Three Minute Mile on the rise

In the few short years since its formation, Three Minute Mile has risen to prominence as a well-known Bloomington band. How does a college band that relies on original music not only survive in Bloomington, but often draw an even bigger crowd than the cover bands? \nIt has to do with they way it treats its fans, said Dan Duncan, one of the owners of Vertigo, 107 W. Ninth St.\n"Three Minute Mile are very approachable," Duncan said. "Most bands don't want to be bothered before and after the shows. They're willing to talk to the fans."\nDuncan said he believes in the band because their music deals with the issues their peers face and helps them connect that way.\nThe band is made up of guitarists Jason Kotynski and Mike Stocksdale, both seniors who handle the songwriting, backed by drummer Justin Seidenberg, a senior, and bassist Justin Leone, a junior, who take care of the business side. They perform almost exclusively original music that has a mainstream appeal with some obvious classic and modern rock influences.\n"In some cases I think there's people that come to our shows that believe in us more than we do," Kotynski said. "That really helped me to believe in my writing. One of the reasons we got here was that I got over my fear of what others think."\nAfter being together only two years, the band's impressive following shows just that.\n"The crowd feels them on stage," Duncan said. "They see these guys as their peers and can really connect because they don't seem arrogant like a lot of the other bands."\nStocksdale said they learned this by paying their dues last summer, playing the club circuit in Los Angeles. \n"We played places like The Galaxy and The Coconut Teaser, but there were also gigs where it was like we were playing for just the sound guy and maybe two other people," Leone said. "Some of those gigs were like really good practices, except with a stage."\nThe payoff came when they opened for The Foo Fighters for about 20 shows. Another opportunity to rub shoulders with some of music's biggest names came with the band's appearance at Farm Aid last month.\nSound technician Jason Ugent, who worked with Three Minute Mile for the first time several weeks ago at Greekfest, noticed something that eludes a lot of original bands. \n"I can see why these guys are playing Farm Aid," said Ugent. "They've got a lot of energy. It seems like the crowd really gets into their music, too."\nThree Minute Mile doesn't just appreciate its fans' support; it actually has fun with them. \n"Even to have someone ask for an autograph is amazing," Seidenberg said. "Then at Farm Aid, there were about 30,000 people right in front of you screaming."\nThe band's success has led to a steady string of performance opportunities. Leone said the band usually play a few gigs every week. He pointed out how difficult that makes it for a band that focuses on originals in smaller towns like Bloomington. \n"It's not like you can write 10 new songs for every few gigs you play. At least they won't be that good if you do. So staying in one area makes it really difficult for an original band," Kotynski said.\nThe band recently won a Battle of the Bands at the Bluebird, giving them an opportunity to open for Jude & Michelle Branch at the Bluebird Nightclub, 216 N. Walnut St., later this month. The band will also get to compete with bands from other Big Ten colleges for a chance to record with Maverick Records. \nThe band released its first CD, Waiting for Whenever, earlier this year. Right now they're more concerned with expanding their fan base into the bigger cities in the Midwest than going back into the studio. \n"I can't imagine recording any of those songs again," Kotynski said. "It's very hard to keep playing the same song over and over and not lose anything in the studio."\nHe did say that the studio experience helped the band learn one thing. \n"The minute something sounds good, you lay it down," Leone said. \n"I guess the other real important goal right now is being able to support ourselves playing original music," Leone said. "Maybe move to LA. That, and having a dressing room with our names on it"