Three Blue Lights began life in 1996 as a funky rock outfit under the name Granville. Hailing from Cleveland, the band traversed the Ohio college circuit in the late 1990s, attracting a devout following with raw, spontaneous grooves and searing climactic performances based on loosely-constructed songs. The core trio of Mako Maynor (guitar, vocals), Leonard Kastelic (drums) and Tim Polak (bass) disbanded in 2001 to pursue other interests, leaving a modest legacy of boxes of DAT tapes of their live shows.

“Granville was essentially a live band,” Maynor said. “After several years of creating a face-to-face experience, we felt we had really reached our limits with that kind of music and it simply lost its luster for us.”

After the band split, Maynor continued to develop new material, honing his songwriting skills and focusing on tight, catchy hooks rather than open-ended guitar leads. This resulted in a stock of new tunes, many of which formed the basis for Three Blue Lights' debut album, Wire Races.

In 2008, what was once Granville reformed and reinvented itself, shifting its focus from live jams to condensed, pop-oriented rock tunes with a signature mix of acoustic and electronic instruments. The band built its own studio and began recording Wire Races in the summer of 2008 with the goal of creating a record that was more simple and accessible than anything they had done before.

“The idea that we came to understand is that there is freedom in limitation,” Maynor said. “Improvised music is free, but constrained in its own way. Composed songs are more obviously constrained, but with the parts set you have the freedom to focus on expression rather than trying to write on the spot. With recording the album, we looked to create and capture moments that could have impact after one, two, 10 and 20 listens.”

In July 2009, the band released Wire Races - a broad sonic landscape with a core of hooks and infectious melodies both familiar and fresh. The band's sound fits comfortably in the expansive adult alternative genre. With a southern tinge and colorful vintage analog synths and deep grooves, the record delivers a uniquely postmodern pop experience with a laid back feel. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.