It’s very likely you’ve heard their songs played at parties, the fast-paced music blasting through speakers with electro-pop beats and sing-talk vocals. With lyrics like “Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips” from the 2009 hit “Don’t Trust Me,” and “I’m gonna have a house party in my house” from the recent “House Party,” it’s easy to see why 3OH!3 is a popular standard when it comes to having a good time.
Tonight, the Colorado based duo of 3OH!3, which consists of UC Boulder alumni Sean Foreman and Nathaniel “Nat” Motte, will bring their electro-pop party to the Orpheum with special guests HelloGoodbye, Down with Webster and Southern Belle. Though they’ve already toured this year with Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes’ Travie McCoy, this will mark their first headlining tour for their album, Streets of Gold. According to Foreman, this current tour will differ in length and variety from their previous performances.
“The set is going to be longer, and we play songs that we didn’t get to play with our band,” Foreman said in a recent interview with The Badger Herald. But if you’re worried this will change the energetic dynamic of 3OH!3’s concerts, not to worry, Foreman assures it will “still be a lot of fun, still a big party.”
And it’s hard to imagine who wouldn’t want to party with the guys who want their fans to leave their concert not just with their perspiration (due to the all-out effort given by Foreman and Motte), but also with an experience they can talk about for years.
“I hope they don’t leave without some kind of sweat on them, because we just head bang. I see people in the front row with our sweat on them, having a wonderful time,” Foreman said. “The best thing to do is have an experience, to be able to talk about a show that happened eight years ago with friends.”
The songs that fans will experience during the Streets of Gold set list include the recent hit “My First Kiss” as well as “Touchin On My,” both of which invoke the suggestive humor found on their previous album, Want. “It’s all about punch lines and about having fun, maybe a little tongue and cheek,” Foreman said.
And fun is definitely something 3OH!3 knows how to do well, whether it’s creating oddly appealing music videos involving Foreman and Motte dressed in cavemen costumes and wrestling gear, or collaborating with party girl Ke$ha.
“We want to make it a fun time with everyone,” Foreman said.
The experience of having witnessed an amazing show, put on by a band who does it for the audience members as much as for their own dedication and love of music, is what sets 3OH!3 apart from their mainstream electro-pop counterparts. Though their tongue in cheek lyrics may suggest otherwise, Foreman and Motte insist they don’t make music because they want a Hollywood lifestyle.
“I don’t like the idea [of being famous]; I like being in normalcy. I don’t like the red carpet stuff, I think it’s kind of fake,” Foreman said.
One of the benefits of the down-to-earth nature of 3OH!3 is that fans can expect a great performance from a band that isn’t obsessed with fame, and is truly dedicated to having fun with their music and their fans.
