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3Speed Automatic (3SA)

3Speed Automatic (3SA) is a Dutch rockband. Hailing from Rotterdam, the group was founded by Stefan Persaud (bass and vocals), Guido Debrichy (guitar) and Willem Stevense (drums). The band first went under the name "Taildragger" (after a song from Howlin' Wolf) mainly playing blues before finally settling on "3Speed Automatic", referring to the trio-formation.

History

The band was formed in 2004 from the Ienieminie Blues Sensation (IBS), a five piece blues band. Before renaming themselves 3Speed Automatic the band was previously named Taildragger. The IBS was a local bluesformation in the 1990's in Delft particularly playing at student fraternities. After two bandmembers joined other groups, there was no other option then continuing as a trio. Patterned after hard rock power trios such as Cream, Grand Funk Railroad and Hendrix' Band of Gypsys, they developed their own style, exploring the outer edges of sleazy hardrock, stonerrock, blues and the psychedelic territory. Leaving Delft they bought a 150 year old villa on the shores of the Maas River in Rotterdam, converted the library into a rehearsel studio and named it Villa Rocka. Soon enough the Villa Rocka developed into a safe haven for travelling musicians. Keeping so many musicians in their Villa Rocka, jamsessions grew into an annual free festival, well known in the Rotterdam area.

A compilation of a dozen songs resulted in the recording of the album Nomans Land (CG Records) in the summer of 2004. Co-producer for the album was Milan Ciric. The recording engineer known for his work in former Yugoslavia with personal friend Dado Topic,the lead singer of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band. Their intensive jamming, touring and raucous live shows did not go by unnoticed and soon they became opening acts for international bands like The Atomic Bitchwax (Ed Mundell of A&M Records "Monster Magnet"), Nebula (band), Saxon (band) and The Datsuns.

By the end of 2004, 3Speed Automatic signs a distribution deal with the German label Nasoni Records, resulting in the release of the album Villa Rocka. This vinyl release features an unprecedented 23 minutes psychedelic adventure "Who Knows What Evil Lurks In The Hearts Of Men...The Shadow Knows!", covering the complete B-side of the album. In 2006, the Dutch cult movie 'Horizonica (movie)' (featuring Antonie Kamerling)showed their interest and used the first chapter for their soundtrack.

In the years that followed 3SA toured through Germany, a country in which they find a growing fanbase. They played fenominal shows on internationally known festivals like the biggest festival in South East Europe EXIT (festival) in Novi Sad (Serbia) which features 8 stages with a total capacity of 200.000 people , the Stoned From The Underground Festival in Erfurt (Germany). Reliving the spirid of the seventies they played the Revolution Train in Germany, where 3SA was the only non-German band to play on this rockfestival on a rolling steamtrain! A rock & roll ride of over 10 hours through the hills of the Tueringer forest.

Spring 2008 the Dutch-Swedish recordlabel Freebird Records showed their interest and came up with a stunning plan: the release of a Dual Disc: the Villa Rocka album on CD and two video clips plus a 5.1 Dolby Surround mix of the album on DVD. Currently the band is busy writing a new album which will be recorded in spring 2010.

Influences

Starting out as a blues band, they refer to '70 bands like Fleetwood Mac, The Free, The Faces. Particularly Stevense, also playing harmonica, has his roots in old blues artists like Howling Wolf. Debrichy, many times giving the looks and play of Jimmy Page, unmistakingly is influenced by the 'white' blueslegends like Peter Green, Rory Gallagher and Slash (musician). Persaud on the other hand grew up with the influences of Gospel, Soul and Jazz: Otis Redding, the Soul Stirrers, Art Blakey.

References

3voor12

External Links

official website Freebird Records Nasoni Records