3 Marvelous Men

photo courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Arizona Daily Wildcat Slug, Butch, and Jayce of Marvelous 3 practice staring soulfully when they're not performing.

Butch Walker of Marvelous 3 is not your typical shy and introverted singer/songwriter. "I want a million people to buy the record. Bands seem to have a problem admitting that but I don't," he said over the phone earlier this week.

"I want millions and millions of fucking people to go out and buy our record so they can listen to it and know all the words and scream along. Makes me go home and smile and sleep deaf and happy."

The Marvelous 3 play Gotham March 28, with Dovetail Joint. The show is all ages. Tickets are $5 in advance, and $6 the day of show. Doors open at 8 p.m. Call 744-7744 for more information.

Butch's dreams just may come true. Their single, "Freak of the Week," off their new album Hey! Album is enjoying full rotation on MTV and the alternative station near you, and the band will be playing at Gotham on Sunday, March 28. So if you know the words, show up and scream 'em.

The Marvelous 3 is composed of Butch, Slug and Jayce, three guys who have been playing together since the tender age of fifteen.

"We were in a small town outside of Atlanta," he said. "Nobody really played music or did anything musically except for us three. I think everyone else would've rather been deer hunters or something and that didn't interest us."

The three have been through several band names and lineups over the past ten years, and became the Marvelous 3 about two years ago. "It started off as a solo project," Butch explained. The band had been touring vigorously and needed a break, and Butch had some new music floating around in his head that he wanted to get out. Eventually, though, all three of the boys were playing together again. "There was never really a fork in the road that caused us to break up," said Butch.

Fame didn't strike until recently, though - first in Atlanta, and then nationwide. The Marvelous 3 received four Atlanta Local Music Awards in 1997, including "Best Atlanta Rock n' Roll Band." Now, their single is in the top ten on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.

"I'm pretty happy that it's happened now," said Butch. "I can enjoy it."

The Marvelous 3 is often compared to Cheap Trick and Elvis Costello by critics, but Butch guesses that may be a cop-out on the part of lazy music journalists. He put forward a fresher comparison: "If you put Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello in a blender, and some Motley Crue in there, it might work. Just for fun," Butch joked.

"There's too many influences here that go way back," he said on a more serious note.

"Describing our sound is probably easiest said as very hard-edged pop. It's melodic, it's fun, it's got some sharp lyrics to it."

"It's all kind of tongue-in-cheek and kinda campy," he added.

"We're building it the old-fashioned way, by putting the show on the road," Butch continued. "We're known for our live show. People say they haven't seen a live show like ours in ages." What Butch says makes their show stand out is the fact that "instead of standing up with a bunch of lights going flash-flash," they're really "rocking," working off the audience, and sticking to what should be every band's live-music credo: "They're [the audience] the reason why you [the band] are there."