Fate on local band's side

With its enthusiastic and youthful atmosphere, Bloomington has long held the tradition of being a breeding ground for original music. From the reputable School of Music to legendary venues such as the Bluebird, the area is rich in artistic resources and has spawned more than a few bands in its day.\nRich Hardesty enjoys the success of being called Indiana's top independent artist and will soon make the move from Bloomington, where he has spent most of his successful musical career. \nDanagas, a popular local funk band, recognizes when Bloomington's resources are stretched to their limits.\nThree Minute Mile thrives on the local enthusiasm, while experiencing quite a streak of good fortune. \nUnderground Charmin quickly climbs up the proverbial ladder and is on the verge of bursting onto the Bloomington scene.\nFor a band that's still shy of its first anniversary, Three Minute Mile has proven itself a child prodigy. Whether it is the talent of its members or a twist of fate, the band is speeding up the ladder of success in Bloomington.\n"Something's just driving us," said bassist Justin Leone, a sophomore.\nThe band originated when Jason Kotyski and junior Mike Stocksdale recorded an original track in their dorm bathroom and submitted it to the Live From Bloomington charity concert event. After the startling revelation that they had been chosen to record and perform, the two faced their first challenge -- to complete their band.\nA friend suggested South Carolina native Justin Seidenberg, a junior, as, a drummer, and the two agreed to try.\n"I heard (Jason and Mike) play in Willkie Quad, and a week later, we were all in the studio," Seidenberg said.\nA friend from Ball State, Kirby Oelling, filled in as the bassist during the formative months of Three Minute Mile, but after a rough outdoor show and other complications, Oelling quit the band.\n"At this point, we didn't have a bassist, which meant we couldn't book any shows for this semester, in advance," said Kotynski.\nBut he and Stocksdale had their eye on someone -- they had seen Leone play the bass with his former band, Tintern Abbey.\n"We were drooling over him," said Kotynski.\nLeone said he was not happy with his former band at that point, and when he heard that Three Minute Mile was looking for a bassist, he decided to give them a call.\n"I had seen them play, and I really dug what they were doing," he said. "I knew this band had promise -- the sound, the talent, the image."\nAnd one might say the rest is history. \n"Things have been scarily easy since then," Stocksdale said. \nAnd indeed it might seem like opportunities have been falling into the collective lap of Three Minute Mile.\nFirst was, of course, the Live From Bloomington events. Then Leone's friend happened to know a disc jockey who offered the band air time. Seidenberg's classroom conversation about the band was overheard by a committee member for IU Dance Marathon who was searching for a band to fill a last minute cancellation -- and the band was hired. And, a very important person got word of this up-and-coming band -- a man who had worked on projects such as Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and albums by The Doors.\n"Russ Castillo has the ability to take us really far," said Leone of the band's producer. "He can take a band from nothing to stardom."\nBut Castillo demands perfection, even with such a young group of musicians.\n"Sometimes he'll say, 'That won't do it,'" said Leone. "He looks at us as an investment, not like a bunch of kids."\nBeing young is a challenge the band faces on some occasions. As they begin to perform in Bloomington's traditional bar venues such as Kilroy's and The Bluebird, many of their friends who aren't yet 21 can't attend the shows. But the size of their crowd is not the important thing.\n"My favorite thing to do right now is to get up on the stage and rock out," said Stocksdale. "I don't care if there's one person there or 50."\nBut with their charismatic performances, the band does attract a substantial -- and enthusiastic -- audience.\n"With these guys, wherever we are, we seem to get the room jumping," said Leone. "People really get in to our music."\nPerhaps it's because of Three Minute Mile's alternative sound. Rather than being a jam band, they classify themselves as a pop-rock-radio band.\n"We have been called a boy band," Stocksdale admitted.\nBut don't place bets on seeing them on an *NSYNC tour.\n"We write what we feel," Kotyski said. "I'm not going to be somebody I'm not"