SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 1999

Area band finalist
in national contest
Group seeks votes from fans in Valley

By Patrice Stewart
DAILY Staff Writer

What's behind door No. 3?

The Third Door, a band that plays around the Decatur area, hopes it's a chance to be part of a new CD to be marketed nationally.

"We want everybody to call in before the end of August and vote for our song, 'Little Crazy,' " said the songwriter, Shane Scott, 22. He also plays lead guitar and is background vocalist.

The three-member group is listed in the September issue of Teen People magazine as one of five finalists in a song contest entered last January.

"It had been so long, we had almost forgotten about entering when we got a call saying we were among the five finalists," said the band's manager, Jarrod Oliver, 26. More than 6,000 hopefuls entered the competition for bands that had not previously signed with recording companies.

Winning song gets on CD

The band receiving the most votes will have its winning song included in a new album, "Top 10 Hottest Bands of the Day."

Oliver explained that it's a toll-free call. Just dial Teen People's "Five Live phone line" at (877) 808-3423, listen to the songs, and vote for The Third Door -- or your favorite -- he said. You can also cast your vote via Teen People Online (America Online keyword: Teen People).

The congratulatory letter the band received last month from Teen People magazine's New York headquarters said, "If your band is chosen, your song will be recorded in a studio and featured alongside music from today's hottest bands on the Teen People CD, which will be produced by Warner Bros. Records and sold everywhere."

What's the song about? Oliver said "Little Crazy" is not published in Teen People, but it's the band's most-requested song of those they created.

Actress his inspiration

All of the band members write songs, but Scott, who wrote "Little Crazy" about a year ago, said he had Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of the television show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," in mind when he wrote it. "She was my inspiration," he said.

The lyrics include, "I'll be looking for your Chevy in my drive/Hoping maybe you can stay for just a while." The chorus goes, "I might be a little crazy/To think of you as my baby/Just call me a little crazy/Cause I see you as my baby."

The song has been copyrighted, and Third Door would receive royalty payments from CD sales if its song were selected.

The other band members are Jason McBrayer, 21, who is the lead singer and plays bass, and Justin Oliver, 21, who plays drums. They all live in Holly Pond, and all have day jobs in the Cullman area.

The three have been playing together only for about a year and find it "pretty unbelievable" that they could go nationwide on a big label, said their manager.

The band sings a mix of music: alternative, pop and rock. They have played or are scheduled at area venues including Sports World Skate Center in Vinemont, the Freeway Club in Decatur, The Corner in Huntsville, and Oasis and the Rocking Horse in Birmingham.

They also have played in Florence, Cullman, Jasper and Auburn and in Augusta, Ga., at locations ranging from cheerleader camps to fraternity parties.

They have already recorded their own 10-track CD in Scott's apartment and are taking orders by phone and over the Internet. They expect the first copies to be available next month and want to get them into area stores, plus they'd like to raise $2,500 to produce another thousand copies of the CD.

The Third Door has a Web page, www.playroomrecords.com. Its first CD can be ordered by calling Playroom Records at (256) 352-9839.

THE DECATUR DAILY
201 1st Ave. SE
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Decatur, Ala. 35611
(256) 353-4612
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