There are hundreds of thousands of bands out there. Some that just shout into a microphone and hope something good comes out of their mouth when they open it. And others who just stand there putting their audiences to sleep. You also have the bands that become full of themselves, thinking that they're rock stars just because they have a few fans. There are also the ones who seem to be destined for greatness, but lack the certain components that are essential in making it to the top of the music world. Within all of that clutter, there is always that one with the incredible persona, the unparalleled sound, and the sheer talent that will catch the attention of record companies, fans of music, radio stations, and other top rock groups. tHrOnE not only posses all of these qualities, but they also have the love, passion, and motivation that it takes to make it to the top of the world of rock music. The band includes singer/songwriter and bassist Derek Trafton (age 19), guitarist/co-songwriter Justin Millar (age 19), and drummer Casey Trafton (age 16). tHrOnE was formed in 1995 and hails from a small town in Connecticut called Haddam.
Derek explains the story behind the name tHrOnE, “It was the first name that we came up with and we were partial to it because of the feeling of power it had, such as a kings throne. In the beginning, we changed our name three times, but we really didn't like any of them. So we all decided that tHrOnE was the way to go. As for the uppercase, lowercase writing, I always wrote things that way on my binder at school. When I wrote tHrOnE like that, it looked real good so it pretty much stayed that way.”
At first they had jam sessions in Derek's basement putting together songs and playing covers of bands that influenced them such as, Tool, Silverchair, Deftones, Green Day, and Led Zeppelin. By 1998 they had a total of twelve songs completed and decided that they would put together a CD so they would have a physical object that represented their youth as well as their music. They labeled this first CD “Euphoria” meaning 'a feeling of well-being or elation.' Thus setting the tone that their music would send to the person listening to the CD. As time passed and people slowly got a hold of "Euphoria," more and more music lovers, friends, and family began to realize that they were on to something huge.
Before they would return to the Sonic Arts Studios to record their second CD, they wanted to test out their new material at a few concerts. Each new song received a great response, thus reinforcing their decision to record the four song EP in early March 1999. By April, the CD was released and received the praise from fellow musicians, fans, friends, and family. In May 1999, the music video for the song 'With It,' which was off the four song EP, was released and broadcast on cable television along the shoreline, giving them much needed exposure.
The summer of 1999 was a relatively quiet time for tHrOnE. They were only able to play one concert to promote their newest CD in their home town. The band began to lose motivation at a very crucial time of their music careers, but the support from friends and family helped them to stay a float. Derek was constantly writing new material and lyrics for the group. In mid December tHrOnE asked close friend Jeff Maker to help get them signed to a major record label and to help motivate them to becoming a huge force in the Connecticut music scene. Maker explains why he said yes to his friends, "From the first day that I heard their CD 'Euphoria' I new that they had talent, but I also knew that they needed to promote themselves better to get their name out there. When Derek asked me, in somewhat of a joking manor, to get them signed I said yeah. They are my best friends and I am willing to do whatever it takes to get them big. Neither them nor I actually thought that we would take each other to where we are right now." In early January 2000 ThroneOnline.com made it's debut on the world wide web and now has become a great resource for the band. By February the name tHrOnE was on radio stations in Rhode Island and their CDs were in the hands of L.A. record companies. In late March 2000 they were booked to make several appearances at the Portland, OR 'Mountain Spring Break.'
April 2, 2000 marked the new attitude and motivation of tHrOnE. Their song 'With It' made it into the hands of Chaz Kelly, the Modern Rock Radio 104 music director as well as 'Cousin Chris' the host of the show dedicated to local bands, 'Spinning Unrest.' The song received an unbelievable reaction from listeners and was decided by Chaz to put them into the weekly show, 'The Cage Match' which pitted them against top national groups. The first night that they were on 'The Cage Match' they beat The Stone Temple Pilots, the second night they beat Franky The Machine, the third night they beat Bender, the fourth night they beat Broham, and fifth night they were dethroned, so to speak, by A Perfect Circle. But that's not where tHrOnE's airplay came to a halt. As the weeks went on, tHrOnE was continuously played on both 'Spinning Unrest' and Chaz's afternoon show and received huge responses. As a result, the band gained a wider range of fans, as well as becoming one of the most requested bands on 'Spinning Unrest.'
Several months before that, Derek had begun writing new lyrics and music for a possible third tHrOnE CD, but never really thought that it would happen. After realizing all of this exposure could possibly be setting the stage for something big, they knew that 'Overthrown' wasn't that far off from being put together. They wanted to give the fans, record labels, and radio stations something that would represent them like no other CD of theirs ever had. May 5, 2000 was the day that future began. 'Overthrown' was in the beginning stages of being recorded and by May 12, 2000 the CD was mixed, mastered, and completed.
June 24, 2000, tHrOnE took yet another major step in their music careers by being selected to perform at the annual Radio 104 Fest. They were apart of an all-star lineup which included, Creed, Sevendust, Eve 6, and 26 other bands. tHrOnE was originally scheduled to perform on the locals stage, but the day before the concert tHrOnE's manager, Jeff Maker, spoke with the 104 Fest event coordinator and told Maker that they wanted to put tHrOnE on the 104 stage. So at the last minute they switched them, which was great because it was larger, with a bigger, more powerful sound system. Before their performance, Derek handed Lajon Witherspoon, lead singer of Sevendust who was watching from the crowd, the 'overthrown' CD. Their performance went over extremely well with the audience. tHrOnE fans have been very supportive and have given the band even more inspiration, and energy then they have had in the past. It's still up to the fans and music lovers to decide tHrOnE's place in the music industry.
tHrOnE is heading in the direction that they want to be heading in and that's the way it will always stay. Release the past because the future begins here.
