ION INDIE MAGAZINE November 2015, Volume 18 | Page 81

name it. It keeps everyone happy. Ha! Jason writes all his lyrics. SAM (RHODES) has written--I would say--about 90% of the
guitar parts on the albums we have. I throw in my two cents, so does MATT (STALEY)…and Allen helps with all aspects of it
from, of course, drums/samples, to keyboards and arrangements.
GC: You guys have played a lot of shows in a lot of different places. What was your most memorable and favorite show that
you performed at?
3QD: It was an honor and still is to be the only regional unsigned act to ever play the CAROLINA REBELLION in Charlotte. Man,
it was badass! We won the contest through 106.5 THE END and the MILLER LITE CONCERT SERIES. We opened the festival on
the JAGERMEISTER stage in front of about 10,000 people…got the VIP treatment and everything! Awesome day! Need to be
more like that…ha!
GC: What was your worst experience, and is there a story behind it?
3QD: The worst that I can remember is driving all the way to Cleveland, Ohio to play at a showcase for GORILLA MUSIC
(blaaeegh!). They had this jackass “executive” there that you had to pay to meet and let him listen to your music…just so he
could tell you everything wrong with it. And for $30,000 dollars--you could come out to his studio in Los Angeles and he would
add “dubstep” to it to make it “modern”. Hell with that guy and the entire situation! We didn't even play the main stage on
that one. We were upstairs in a corner.
GC: Tell us about the different CD’s you have out--and which is your favorite, and why?
3QD: As I mentioned earlier, we have the first album “Blueprint of a Strange Mind” with our original lineup. With the present
lineup we have 4 full length albums:
1. “Between Angels and Demons” (Released 2008)--This was our first album with Jason Sain. It has a mash of different
style songs on it. I guess we were trying to redefine ourselves a little while still holding on to our prior sound. It has a
making of the DVD on the flipside of the disc that documents the recording process and has our first FULL show with
Jason on it.
2. “Once Upon this Broken Glass” (Released 2010)--This was released through an Indie label we were on called PROJECT
ALPHA MUSIC. We are not very happy with the way the recording turned out, but the material is pretty rocking. We
filmed our first video for our song “The Unknown” off of it. We had the video distributed nationally, so it was played
on many local music, cable and satellite stations across the US--including FUSE ON DEMAND and MTV.
3. “The Cycle of Dust” (Released 2012)--Very proud of this album! I think us as a band nailed it on this one; for what we
were going for. It was picked up by TURKEY VULTURE RECORDS and distributed by UNIVERSAL MUSIC. We shot a
video for our single “Sometimes”. I think people started taking us more serious after this album. Ha!
4. “Tribulation” (Released 2015)--MY PERSONAL FAVORITE ALBUM! To me it was the first time I could pop the CD in my
player and say, “DAMN RIGHT! OUR SOUND HAS FINA LLY BEEN CAPTURED!” It just sounds so full and powerful. Not
dissing the other albums at all, by the way. JAMIE KING (Producer/Engineer) always does a stellar job, but this one is
over the top! We are still pushing this one with our video for “No Stone Unturned”, where we are captured by an evil
death cult and met with our demise.
GC: “Cycle of Dust” was really the CD and the music that built your fan base and identified who you guys were as a band. How
does your newest effort, “Tribulation”, differ from “Cycle of Dust”--or is it just the next chapter?
3QD: We would say it's the next chapter. Mainly because it's our first album with Allen (drums) who brings a totally new sound
to our music. It's a punchier, more driving sound, but still has the 3QD sound to it…heavy parts with melodic changes. We try
to make every song stick out and have its own power, and I think we succeeded with that on this album.
GC: Aside from your own genre of music, what kinds of music do you guys listen to when you’re away from the stage?