There couldn’t be a more typical story than the one of Alone at 3AM’s earnest beginnings; four high school friends pick up guitars at a party, get drunk and play music. The thing though that separates their story from the scores of garage bands around the world is that they’ve actually stuck with it and have woven their music into the fabrics of their lives.
Despite the tender, head-hanging undertones that their name suggests, A3A play charging, dynamic, good ol’ rock-n-roll that is anything but self-loathing. City out of Luck is their debut full-length, and it’s ripe with lyric-oriented tunes that are equal parts late-night brawlers and small town dust-kickers. At some point, their punk rock roots collided with the likes of Springsteen, Petty and John Cougar, and their songs are all the better for it. Tim Colina’s drumming and Joey Beck’s solid low end provide the perfect backbeat for Max Fender and Clay Cason’s revved-up guitars. Fender’s voice cuts like a tuft of course steel wool soaked in kerosene—the perfect delivery for songs about working, drinking, living and trying to do the best with what you’ve got.
Recorded over the course of the last year at Cincinnati’s Candyland Recording Studio, Alone at 3am have clearly made the best of what they have—a debut batch of tunes that are heartfelt, compelling and catchy as hell. As good as the recordings sound, A3A is definitely a live band. They plan to tour throughout 2008 in support of this release while continuing writing for their follow up
"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'."
-CityBeat
"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."
-EachNoteSecure
Bands Alone at 3am has shared the stage with:
army of ponch,
appleseed cast,
ampline,
banner pilot,
boys night out,
caterpiller tracks,
death in graceland,
mirandasound,
fairweather,
riddle of steel,
scouts honor,
silo the huskie,
theraphosa,
traindoge,
limbeck,
lucero,
lost hands found fingers,
q and not u,
smoke or fire,
landmines,
lock and key,
witches with dicks ,
the seedy seeds,
the turnball ac's,
j page,
the wading girl,
no trigger,
murder by death,
as tall as lions,
sherwood,
ryan's hope,
tsunami bombs,
the ghost,
cru jones,
worn in red,
the gaslight anthem,
the used kids,
fake problems,
kiss kiss,
Ninja Gun
