From ancient times to the present, people have gotten together to play music around campfires, in palace halls, in villages and cities. The early instruments were homemade and there were a large variety of them (visit the MIM in Phoenix, AZ to see them all). Many kinds of music existed over the eons including various ethnic folk music, Renaissance, classical and more. There were early, homemade cellos, violas, violins and guitars along with carved woodwinds, many varieties of drums, bagpipes and more. Many of our modern instruments retain the sounds of the originals.

In modern times there has been a rite of passage for musically inclined teens dubbed, “Boy Bands.” High school-aged boys would gather in garages (still do) to play what is usually the music of the day together. Some of them were very good although most of them would disband after those high school years as they went their separate ways. The ones that survived for a few years usually didn’t make much of a dent in the music industry and would eventually fade out.

Not so Makeshift3. This boy band started out in 1995 during their high school years as “Makeshift.” The 3 original musicians in the garage were Ryan Coughlin on bass/vocals, Jeff Lascola on guitar/vocals and Eric Mattson on drums. After graduation, Ryan went to college and was replaced by Eric’s cousin, Tyler Bochenek. They proceeded to rebuild their sound, message and focus and became Makeshift3.

The music of Makeshift 3 is a blend of rock, pop, punk and metal. It can be one or the other or a mix of all of them. Very modern sounds. Their main influences have come from Pantera and Blink 182. And this group has been successful as they persisted with their art over the years. They have been on multiple national tours as well as having earned a spot on the Vans Warped Tour. They have played with many other bands like Slick Shoes and Reel Big Fish. Makeshift3 has been featured in magazines, television interviews and airplay on ESPN. They have also been heard on several Warner Brothers TV shows and many radio stations throughout the US. Some of their music has been ranked # 1 in various genres with over 500,000 listens at mp3.com.

Makeshift3 has produced 4 albums over the years with a variety of record labels. They have also released material with additional record labels for various compilation CDs with other bands. You can find all of this information, and purchase their music, on their website:  http://www.makeshift3.com  The band is currently open to offers from record labels as they plan to release a new EP.

You can find their music on YouTube and here is an example. This selection has some interesting tempo changes and also introduces you to Eric, Jeff and Tyler throughout the video. If this is your kind of music, you will enjoy Makeshift3.  Thanks to Eric for the bio information.