Three Years Hollow

Artist Information

Biography

Three Years Hollow is the modern rock band hailing from the Quad Cities (IL, IA).

“There’s a brand of rock for every taste, but if I had to pick my poison, I’ve always gravitated towards a heavy, driving, edgy rock song more than any other. If it’s loud with a dash of frantic or angry pace to it, then sign me up, I’m interested. The guys from 3 Years Hollow subscribe to the same rock preference, and they successfully modeled their sound to fall in line accordingly. – Chris Brack, Rocksposure.com

Three Years Hollow’s debut album ‘Ascension’ has been well received by fans and critics alike. It’s an album that is aggressive on tempos, heavy on guitar riffs, yet well-defined and melodic on vocals. ‘Ascension’ contains fan favorite tracks ‘Wasted’ and ‘The End of Demise’ among others. One can’t help but notice the edge the album has from a lyric perspective. “The motivation for me on Ascension was that I was ticked off at girls. I was ticked off at everything!” says 3YH front man Jose Urquiza.

'Remember', the long awaited follow up to 'Ascension' was released on March 10, 2012 to a sold out crowd. The recording process for this EP took them to Groovemaster Studios in Chicago, IL to work with Tadpole (Disturbed, Staind, Adelitas Way, Seether) on production and mixing, then on to Brad Blackwood of Euphonic Masters (Adelitas Way, Evanescense, Sick Puppies, Skillet) for mastering. “In the years since Ascension, so much has happened for us personally. Life has happened for us. The subject of Remember has a positive message. It’s hard to write dark, angry songs when you’re so happy about everything” says Jose. With all of these positives, it’s no wonder why the band has been anxious to give the fans a taste of what they’ve been working on. That taste is the first single, ‘Chemical Ride’.

The video release for Chemical Ride occurred on New Year's Eve 2011 and received 6000 views in the first week alone. The reaction from the fanbase has been overwhelming and humbling. The band couldn't be more excited.

But don’t think that this album will have one single and a bunch of fluff to accompany it. As Jose states, “The song I’m most excited for people to hear is ‘We Belong’. It is so different from everything else that we do. It has so much harmony work in it. The whole message of the song is where ever I need to be, that’s where I want to be. Take me where we all belong.”

Three Years Hollow isn’t just a great studio band. They take a tremendous amount of pride in their live show as well. “We are commonly told that we sound even better live than we do on our album. That is something we take a lot of pride in.” says guitarist Tony Reeves. That pride in the live show has been noticed by promoters and has afforded them the privilege to compile an impressive resume of stage mates. That resume includes the likes of Chevelle, Buckcherry, Puddle of Mudd, Pop Evil, Taproot, Black Stone Cherry, Soil, Evans Blue, Tesla, The Veer Union, Janus, Eye Empire, The Used, Candlebox, Anew Revolution, Kyng, Destrophy, Caroline's Spine, Marc Rizzo (Soulfly), Ben Kenney & DJ Kilmore (Incubus), Psychostick, Straight Line Stitch, Texas Hippie Coalition, 40 Below Summer and The Burden Brothers, among others.

From here, the sky is the limit for Three Years Hollow. 2012 brings a new album and a new level of excitement. They intend to get the music out to as many people as possible through distribution, promotion, and touring. The goal is to attract the right support to help 3 Years Hollow take their musical career to the next level and every level beyond. That level is definitely somewhere the band believes, to quote the song, “Where we all belong.”

Keep up to date with Three Years Hollow on their website or by FaceBook.

www.threeyearshollow.com
www.facebook.com/threeyearshollow
www.youtube.com/threeyearshollow

Instrumentation

Jose Urquiza - Vocals
Tony Reeves - Guitar
Neil Kuhlman - Guitar & Vocal
Dex Digga - Bass
Chris Cushman - Drums

Discography

Remember (EP) - 2012
Distribution through Tunecore, iTunes & Amazon

1. Remember
2. Chemical Ride (Single)
3. We Belong
4. Run Away
5. Lost
6. Before it Begins

Ascension - 2009
Distribution through CD Baby, iTunes & Amazon
www.cdbaby.com/hollowgc2

1. Ascension
2. Skin
3. Wasted
4. Make Yourself
5. Moving On...
6. Still Waiting
7. The End Of Demise
8. Suffer
9. Angels
10. Down
11. Face Off

Links

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• MySpace
• Twitter
• Reverbnation
• Pandora
• Youtube

Audio

• Chemical Ride
  Listen  
• Remember
  Listen  
• We Belong
  Listen  
• Lost
  Listen  
• Run Away
  Listen  
• Before It Begins
  Listen  
• Wasted
  Listen  
• The End Of Demise
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Wasted

Video

Chemical Ride

Photo Gallery

Press

• Album Review - Ascension [+ Show ]
  

  There’s a brand of rock for every taste, but if I had to pick my poison, I’ve always gravitated towa...There’s a brand of rock for every taste, but if I had to pick my poison, I’ve always gravitated towards a heavy, driving, edgy rock song more than any other. If it’s loud with a dash of frantic or angry pace to it, then sign me up, I’m interested. The guys from 3 Years Hollow subscribe to the same rock preference, and they successfully modeled their sound to fall in line accordingly.
  
  Hailing from the Quad Cities, 3 Years Hollow channeled their respective rock influences to create what they call an ‘aggressive, heavy, yet mainstream sound’. Inspired by the driving riffs of Sevendust & Disturbed, the rhythm of Incubus & Rush, and the melodic vocals of Breaking Benjamin and Fuel, the band draws their sound from a number of modern rock bands that have successfully found their way to Rock glory. While they are currently in the studio putting the final touches on a new EP, they sent over a copy of the 2009 release “Ascension” along with a few previews of what is to come on the new album.
  
  “Ascension” is a fantastic hard rock album that ends just as heavy on the last note as it starts on the first. The energy packed title track opens the album with a taunting guitar riff that quickly builds into a more aggressive one as the drums begin their assault on the song. What is immediately clear is just how clean 3 Years Hollow plays on this well produced album. While the music throughout is fast paced and at times forceful, at no point is the instrumental or vocal delivery ever overly done. From a technical standpoint, these guys are remarkably clean given the style of music that they’re playing. With bands in this genre, it’s not uncommon to find an unnecessary guitar solo or overly zealous scream to amp up the music. Not the case with 3 Years Hollow, they have mastered the style of what I like to call ‘controlled aggression’. Every ounce of energy is there and it’s delivered in a fashion that doesn’t leave you with that awkward “They shouldn’t have done that” feeling immediately after hearing an over the top element of the song. You simply won’t find anything of the sort on ‘Ascension”
  
  3 Years Hollow does turn down the heavy meter a little bit on “Angels” and “Still Waiting”, but they are still more than cohesive with the rest of the record. These are far from ballads, but definitely show some nice depth from the band. The slower pace also compliments the vocal work on the album by Jose Urquiza as it exhibits some versatility from the other tracks.
  
  The tempo gets kicked up a few notches on “Skin”, “The End of Demise”, and “Make Yourself” which helps show off some astoundingly clean drums from Chris Cushman in the process. The lead and rhythm guitar work of on the album is well balanced and the two tend to play off of each other quite well, especially on the finale “Face Off” which wraps up the album with an ominous, daunting tone.
  
  While I would have been happy to spin “Ascension” for the rest of the Summer, the band was kind enough to send over two demos from their EP (due out this Fall) to give us a sense for where they’re heading. The first track we were allowed to preview was “We Remember”, a track that is downright packed with guitars. It embodies the clean sound of the tracks on their previous album, but it’s definitely a step above it in terms of the amount of intricacy of the guitarwork. In particular, there is a spectacular, face melting solo ¾ of the way through the song. As Urquiza screams “How will you be remembered?”, I know that what I’ll remember about this track is the fantastic guitars of Neil Kulhman and Tony Reeves. The second track we were given a sneak peak at was “Before it Begins”. This song definitely has more of a mainstream sound than “We Remember” and the tracks on “Ascension”. Dex Digga’s bass dominates the song as they work in some harmonized/background vocals that truly differentiate this track from the rest of the catalog. It’s slightly different, but it is still every bit 3 Years Hollow.
  
  With these tracks giving us a glimpse of where they’re heading with the new album, it's easy to say that Fall can’t get here fast enough for 3 Years Hollow fans.
  
  

• Ascension In Progress [+ Show ]
  

  Ascension in Progress Story by Michelle Garrison Rock Island Nu-Metal band Three Years Hollow gr...Ascension in Progress
  Story by Michelle Garrison
  
  Rock Island Nu-Metal band Three Years Hollow grows its fan base with precise shows and a consistent sound.
  
  Heavy-hitting drums synchronize with driving, crunchy bass and rhythm guitar for dark instrumental breaks. Lead guitar intertwines with melodic vocals during the verses and choruses. Catchy, yet gruff, choruses round out the songs. These diverse approaches blend with smooth, yet sudden, transitions, leading to a fast-paced and ever-changing wall of sound.
  
  Three Years Hollow, consisting of members Jose Urquiza, Tony Reeves, Luke Sears, Chris Cushman, Dex Digga, has been rocking with its current lineup in 2008, although Reeves and Urquiza had been playing and writing together for eight years. Since then, they have garnered a respectable fan base, including close to 200,000 Myspace views and crowds as large as 3,000.
  
  Although they’ve played large shows with big-name headliners such as Chevelle, Buckcherry, and Taproot, the band says it can’t beat its faithful hometown crowd. “To be very honest with you, our hometown crowd still takes the win. The crowd at RIBCO on Sep. 11th was amazing. It was the first time I could hear the crowd singing over my monitors. Our home town fans are the ones that really show us why we do this,” says Urquiza.
  
  Impressively, the band has managed to gain their following primarily through these local shows. 3YH has relied on Internet promotion, word-of-mouth, and the quality of their music to spread their fame. “We have never been the band that’s going to just up and leave. Some years ago, that was the way to do it, but with the Internet, and the fact that big labels just aren’t looking for you anymore, it makes it hard,” Urquiza said. “The time will come when being on the road is a necessary step for 3YH, we just haven’t been presented with that opportunity yet.”
  
  Despite not yet being much of a touring band, Three Years Hollow strives to make their local and regional shows as tight as possible. Digga reports that this is something their fans have confirmed, “Most people say that we sound better live than our album. That is something that fans appreciate these days. They don’t want to hear an overproduced album then check out a show only to be disappointed.”
  
  In addition to live shows, their 2009 release, Ascension, has helped fuel their success. Entirely self-produced, and recorded at Real Trax Recording in Davenport, the songwriting draws from the members’ diverse tastes, ranging from early 60’s music to contemporary metal and alternative rock. The group specifically cites bands such as Metallica, 40 Below Summer, Dream Theater, and Killswitch Engage as major influences, but strives for variety to appeal to a spectrum of listeners. “We all have different tastes and when we combine them it gives us something unique. We like to think there is something for everyone with us,” explains Reeves.
  
  Listeners can hear the strong influence of such bands in Ascension. The vocals are reminiscent of bands such as Godsmack or Disturbed, in the way in which Urquiza remains mostly melodic, yet spices the heavy moments with a more gravelly voice. The instrumentals contain driving rhythmic verses, in the vein of Slipknot or 40 Below Summer, but switch to a lighter sound during choruses, showing screamo and metal influences similar to Senses Fail or Bullet For My Valentine.
  
  Although talking influence from other nu metal acts, the band takes pride in their autonomy. “We’ve had the chance to work with a couple of major producers but we enjoy handling the entire process ourselves.” The addition of the new members to the lineup in recent years has also freshened up their song-writing process, as Reeves explains, “The Ascension album was primarily written by myself and Jose. It usually started with a demo that I would have, and Jose would finish, or vice-versa. As the songs were worked out, everyone would add their pieces. Luke is the perfect complement to my guitar style, as well as vocally with Jose. Chris is a phenomenal drummer and has been playing with Dex for a long time, so their rhythm section is truly top notch. Having everyone add their pieces…is going to help us continue to branch out.”
  
  It appears that this strategy has worked, for the album has attained viral success. Ascension broke the top 10 in the hard-rock genre on the music sites Ourstage.com and Garageband.com. Urquiza speculates on why the album has resonated with so many people, “The greatest accomplishment that I think we’ve had is creating an album that people seem to enjoy over and over. If they tire of it for 2 months, they always tell us they pop it back in and its fresh again.”
  
  This freshness comes from Three Years Hollow’s ability to create diverse songs while staying in the nu-metal genre. Songs like “The End of Demise” contain the double-bass and growly vocals evocative of the darker side of the genre, while “Wasted” features precise, syncopated rhythm guitars aligned with drum hits that produce grooves that defy the listener to not nod along. In contrast, “Still Waiting” changes the tone with sparse drums, a simple soaring guitar melody, and acoustic guitar in the verses, attaining a still-rocking, but sensitive, sound.
  
  The group hopes to expand their success as they work on their new album, for which they’ve already recorded two songs. “We can’t wait to release the first promo single to our fans,” the band explains. “We are super excited about the material and the sound. We definitely aren’t rushing anything, though – we feel our fans deserve the best.”
  
  “My personal goal for this next album is to write music that hits closer to home with more people,” says Sears. “(We want to) draw more people into the lyrics
  
  and take them on a journey through our music. (We want to) write songs that show who we are as a band and as individuals, and relate on a personal level with our fans. To write what we enjoy and love is the key because, all-in-all, that is why we do this.”
  
  Songs by Three Years Hollow can be purchased on iTunes or CDBaby.
  
  Streaming media, booking, and more information can be found on: ThreeYearsHollow.com
  
  Facebook.com/threeyearshollow
  Myspace.com/hollowqc
  Twitter.com/3yearshollow

• "Wasted" Voted #1
  

  "Wasted" voted #1 on Mike Cameo's Indies Hard Rock top 10.

• Hard Rock Heaven [+ Show ]
  

  "From the moment Make Yourself began, I found myself in hard rock heaven! The guitar riffs possess o..."From the moment Make Yourself began, I found myself in hard rock heaven! The guitar riffs possess outstanding power and emotion, which is complimented nicely by the hard-hitting drums and pounding bass. I give you guys extra points for your chorus; it's one of the most heartfelt I've heard on Garageband.com. Keep up the good work and I look forward to hearing more from you guys in the future! "— Garageband.com

Setlist

Three Years Hollow plays a 45 - 90 minute set varying on whether they are headlining or supporting national acts.

Before it Begins
Wasted - (Voted #1 on Mike Cameo's Indies Top 10)
Chemical Ride
Suffer
Still Waiting
Remember
Lost
Make Yourself
All We Have
Skin
We Belong
Down
The End of Demise
Face Off
Runaway

Basic Requirements

Calendar