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Most people growing up change their dream career like they change their clothes. The fields fluctuate as children fantasize about becoming veterinarians, firefighters, athletes etc. It’s rare to hear someone say that they’ve always known what they wanted to do and it’s even more uncommon to see that person achieve that aspiration. As I sat down with Sean Foreman of 3OH!3 on October 24th 2010 at the Metropolis in Montreal, I discovered that he was one of those people who always knew what direction he was headed in.
Sean, who grew up with a mother who was a singer and a father who played guitar, knew that his heart was in the music industry from a very early age. He explained to me that his fondest memories were “playing guitar, drinking whiskey and singing at family gatherings.”
However, the most influential person in his life was his brother who he would rap and make music with at their home. Sean admitted to constantly copying his brother’s taste in clothes and CD’s. “I wouldn’t be in this situation without him” Sean said.
It was during a physics class at the University of Colorado, that Sean and Nathaniel Motte met for the first time and shortly after, in 2004, came together to form the pop duo 3OH!3. While Nat originally had the intention of going to medical school, Sean was already packing his bags and heading to New York to pursue his career. Needless to say the two of them decided to put their musical project first and have been successful ever since.
With so many artists striving to make a name for themselves in the industry, I asked Sean what made 3OH!3 stand out and grab the attention of their record label Photo Finish. He answered with a laugh and said “I don’t know. We’re two white rappers from Colorado?” Enough said.
On July 2nd 2007 the band released their self-titled debut album which featured eleven songs and their first single “Electroshock”. Just a little over a year later, their second album “Want” hit stores around the world and reached #44 on the Billboard 200. Despite some of the controversial lyrics, their second single “Don’t Trust Me” received a bunch of air play across North America and instantly became a favorite at clubs and parties.
When I asked Sean which song best described who they were as musicians he responded, “If you were looking at one that had all the elements I’d look back to our last album “Want” to the song “I’m not your boyfriend” which has a lot of different parts in it. We’re always striving to spread ourselves out and do different stuff.”
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After successfully touring with a wide variety of different artists including All Time Low, Boys like Girls and Cobra Starship, Nat and Sean disappeared to a cabin in the mountains with all their gear to start working on their third album. It was there that they demoed twenty four different tracks and this past summer fourteen of them were released on “Streets of Gold” which debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200.
I asked Sean what made this record different from the others and it was with a smile on his face that he said “It’s the exact same CD but it just has a different cover.” All jokes aside he went on to explain that, “It’s not drastically different, it has a lot of similar sounds, but we try to do different things in the production with how we make the beats and we try to sing a bit more. It’s still fun to listen to and it’s in the same vein as the last one.”
Their music has been described as electro-hop, crunkcore, pop & electronic rock and this wide variety of genres can be easily identified on “Streets of Gold”. There is everything from up beat party songs like “House Party” to their first ever ballad “I’m Not the One”. When asked what his favorite song off the record was, Sean brought up the ballad and said “I’ve never written a song like that before and I really like it.” Most people would be surprised to hear a more low key 3OH!3 sound but they pull it off beautifully.
While the album may have garnered criticism from journalists around the world, it was clear from the amount of people at the Montreal show that the most important critics, the fans, were giving their latest work a very positive review. With the show only starting at 8pm I arrived at the venue for three in the afternoon to find a line up already forming around the block. The duo is currently headlining this latest tour with supporting acts Down with Webster, HelloGoodbye and Neon Hitch. Having played with Down with Webster on Warped Tour a couple of summers ago and having witnessed their incredibly entertaining live show, Sean mentioned that putting them in the lineup“ just made so much sense.”
While their stop in the city was still fairly early in the tour, 3OH!3 had already played at a naval base for “a bunch of people in uniform going nuts”, a college and a couple of cities. Sean mentioned that they were most excited about getting back on the West Coast and playing at a radio station in their hometown of Boulder, Colorado.
With months of endless touring, I asked Sean what became the hardest part of constantly being on the road. He laughed and answered, “I’d say never having your own restrooms or showers and basically having to get by day to day with thinking whether or not you’re going to get a shower or get to use a toilet. Sometimes you just open the backstage bathroom and you’re like ‘Uh no thanks this is not happening.’” He added that despite the lack of hygiene and sleep “…at the end of the day we’re playing the shows to a bunch of people and that’s amazing.”
With so little to do during those endless hours of driving Sean explained that he always has to bring a book or an acoustic guitar with him on the bus. On top of that he keeps his iPod with him but admits that he hasn’t changed it in awhile. “There’s like the Space Jam soundtrack on it” he said with a laugh. He added that he also enjoys listening to Dead Mau5, Broken Bells and Elvis Presley.
With such a wide taste in music and having already collaborated with multiple artists like Ke$ha, Katy Perry and Gabe Saporta, I asked him who the duo hoped to work with next. “Someone like David Guetta who does really cool dance production stuff and Drake would be amazing to work with” he said. “Honestly I’d just like to keep people guessing and to work with people that I admire. Even rock stuff, I got to work with Andrew WK which was like my dream because he’s a party music god.”
Having gained so much popularity in the span of six years, I asked Sean to describe his career in one simple word. “Fast” he answered immediately. He explained that it can be taken as a good thing as well as a bad thing. In the past year the band has visited every continent in the world and has experienced thousands of different fans and hundreds of different cultures. While Montrealers pride themselves in being one of the loudest and most enthusiastic crowds in the world nothing compares to Brazil according to Sean. “They’re hardcore” he explained “I got a phone call in my hotel room at around midnight and the girl was like “Come down and party!” and I was like “How did you even know what room I was in? This is creepy alright? I’ll be down in 5. No just kidding.”
As the interview came to an end, I asked Sean to pass on the best advice that had ever been given to him. “Probably from my mom and that was “Change your underwear once a day”. Which I think is good advice.” Leaving it at that I thanked him for meeting with me and wished him, what I knew would be, a great show.
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The doors were opened to the public at 6:30pm and the venue filled up almost immediately. At 7:30pm the first act Neon Hitch, an English singer, hit the stage. I can honestly tell you that I was not expecting her set. The entire half hour reminded me of a strange 60’s flashback that somehow included maracas, tambourines and sparkling hippie outfits. It felt like Halloween had come early. Despite the fact that I kind of felt like I was watching a mix of ABBA and LIGHTS, she definitely caught the attention of everyone in the room and they all seemed to be having a great time.
Next up was HelloGoodbye who opened with “Finding Something to Do.” A friend of mine pointed out that their quirky personalities and slightly nerdy wardrobe made her believe that these guys were “The Big Bang Theory of bands”. They played a mix of old songs as well as new ones and even asked the crowd at one point if we got internet in Canada because their new CD was being released on November 9th 2010. Before they played their last song “Here in Your Arms” they mentioned to the crowd that they were “the best of the entire tour”. That was answered with a huge cheer from the audience.
It took about three seconds for the crowds to completely lose their minds when Down With Webster and their seven members ran out onto the stage next. It felt like the entire venue had become one giant dance party. The loudest response from the crowd came when the band began to play “Time to Win” and almost immediately all the people in the crowd made a double with their hands and stuck it up into the air. During “Light the Night” one of the bands MC’s, Cam asked everyone in attendance to hold up a cell phone, a lighter or a glow stick and in a matter of seconds the venue was lit up. The guys played their single “Your Man” and ended their set with their current single “Whoa is Me.”
Since I was shooting the first three songs from 3OH!3’s set I made my way down to the stage with the other photographers. At this point the crowd was completely hyped up. The songs that were being played in between sets on the speakers were being drowned out by the singing from the fans. There was something magical about watching thousands of people standing together belting out tunes with smiles plastered on their faces. When 3OH!3 finally came on stage the entire venue shook. I wish I was exaggerating when I say this but the balconies as well as the floor were literally shaking to the point that I was sure the whole place would just cave in. Luckily it didn’t and the duo opened with “I Can do Anything.” Much to the crowds pleasant surprise Nat, whose mother is from France and whose father teaches French at the University of Colorado, began speaking to the crowd in French and even tried to teach Sean a couple of words including “Merci beaucoup” which he had mastered by the last song. Throughout their set, the crowd, who was making the famous thumb to index finger sign that represented the band, refused to put their hands down.
During “My First Kiss” the crowd became interactive as they sang Ke$ha’s part back to the guys. They continued by playing more fan favorites like “I’m Not Your Boyfriend”, “Starstrukk” and “House Party”. Right before one of their older songs “Colorado Sunrise”, Sean began to interpretive dance and informed the screaming fans that he was trying to catch the sunrise. Much to the crowd’s relief, he was successful and managed to finally capture it. During their encore they played “Double Vision” and then ended their set with their most popular single to date “Don’t Trust Me”. When the show finished the crowd was still louder than ever and everyone walked out of the venue with a smile on their face, a 3OH!3 song stuck in their head and the hope of seeing the duo back in Montreal very soon.
To learn more about 3OH!3 click on the links below:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/3oh3music
Stay tuned for more LIVE PICTURES of 3OH!3 in our Flickr gallery… Coming soon!
To view the full transcript of the interview, click HERE.
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