An Origin Story:The 3rd Street Band

What was the initial phase of the band creation and connection? 

I (Billy) and Dash Chase are from New York City. Justin Gerber is from Los Angeles and Timothy Youngman is from San Jose California. Massimo Daul is from Italy and grew up in Rochester and Bar Harbor, Maine. Justin and I met in 2021 and bonded over the Beatles immediately.  

We started writing songs together and decided to start a band. Initially, l had already written a few songs that we could work off of, and our partnership evolved to show each other the ideas that we had. I would show Justin some ideas I had for songs, and while the lyrics and melody were there, he helped me take it to a whole other level. He was the first glimpse I had of taking songs to new heights. His soul comes out in his music, I had never seen anything like it. He’s the best guitar player I’ve seen and a brilliant writer. The first band we started fell through, for a few reasons, one of them being that we couldn’t decide on a name. A bright spot, beyond having initial experience navigating the band, was that we started working with Dash Chase. Writing with Dash has taken my art to another level. 

We officially started The 3rd Street Band in late 2022 with the members above, and it’s been amazing ever since. I talked about Justin above, we had met at a party very randomly and it felt like fate (even though Justin didn’t fuck with me when he met me “for the first 3 quarters of the night).” I met Dash in high school and always respected him as a musician, I knew he played multiple instruments and had a beautiful voice. In college, I had met and was in awe of Tim's many talents. I heard him produce other people's songs, play almost every instrument as well as write full film compositions. Massimo and I had been friends for a couple of years, and although I had known he was a musician, I was blown away when he showed me his writing and songs. They were beautiful, just the right amount of sentimentality, and when he played drums and had all these unique ideas-he had to be a part. Luckily everyone agreed. Everyone in this band is integral. 

How did The 3rd Street Band begin to sync together and carve out a shared sound? 

Everyone in the band has a mutual feeling that something is missing in mainstream music. Everything follows the same formulated pattern. So when we were making our music, we wanted to bring the depth aspect into it. Justin and I knew we wanted to tell stories, and knew we could be influenced by having other creatives around us: Tim, Dash, and Massimo all have a unique taste. But what makes it special is that it is all original and specific to them. Adding all of these tastes together comes to a very unique sound. Everyone in the band is a multi-instrumentalist, with our own specific skill set. 

But our skills branch into other categories as well. It is a very cohesive unit. Justin and I wrote the first two songs we have, while our third single was written by Tim and me. But the songs changed completely when they were brought to the band, and new parts were always written, mostly influenced by other members. 

What influences were a part of that connection & direction? (Genres/Musicians/Locations Etc…)

Each member has their own influences, but they all cloud over each other. There isn’t something that someone in the band likes that the others don’t. Other members like specific styles more, but everyone in the band appreciates the others' taste. We love rock of course, but also love alternative sounds, jazz, blues, punk, and funk. We want our discography to be varied. The inspirations and taste of The 3rd Street Band are The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, Rodriguez, Bill Withers, Rage Against the Machine, Dean Martin, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin. The list goes on. 

How would you describe your sound/techniques of singing/producing/playing?

We try to have each section of a song have its part, almost as if the song is going on a journey. The music and lyrics are interwoven and constantly reacting to each other. We love to have bridges that are completely out there, almost as if the song has culminated to a point where it needs to go somewhere completely different. 

I am very focused on having the lyrics tell a cohesive story, thinking of them as a poem. We all produce the songs together, But Tim has been the lead mixer and producer so far in terms of adding sounds to balance out the song. Dash is brilliant at harmonies, can arrange beautiful vocal parts to these songs, and has the songs fully mixed and produced, adding animating instrumental parts to the tracks. Massimo is very influenced by multiple genres which comes through in his drumming and piano playing, and everything he adds always puts a new layer on the song. Justin tells all you need to know with his guitar and production ideas, he is a wizard, and the songs shine with him. 

We’ve only just started writing together really, a year isn’t that long of a time. I’m very excited to see where we go next, and what the songwriting process will be like. 

What are you currently working on/excited about coming up?

Our song “Pick Up Smoking” coming out on Dec 29th which I am so happy about. Ignacio Bermejo made the incredible video, and he is my brother in all ways except actual relation. He has one-of-a-kind talent. I was honored he wanted to work on it. 

We are currently writing a lot together. We have a bunch of songs that are not released, and I am so excited to finish them with this amazing group. I’m excited about the new songs we’re writing. I am most excited to go on our first tour, the “Run Wild” tour where we’re going through Philly, Nashville, and Chicago. These guys are some of my best friends beyond this band. I’m excited about where we will go next because I know what we have is special. 

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