Guitarist Jason Pollock went to college to get an education. But he ended up in the band Seven Mary Three.
"When I met Jason (Ross) and we decided to do the music thing, we made a vow that we'd do it all the way," Pollock told the Deseret News during a phone call from San Francisco. "It was our goal to get our music on the radio, and it was a goal to make albums and tour."The band's single "Cumbersome" from its major-label debut "American Standard" can be heard all over Salt Lake City. The band - guitarists Pollock and Ross, drummer Giti Khalsa and bassist Casey Daniel - will stop for a show at DV8, 115 S. West Temple, Friday, Feb. 16. Doors open at 7 p.m.
"I had always been surrounded by music," said Pollock about his TV-less childhood outside Charlottesville, Va. "I listened to all my parents' classic rock albums, the radio; really anything that sounded melodic and good. I also went to see a lot of local folkie mountain music. I learned to play at college and realized this is what I wanted to do. When I met Jason and heard him sing, I really fell into it."
The two relocated to Orlando, Fla., where Khalsa and Daniel were reared. The band got together and tried to think of a name.
"It was going nowhere," laughed Pollock. "We were trying to find a good name with a deep meaning and we couldn't think of one. So we all got discouraged and were sitting in front of the TV all disgusted and `CHiPs,' that show with Erik Estrada, came on. The blonde guy's (Larry Wilcox) code name was Seven Mary Three and we all thought it sounded cool."
Still, the songs on "American Standard" hardly reflects the band's namesake sunny attitude.
"We try to put a lot of emphasis in dynamics and mood," said Pollock.
The opening cut "Water's Edge," which will be released this month as the new single and video, is a moody tune about the wrongly accused. "Cumbersome" is a guitar laden song about awkwardness and low self-esteem.
"Our songs are a mix of our fans and our own experiences," explained Pollock. "We have a big variety of fans and we try to take time and get to know a lot of them. Some of our fans are extremely interesting human beings and the stories they tell us make great fodder for songs."
Since landing a deal in June 1995, Seven Mary Three has been caught in a tornado of schedules.
"We completed the album two months after we were signed," said Pollock. "Then we headed out on the road. We've done video shoots and stepped into the studio to record a couple of B-sides that will eventually go on a benefit album."
Seven Mary Three is where the band members want it to be, said Pollock.
"We had a goal for ourselves to do this, and we plan to be here for a very long time."