With the announcement of the brand new single Just a Chance from the North Wales-based band Mc3LROY, we caught up with the guys to chat about the single, their music, influences and more.
1. How did you come up with the distinct band name?
Back in the day, the three of us were previously known as X-ELL, but we decided against that same name as we wanted a new, fresh focus; whilst writing our first ‘new’ song we kicked around various name ideas and eventually landed on the simple idea of the 3 McElroy brothers, so Mc3LROY it was! (But changed the E to a 3 – because obviously there are 3 of us!) And it looks cool on a T-shirt 🙂
2. For people that haven’t heard your music, what genre of music would you say your band falls under?
Anthemic, Epic, Stadium-Shaking Rock: Ripping guitars, earth-quaking drums, magical pianos, heart-wrenching strings and epic, soaring power vocals.
3. What would you say your musical influences are?
Our core influences would probably be the stadium rock bands of the 80s and 90s: Bon Jovi, Meatloaf, Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Oasis & Nickelback (basically, anything to make you throw your hands up, air guitar like Lenny Kravitz, mime piano like Meatloaf or scream out like Steven Tyler) However, Steve’s production can take influence from absolutely anywhere: movie soundtracks, cheesy pop, old-skool hip-hop, nursery rhymes, EDM or even classical orchestral arrangements. Mega producers like Mutt Lange (who produced bands like Def Leppard, AC/DC, Shania Twain etc.) and Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Johnny Cash etc.) tend to be in the back of our minds when we’re creating/producing a song.
4. Being from North Wales, how do you find the music scene there?
Back when we were younger (in the 90s and early 2000s) the North Wales scene was buzzing – there were loads of local bands/musicians playing gigs in every venue and on every street corner – it was ‘cool’ to play guitar. I think electronic music then took over for a while and the live scene, unfortunately, died a bit of a death. Don’t get me wrong, there were always great bands and musicians, but went under the radar. Thankfully, over the last few years, it looks like these have started to come back out of the shadows, with lots of venues hosting live events and people gravitating once again towards live music. The Rhyl Events Arena and Colwyn Bay’s Eirias Stadium have hosted some major rock acts (as well as the smaller, independent venues) so I think this has reignited people’s passion for watching/wanting to play in a live band. There are a few really cool local bands/singers we’re friends with too so it’s great to see the scene starting to light up again.
5. How long has the band been together?
The Mc3LROY ‘project’ has been together since mid-2021 (but anyone that knows us knows we’ve actually been gigging, recording, and writing together on and off since the mid-90s).
6. What inspired you for the new single ‘Just A Chance’ and the video?
Since starting out we’d always aimed to write those universal, MEGA songs like ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ by Aerosmith (from the Armageddon soundtrack) so fast-forward to this year and the 3 of us went to watch Bryan Adams live in Manchester; after getting home Steve set himself the challenge to write a big, heart-wrenching, emotional rock ballad – just like Bryan Adams would! A few days later, walla, Just A Chance was born! It’s a building, piano-based song with a pretty universal message: If you lost someone and had the chance to rewind the clock to get them back, would you?… Yes, of course, you would! We worked on the track for a few weeks (because the production’s so gigantic) and then decided to make a simple, moody, ‘Every Breath You Take’ style video – keeping it black and white just to show off the emotional quality of the song. We filmed it in North Wales and then edited it with our long-time friend, the legendary Dave Meehan from Nyquest Ltd based in Wigan.
7. What has been the highlight of your career so far?
We’ve done TONNES over the years but we’re actually relatively ‘early’ in the Mc3LROY journey, having focussed mainly on writing and recording so far. We’ve already released 3 singles and music videos (Just A Chance being our 4th) and this year we’re looking at booking a few main festivals and events to promote the upcoming album.
8. Do you have any upcoming shows or tours?
Because the productions are SO BIG, we’re currently working on perfecting the live set and we’ll be announcing some epic shows/events very, very soon!
9. Where do you see yourself ten years from now?
Bigger than Gangnam Style. And more watched than Love Island… 🙂
10. What are some of the band’s upcoming projects?
We’re currently in the process of finishing the upcoming album and have a couple of collaborations with amazing local artists – which we’re excited to include on it. Watch this space…
11. How can fans stay up-to-date with the band’s activities?
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mc3lroymusic
Spotify: https://bit.ly/3JcJHfE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mc3lroymusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mc3lroymusic
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mc3lroyband
Massive thanks to Mc3LROY for chatting with us, don’t forget to check them out and give them a follow.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
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