Three Day Threshold

June 23rd 2007 - When Kier Byrnes first launched Three Day Threshold, the Boston music scene greeted his rowdy alt-country band like a henhouse greets a snake. But with focus, hard work and a lot of whiskey-fueled late nights, this bunch of friendly, sexy cowboys slowly earned the respect of booking agents, radio personalities and about a zillion fans. These days Three Day Threshold makes for a guaranteed great party at any of the many clubs they play, while here at home or out on tour.

Saturday night (June 23rd 2007) will be a great party, indeed. Join the band in celebration of their latest CD, Against the Grain (HI-N-DRY Records). Things get started early, at 7pm, at the Cambridge Elks Lodge (55 Bishop Richard Allen Drive, Cambridge, MA), with free barbecue courtesy of Redbones and tons of drink specials. The evening will be packed with great music, special guests and a mechanical bull-riding contest with prizes for Best Dressed Cowboy/Girl, Longest Ride and Most Creative Dismount.

Walking into a club where Three Day Threshold is playing is like finding yourself transported into a backcountry honkytonk. The whiskey never stops and the very air is ignited by their energetic amalgam of rock, country and Irish drinking songs. With barely 48 hours to go before the mechanical bull gets fired up, I chatted with Kier Byrnes over email about country music, girls and really good barbecue.

LBSH.com: I've been following Three Day Threshold for years, and have seen the band with a lot of members. What's the current line-up?
Kier: We have Colt Thompson on guitar. He's been great in helping shape the songs, comes up with harmonies and bangs out some rippin' solos. He even wrote one of my favorite songs of the new album, a trippy little Tex-Mex song called Right Outside the Door. On drums is D.A. King. He's a metal-head turned country; which makes for some interesting influences. He plays like a monster and is a HUGE reason why there's so much energy at our shows. There's no one alive who can crank on the drums like D.A. He's also a really kind guy and good to talk to. Our bassist Johnny Stump is so much like Derek Smalls from Spinal Tap its funny; I can become a maniac but he's definitely the 'lukewarm water' of the band when I "return up my Irish" as he calls it. He's got a great ear, which is a huge help when putting together songs. And he's been slowly weaning himself off of wearing his bass like a lobster bib too, which I think is a big improvement. Ha.
LBSH.com: This group of guys is excellent. They've all been excellent though; you seem to just keep finding awesome new members.
Kier: Luckily, there's no shortage of awesome musicians in Boston. When I started this band, I had no idea if it was going to take off or not. Country music is starting to become hip around these parts again, but when we started out, clubs wouldn't touch us with a ten foot pole.
LBSH.com: I remember when you guys went from playing modest shows to really getting a good buzz. There definitely came a point when the sound just clicked and it seemed that you guys could write your own ticket in terms of getting good shows.
Kier: The shows were so good, we couldn't turn them down. The band was getting some offers to play really big shows all over New England; Nantucket, Vermont, New Hampshire. Now we get calls all the time from all over the place. Yesterday we got asked to play a festival in Tempe, Arizona.
LBSH.com: It seems pretty clear to me that you work your ass off to keep the momentum going.
Kier: It's like that in the music business. It seems that it's hard to get something started, you got to make sure that you keep momentum going. And once its up and rolling, you can't let it stop.
LBSH.com: Is it hard to be part of Three Day Threshold? A lot of indie musicians seem to want to have all the fun, but don't want to work as hard as you seem to work.
Kier: We're a hard working band. I'm a crazy workaholic when it comes to this stuff. I’d say that being in Three Day Threshold isn't for everybody, it's a lot of work, a lot of late nights, and a lot of early morning hangovers. People burn out, people get worn out. I just live for that stuff.
LBSH.com: My pinnacle Three Day Threshold moment was the first time I saw you guys perform “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms.” I was hooked. What’s YOUR pinnacle moment?
Kier: I have been fortunate to have had several extremely awesome rock moments. Playing to a sea of people at Hempfest, recording with Adam Taylor at Camp Street, tipping a few back with the president of Maker’s Mark while talking about them using one of our songs, hearing my music on MTV, meeting girls that are way too good looking for me and bringing them home after a shows (the girl I’m with now is way out of my league but she still keeps coming home with me after a year and a half!), headlining a sold out St Paddy's Day show at the Paradise this year and having everyone in the room lift their glass and sing along to our songs.
LBSH.com: It is impossible not to sing along with most of your songs, they're so catchy and fun. They're the kind of songs that bring the people together.
Kier: Anytime I see someone out in the crowd singing along with the words to a song I wrote as they come out of my mouth, it blows my mind.
LBSH.com: You also play traditional sing-along songs like “Whiskey You’re the Devil.” That song rules.
Kier: "Whiskey You're the Devil" has been a crowd favorite ever since I started playing it in college. It actually appeared on our first album, Homecookin. We printed thousands of copies of that album and unfortunately completely sold out of it, so if you have a copy, you're lucky.
LBSH.com: I have them all! Of course I have Homecookin. Thats got "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms," and a recipe for pork stew inside.
Kier: It's now a collector's item. We decided to rerecord "Whiskey You're the Devil" and re-release it. It's still a staple of our set, so new fans have access to it now.
LBSH.com: What are some other traditional songs one is likely to hear at a live show that you haven’t recorded yet?
Kier: Really depends on the night. There's this song called "Come Out Ye Black and Tans" I want to give a shot at recording for the next album. We'll see. If you want to check out some tunes we've done, go to i-tunes; there is a slew of unreleased material posted there. There's also a ton of free downloads in the discography section of our website, www.threedaythreshold.com.
LBSH.com: Those recipes in the CDs, are they yours? Where do those come from?
Kier: Ha, I can't cook to save my life, but it's fun to try. Each album we have done includes a recipe in the CD tray that's been passed down from someone close to the band. Colt's recipe that appears in Against the Grain has become on of my favorite dishes.
LBSH.com: Well Against the Grain has become one of my favorite dishes. This might be the best Three Day Threshold release yet.
Kier: I'd have to say that this one is the best ever. The songwriting and singing are really good if I do say myself.
LBSH.com: You really surprised me with some of the new songs. “Uni” is a particular favorite.
Kier: "Uni" has already proved to be a fan favorite and connected with a lot of people. I co-wrote that song with George A. Hayden, the father of Ward Hayden, the lead singer of Girls, Guns & Glory. It was originally a poem Mr. Hayden wrote for his daughter when she was young and we turned it into a tragic love story. The dilemma in "Uni" isn't that dude's girlfriend gets hit by a train, but that now he can’t decide which half he likes better. It's that dark sort of humor that makes us happy.
LBSH.com: Is it my imagination, or has your singing voice lurched forward into greatness? Have you been taking lessons? You sound great.
Kier: Ha, yeah, it is your imagination. No seriously though, thanks, that's been an area I've been working on. My grandfather was a professional singer in the big band era; he was a crooner and toured on the same circuit as Sinatra and Bing. He also played semi-pro football (the NFL hadn't been invented yet). I have absolutely no athletic talent, so I was hoping I'd get some of the singing genes.
LBSH.com: Oh, you've got 'em alright. You're also very charitable. Tell me about some of the benefit shows you’ve played.
Kier: We do a lot of charity work I'm proud to say. MassCann is a cause we have supported over the years; it's about the decriminalization of marijuana (we got to legalize it man!). Rodfest is a concert we do every year to raise money for the Gregory Moynahan Memorial Scholarship, a scholarship in the name of my cousin who died in a car accident a few years back. So far, we raised $35,000 in three HUGE concerts, the most recent being a sold out show at The Paradise in January. For the past several years we do an annual Christmas fundraiser for the Children's Hospital as well as fundraisers fro What's Up Magazine, a magazine that helps support Haley House, a shelter in the South End.
LBSH.com: It's so inspiring; you're so busy with your band, and writing for several publications around here, plus working. How do you find the time to devote to charities?
Kier: For us, music was never about making money. I like to help people and I want people to enjoy life.

Take a cue from Kier and the boys and enjoy life this Saturday, June 23rd, 7pm-11pm at the Cambridge Elks Lodge (55 Bishop Richard Allen Drive, Cambridge, MA). Don't forget to wear jeans; those mechanical bulls can chafe if you're not careful.