Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

3against1

Sound description

Alternative rockers on a mission to grunge.

RIYL

Incubus, the Deftones, Tool, 311, the Foo Fighters, Nickelback, Mower

Inception

San Diego , 2001

Influences

Nirvana, the Foo Fighters, Weezer, Nickelback, Linkin Park, Matchbox 20, Mower, Solarium
Sponsored

In 2004, 3against1 emerged as one of eight finalists in Zippo lighter’s “Hottest Unsigned Rock Band in America” competition. Zippo’s Hot Tour, which hosted 62 unsigned bands, had 1200 entries, all vying for a showcase with Island Records in New York City, as well as equipment: Randall amps, Washburn guitars, and Tama drums (all tour sponsors). Song samples from the eight bands were posted on www.ZippoHotTour.com, where visitors voted for their favorites over the four weeks of finals.

The other finalists came from cities like Austin (Element), Denver (Ben Park Drive), Detroit (Last), Minneapolis (Murge), Raleigh-Durham (Downfall), West Palm Beach (Trendkill), and Pittsburgh (Adam Evil & the Outside Royalty).

Formed in 2001, the band was nominated two consecutive years by the San Diego Music Awards for “Best Rock Band,” an honor they won in 2004. In 2006, the quartet’s single “It’s Over” was featured in the THQ video game MX Unleashed, for both the PlayStation2 and Xbox. Their songs have also been used on MTV’s Real World and Road Rules.

In 2006, the four members packed up and moved to Westwood, near UCLA. First they secured a rehearsal studio, then they found an apartment.

“Unless you live in a mecca city like Chicago, New York, L.A., or Nashville, it’s tough to make it in music,” says singer Mark Weiss. “You have to bring your music to where the headquarters are. We figured you can’t expect an A&R guy to see you if you stick around San Diego.”

Although the recording industry is in a downturn, Weiss says he got to know about 20 L.A.-based A&R reps when his band played at Sunset Strip—area venues such as the Key Club, the Viper Room, and the Roxy.

“We always had our CDs and business cards with us. Half of us in the band are alcoholics, so we got to know the cocktail waitresses. These waitresses knew these A&R guys because they saw them every day and they hipped us to who they were.”

Weiss says associating with A&R reps paid off, in the form of a lot of press and placement of music on video-game soundtracks and in a movie called Cruel World. But, no record deal. So, after two years of hustling the L.A. music scene and seven years as a band, 3against1 performed their final local show Friday, June 27, 2008.

Weiss reflects on why the band didn’t get signed. “The music industry is a pendulum. Rap-rock was in; now it’s Brit rock with screeching guitars.” He maintains that 3 Against 1’s sound was not being scouted and says he has learned that labels are only interested in bands “that are ready to go on a tour with a polished look and sound. Labels used to give development deals, where they would work with you and let you develop your sound and your image. No more.”

3against1 split in 2008, after playing for seven years. Says guitarist Arnaud Lemaire. “Each member was personally evolving, whether it was a need to make some money, planning for marriage, or bringing a child into the world.”

The band reconvened in March, 2010, for a reunion show at the 710 Beach Club. “We’ve all been divided up between L.A., O.C., and S.D., but we remained friends and we kind of got the itch to get onstage again,” says Lemaire.

Sponsored

Upcoming Local Shows

No shows scheduled

Post a show View show history
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.