We Three talk to Black Squirrel Radio about touring and America’s Got Talent

All photos by Jenn Noga.

It’s few and far between that you watch an act on a competition show like America’s Got Talent actually have and hold success after the show is over — and even less likely if the act didn’t even win.

We Three is an exception to this and have managed to steal all of our hearts with their passionate melodies and thoughtful lyrics. A sibling band from Oregon, We Three have a unique hold on the music world. Not only do they actually get along as brothers and sister, but their ability to mesh together to form a cohesive and harmonious trio made them stand out from their first audition.

While I wholeheartedly believe they should have won the whole show, they were sadly eliminated in the semifinals. But AGT was just a catalyst for the band to continue to expand upon the popularity they already had. Now they have released an entire album and are currently touring all across the country.

When I talked to the band the day before their Cleveland tour date, lead singer and guitarist Manny said, “They emailed us and said ‘we found you on Instagram and we would love for you to send in an audition’. We thought it was some ad and didn’t even respond at first, but then they pushed even more and we got a call from someone. We sent in our first song and it just took off from there.”

Despite not wanting to audition at first, once they did they were met with wild praise and helpful advice alike. “When you go on a big show, it’s super easy to want to change everything about you to make yourself perfect,” they said. “Simon [Cowell]’s biggest thing was ‘No, don’t. Be exactly who you are and let us propel you’.”

And that is one of my favorite things about We Three. When you watch their first audition video and compare it to the live shows they are doing, everything sounds the same. AGT was there for them to find feedback and to grow as a band, not to find an identity. They already knew who they were.

Every artist creates their music differently. Some like to bust out a beat they love then add the lyrics after and some craft beautiful poetry to later set to music. We Three venture outside the norm.

“The lyrics and the melodies and the chords kind of all happen at the same time really,” Manny said. “Specifically with “LifeLine”, it was one of those days where it just felt like everything was going wrong. There was a lot of stress, it felt like things were falling apart a little bit. And I sat down at the piano and just played those intro chords. The song came out in like half an hour. It was just more getting a feeling out, getting an emotion out and putting it into a song.”

Experiencing We Three live, the songs are everything but devoid of emotion. If anything, they are more heartfelt and meaningful because the three are projecting to an audience of their fans, not AGT fans. As the music track stopped playing and the lights dimmed, cheers and screams came from the audience. A wide array of people were attracted to the House of Blues that night — from teenagers to 30-year-old women to families with younger kids to a group of college boys. I was not expecting that at all. But when you realize that the message of We Three and their songs expands past what separates us you realize that everyone can feel connected to their music. That is so incredibly hard to find from any artist, let alone a band as real as We Three.

“Right now, we’re going on tour and most of the people who come to the shows know our music and will be listening to it over and over again,” they mentioned. “Every now and then we’ll turn the mic over to them and they’re singing the whole song. That didn’t happen on AGT because those songs hadn’t been shared yet. They don’t judge us right after, that’s a huge thing.”

The sheer musical talent of all three is also something that should not be glossed over. Joshua plays the piano and drums (sometimes at the same time, which blows my mind! Not too often do you find somebody at that next level of talent like him), Manny plays the guitar and occasionally brass instruments like the trumpet and Bethany expertly strums the bass like the fierce musical woman I always wanted to be when I was younger.

But they want to make it known that they were not just lucky and stumbled upon a great opportunity. It took a lot of grit and work to get where they are today.

“People feel like we were an overnight success but what they don’t see is that we have been doing this for 10 years before we went on AGT. We’ve been playing gigs and shows and there were many times when we felt like we were just spinning our wheels and nothing was happening. Everything is worth it. All of that work is super important.”

Also? Learn how to do your taxes.

“Because as an artist when you’re doing it yourself, you’re really a small business owner in many ways,” they mentioned. “Understanding, even if it’s just at a base level, the business world and how to do your taxes is very important.”

Learn more about We Three here and buy their titular album here. Follow their Instagram and Twitter @wethreemusic.