Alone at 3am

I’ve stated quite a few times that local music here in Cincinnati of late has been excellent. With new bands popping up all over town providing a great soundtrack for our area. I have done my best to profile as many of those bands here, and elsewhere, and have another new one to share with you today.

Alone At 3 A.M. are a 4-piece out of the Cincinnati area that have just released their debut full length album, City Out Of Luck on a local label, Tiberius Records. Tiberius is a quality label here in town, known for putting out great albums by The Light Wires, Ampline, and Thistle among others.

Alone At 3 A.M. are what I would describe as musical comfort food for the Cincinnati music fan. Their sound does not stray far from some of the best alt-country acts that our area has embraced, like Uncle Tupelo, Old 97’s, Drive-By Truckers or Lucero. Lead singer Max Fender’s vocals provide the same whiskey tinged bite that I hear from Jay Farrar on old Uncle Tupelo songs along with steady guitar work and percussion to keep the heartbeat of the music strong.

In many ways these guys sound like they did some of the same things Uncle Tupelo did while finding themselves, mixing their love for punk rock with old rebel country music legends to create their debut album, City Out Of Luck.

Pick up the new album from Tiberius and check out some more tunes from the band at their website. - eachnotesecure.com

Alone, Naturally

BY Mike Breen | Posted 03/19/2008
Given the scary "Who do you want answering the phone in the White House at 3 a.m." ads running in support of Hillary Clinton, Alone at 3AM would seem to have a perfectly timed band name, surpassed only by The Yes We Cans from Tuscaloosa for timeliness. The Cincinnati-based Rock quartet AA3AM unleashes its first long-player, City Out of Luck, this Friday at the Southgate House. The release show also features performances by thistle, The Turnbull AC's, Lost Hands Found Fingers, Sweet Impala, The Dopamines, Swearengen, Background Music, Dirty Bird and Mark Caddo.

The music on City Out of Luck mixes Punk Rock intensity and unaffectedness with the dusty, workingman Classic Rock sincerity of Springsteen and Tom Petty. The end result is a little rootsy, but still hard-driving, egalitarian and straight-up, shit-kickingly rockin'.

Singer/guitarist Max Fender has a voice made for Rock & Roll singing his smoky rasp is perfectly suited for giving soul to the band's tales of drinking and working too much. Bassist Joey Beck and drummer Tim Colina are a flawless rhythm section, able to steer the band with grace and creativity even when running full-throttle. They're also impressively versatile (as is the whole band), able to be more than just a backdrop whether the band is going full-speed or winding it down, as they do on the banjo-laden, acoustic-driven "Catch Me If You Can." The guitar work is also noteworthy, as Fender and Clay Cason weave their distinct styles together in intriguing ways, blending more trickling lead riffs with the sideways, angular bombast of chords.

Opening cut "Mexico" sets the tone with its stomping Roots Rock vibe and lyrics about escaping psychic pain by running or just drinking it all away.


"Whiskey and Gin" rides on shuffle beats and features some impressively twangy guitar work, while the propulsive "Killer" chugs and slashes with desperate, end-of-the-work-day blue-collar reflections ("Chemicals then sleep/You sow then you reap"). "Soldered" closes the album on an acoustic note (with some twilight organ slathered overtop), as Fender sings about "hoping for greatness but setting up for disaster."

The themes of inner turmoil and working hard but drinking harder rarely vary throughout City Out of Luck if you're looking for an emotional pick-me-up, you'd be better off listening to funeral marches. The booze-as-salvation concept does wear thin after awhile (we get it alcohol dulls the pain), but the strong songcraft and inherent power of the band's raw yet precise instrumentation more than make up for it. And the way Fender delivers the vocals is convincing enough to make you want to slip a few fliers for the local AA meeting under his door.

There's no shortage of former Punk rockers going a more "Americana" route these days count Alone at 3AM as one of the better groups making a more than convincing conversion. Save a spot for this one in your record collection between Drive-By Truckers, The Constantines, Ryan Adams and Lucero. (aloneat3am.net) - City Beat magazine, Mike Breen

Pop-rock that recalls John Cougar Mellencamp and Tom Petty, Alone at 3AM is yet more proof that the wonderful dudes at Tiberius Records know what the hell they’re doing (and listening to). “City Out of Luck” is a debut as strong as you’ll ever hear, riff with passionate catchy hooks and blue-collar honesty. The next coming of Bruce? I reckon that’s sufficient.

- J-Sin - Smother.net