This story is all about 3's. This would be the 3rd time the 3 Sisdels were seeing the Marvelous 3. When they came to Columbia to play Elbow Room on September 10 they took the time to do a quick interview with us. They were about an hour late but thats ok...they had a good reason and they aren't the flaunting starlet types that would annoy us by doing this. We set ourselves up on some cheap plastic tables outside of Elbow and got settled in to talk to Butch and Jayce. Shortly thereafter, Jayce adjusted the sadly sagging umbrella that sprouted from our cozy little street lawn furniture and almost toppled it over on my head. NikiJ made a great catch and saved the day.
Butch and Jayce wouldn't tell us exactly how long they've been together, but they did tell us they have been together since their high school years. They grew up in Rome, Georgia and according to them they were the only ones in town who could play so it was only natural that they would end up together. The name Marvelous 3 is attributed to Ian of the Tender Idols. They were listening to the music together in a bar one night and trying to come up with a name. Ian, in his tres chic British accent (Madonna wants one of those!!!) said, "This music is MARVELOUS!!!" And so it was written...on the back of a napkin. Butch claims to still have that same napkin just in case they ever forget who they are.
The writing of the songs is mostly done by Butch and we're told he does this while driving. He has a nice little leopard print notebook that he balances on his knee against the steering wheel and jots down the Marvelous 3 catchy tunes while transporting himself from one spot to the next. One song was written in the time it took him to get from his house to a friends house....pretty fast.
The guys say that their music is influenced by groups like KISS because they are into show rock. Butch says, "If you keep them entertained then they won't leave. They'll keep coming back. We want to be able to grab the audience's attention. It's all for the sake of entertainment!"
We asked what music the guys are into now...other than their own of course. They chose Hootie and the Blowfish because "they're cool to like now". We aren't sure if they said this just because they were in Columbia or not. We don't want any bands to feel obligated to like Hootie or any other Southern band. There seems to be this need for bands to feel like they connect with the Southern crowd by playing a little chord here and there of some redneck qualified song like Sweet Home Alabama. This has nothing to do with M3, but its something that has been bothering us for a while and we needed to get it out. The group also listed Eve 6, Semisonic, and Jump Little Children as some of their faves at the moment.
Obviously, they were not trying to win Columbia points with the Hootie thing because they honestly said their favorite cities to play are Atlanta, New York and San Diego. Jayce says that some of their best shows have been played to 5 people and they've had huge shows that they just didn't feel good about afterwards. We can't imagine a bad M3 performance but if they say so....One thing is for sure, although Slug is an integral part of the group, Butch and Jayce stick really closely together at all times. Butch made the comment that "even if it's a big stage, (Jayce and I) like to be close together. Like Linus and his blankie..."
As for the future of the Marvelous 3, they say that they want to make music, make more records and tour. Jayce stated that although they are not materialistic, they do want to make money. Sisdels Groove can relate to this. Who wants to work for free???
We've said it before and we'll say it again...if you're looking to be entertained go check these guys out. They will make you dance, laugh and sing all at the same time (think you can handle so many actions at once?). Don't forget to pick up their latest cd titled Hey!Album which you can get by e-mailing Butch at marvelous3@mindspring.com Lets make these guy's dreams of becoming rich come true. At least we know they will enjoy it and not run out and kill themselves shortly after getting money and fan support.