Kings, Forever The Sickest Kids…
Shaun: Family Force Five, too. I like their lyrics and their style.
Ryan: Relient K for sure, Lost Prophets…I just like the way their music sounds, how creative their writing is.
Isaac: What has been the greatest highpoint in your career so far?
Brandon: The greatest highpoint for me would definitely have to be when we did our Florida, Texas/Arkansas, and California tours last fall. We got to meet so many people and make a lot of friends during that time!
Shaun: We’re in the middle of it right now. We have a manager, we just recorded a new single in Nashville, we’re playing at FishFest and Spirit West Coast in California. We’re excited to see what happens next!
Ryan: I agree with Shaun.
Isaac: What has been the greatest disappointment in your career so far? What did you learn from that experience?
Brandon: Well, last year our family band (us, plus mom and dad) were contacted by America’s Got Talent to audition for the show. Our mom plays electric guitar (hardcore right?) and Dad plays keys. The producers were looking for a family band that didn’t play blue grass. They also wanted us to try out as brothers, but ended up picking the family band to move on in the competition. Anyway, we made it to the final round of the Chicago auditions before the celebrity judges and they X’d us because Mom and Dad were in the band! It was lame.
We learned from that experience. You will face disappointment and you can’t please everyone. You just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep pressing on. Don’t let other people’s negativity make you give up!
Isaac: That sucks! Dumb judges!!
Ryan: That’s the only really disappointing thing that’s happened to us so far.
Shaun: People in the business making promises they couldn’t keep and getting our hopes up for nothing.
Isaac: What draws you to want to play the type of music that you do?
Brandon: The sound mostly. We were introduced to punk rock first (Relient K). We just love music, well, except for most rap and country. Haha! No offense to you country folks and homeys out there.
Shaun: I don’t mind rap as long as it’s not explicit. I just enjoy creating music and I hope others enjoy listening to what we write. Our style is a mix of electronic and alternative rock. We love techno, too.
Ryan: Yep.
Isaac: What do you feel it takes to play this type of music that you play?
Ryan: A guitar, drum, keyboard, bass, speakers…
Brandon: If you want to be good at what you do, you have to practice. It’s just like everything else in life, if you want to be good at it, you have to work for it.
Shaun: For the type of music we play we spend a lot time making tracks and a lot of time programming. Since there are only 3 of us we can’t cover all the parts and we can’t afford to hire anybody to play with us at this point. It’s a ton of work.
Isaac: What do you think you will create that will make your performances and who you are stand out in the music industry?
Brandon: Well, I think the fact that we are all brothers make us stand out. We also love God and want to glorify Him through our music.
Shaun: We’re not afraid to say what’s on our minds. We want to impact people’s lives, not just provide good music. We like to challenge our audiences to stand up and make a difference, not just go along with the crowd.
Isaac: If you had the opportunity to do one cover, what cover would you do and why? How would you put your own spin on this cover?
Brandon: We actually do a sweet cover of “How Far We’ve Come.” We put a little bit of synth into it, and made it our own version of music we like to call krunkatronic.
Isaac: What does it take to be a good songwriter?
Brandon: If you want to be a good songwriter you have to practice doing it. That means writing songs, even if they are complete garbage! Inspiration doesn’t hurt either.
Shaun: It takes a lot of perseverance. You have to be honest with yourself.
Ryan: Being willing to write a song no matter how stupid it sounds.
Isaac: How difficult is it to juggle music, family and work obligation, and life in general? Explain.
Brandon: Well, we are very fortunate because our entire family is involved in our music! Our parents have always been our biggest supporters, and they help us out at our shows. Dad runs the sound, and Mom does photography and merch. Music is our life, and we are so lucky to have a family that encourages us to keep it up.
Shaun: Very difficult! It’s hard to split your time between school, practicing, learning new skills, hanging out with friends, but it’s worth it!
Ryan: Being homeschooled helps. Our band is our job so it’s not too bad.
Isaac: What is your definition of being an Indie artist/band?
Brandon: I guess for us it means we get to say what we think through our music and not have to worry about censorship that would come with a label.
Shaun: I agree. You don’t have somebody else telling you what you can and can’t say.
Ryan: The freedom to write our own songs, to do our own concerts.
Isaac: Where can fans access your music online?
Brandon: You can find our music either through iTunes (look up 3union) or you can check out our website www.threeunion.com. You can find all our links there for Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.
Isaac: In five years…….
Brandon: In five years, hopefully we will be known all over the USA, maybe even the world! With God, anything is possible. For now, I am just excited to be doing what I’m doing. It never hurts to dream big though! You’d be surprised what you can accomplish.
Shaun: I try not to think that far ahead! Hopefully, we’ll be doing music on a much larger scale than we are at this point.
