Upon first listen to the Marvelous 3's insidiously catchy radio hit "Freak of the Week," one might assume that the band signed a major deal based on little more than a slick-sounding, radio-friendly demo. In reality, the Atlanta-based Marvelous 3 have spent the better part of a decade struggling to build a grassroots following with a combination of relentless touring (more than 200 shows a year) and self-produced independent releases on their own Marvelous Records. "It's pretty much been driving our own beat-up van and humping our gear by ourselves in a different state every night to four or five faces and in a different bar every night," explains singer-guitarist Butch Walker. "And so this is not a Cinderella story, but it's a good thing that it's happened so fast."

A decade of incessant touring isn't exactly what most people would regard as fast, but what transformed their years of struggling into an overnight success was the decision of Atlanta's influential alternative rock station 99X to champion the band's "Freak of the Week." What followed was a major label deal, slots on high-profile tours (Eve 6 and an upcoming stint with Collective Soul), an appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman and the opportunity to leave the van behind and get on a real tour bus. "Without it sounding like a sob story, we have given twenty-four/seven, 365 on this for about ten years now," Walker says. "And if this is my fifteen minutes I'll enjoy every bit of it until I have to go back to the van."

Walker, bassist Jayce Fincher and drummer Slug have been playing together in various incarnations over the years, each of which produced its own albums and toured extensively. With the radio success of their second album, Hey Album, the majors came running. Elektra wanted to re-release Hey Album exactly as it was, but the band wanted to enhance the indie version. Enlisting producer Jim Ebert (Jason Falkner, Meredith Brooks) they re-cut bass and drums to go with the original vocals and guitars. The result is an unlikely blend of skinny-tie New Wave, arena-sized Cheap Trick-isms, dashes of hair-metal and Queen-styled bombast. "We were all Top 40 junkies growing up," Walker says. "We liked anything from the [most obscure] metal, to the lamest pop rock like the Knack and Rick Springfield ... when you're a kid they're gods. You either love it or hate it, and for better or worse we loved it."

Unlike many indie bands of the early Nineties who graduated to major labels and brought with them a confused attitude towards success and the music industry, the Marvelous 3 know exactly what they are getting themselves into and embrace what is expected of them. "File me under anything. I don't care if you file me under Top 40. I got into this to sell a lot of records and have a million people appreciate my art. I want people to love my songs. It seems like you've got to defend that these days. It's weird."

DAVID DERBY
(March 10, 1999)