Genre
Kaboom/Chuka Chuka/Meow Kitty
Members
Current:
* Jeff Nelson (2nd trombone, lead vocals)
* Jay Kalk (vocals, guitar)
* Bryce Blilie (trumpet)
* Paul Gronert (saxophone)
* Eric Johnson (trombone)
* Jonathon TeBeest (drums)
* Dan Frost (keyboards)
* Dan Arlig (bass)
* Rob Graff (sound)
Past:
* Steve Blondo (vocalist and founder)
* Steve Wallevand (trombone)
* Joe Papke (drums)
* Greg Dewhirst (saxophone)
* Dave Levine (saxophone)
* Luke Helm (keyboards)
* Tyler Andrews(keyboards)
* Mike Lyford (keyboards)
* Keith Dunton (trumpet)
*Reed Freedom Braten (bass)
* Jason Hoffman (bass)
Hometown
Fargo ND
Record Label
None
About
HOTLINE! 1.612.384.5400
Biography
The most important thing you need to know about 3 Minute Hero is that all of its members are constructed of carbon-fiber moldings attached to tungsten frames. This is why all of them are so incredibly strong yet light as, say, a medium-sized wedding cake. The Head decided that these nominally human players (all functions stem from their original human brains, but may be over-ridden by The Head) were far more reliable than their all-human predecessors who nearly perished, in their entirety, during the controversial "Krakatoa: We Dare You" festival. Dare they did and paid were the consequences. [Graph that last sentence, pantalones intelligentes!]
Constructed in an abandoned Air Force hangar on the outskirts of Fargo, North Dakota by a team of pedagogues, demagogues, and collectors of pogs under the direction of The Head, what emerged was a crack force of fighters. Yes: they are musicians, but fighters first.
They fight musical mediocrity. They fight against the urge to remain motionless at live music shows. They fight the laws of an over-reaching government that says, "What are you doing? You have to urinate INSIDE." They fight for YOU.
And now some truth...
In the fall of 1995, an MSU student named Steve Blondo along with Jay Kalk had the idea to form a ska band in Fargo/Moorhead. This was a fairly daunting task, considering the local music scene was predominantly heavy rock bands that reflected the "Fargo-noise" sound. He began by assembling a group of friends from the Fargo/Moorhead scene. They rose to fame in the FM scene and the local college circuit. After winning the Old Broadway's battle of the band contest, and signing with Barking Dog Records to create their first album "Bingo", 3 Minute Hero quit school, moved down to the Minneapolis/St Paul area and successfully toured for the next 3-4 years. They toured the southwest, east coast, and the 6 state upper midwest, opening for major label acts, and produced two more albums "Everyday Ninjas" and "Operation Brownstar".
3 Minute Hero brought to life a stagnant Fargo music scene, and while they began playing covers, as ALL bands do in the beginning, they went on to write more than 60 original tracks, including the much vaunted "Parking Lot", "Jelly Donut" and "Julie Loves a Blender". Numerous editorials and articles have circulated the college music "zine"s regarding the electricity and energy blasting from every single live show they performed. Whether it was for 10 people in a dark coffee shop, or for the 900 or so that came to their last show in November of 2000, it was ALWAYS about putting on an incredible, undeniable, powerful show that you went home and told your friends about.
Current Location
Twin Cities
Artists We Also Like
Jackson Pollack, Roy Lichtenstein, a little Dali -- but not too much.
Influences
None. Everything we produce comes directly from the smithy of our souls -- tainted neither by the dead classics nor popular culture. Maybe it's tainted by irony, which is admittedly pretty unpopular in this post 9/11 world. We'll just have to take our chances with that and hope for the best.
Band Interests
scrap-booking.
Tangerine
3 Minute Hero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eat the tangerine
Eat the tangerine
It will treat you well
When I was young I used to read the funny papers and I'd
Eat my tangerine and
When I was done I'd be rolling on the floor laughing at the
Funny things that I had seen but
Think you know you know what I mean
It was the circle at the bottom with those circle headed kids by
That yellow bellied mother scratcher, Bill Keane
That's why I
Used to have a job, nothing special it paid five twenty-five
Every so often a customer'd walk in
Just to remind me that I was alive
But then one day my boss said, "Jeff, grab a chair"
He said "I'm gonna have to take you take you aside"
Well the dirty bastard fired me but lucky for him
I had my tangerine to keep me from homicide
That's why I
Used to have a job, nothing special it paid five twenty-five
Every so often a customer'd walk in
Just to remind me that I was alive
But then one day my boss said, "Jeff, grab a chair"
He said "I'm gonna have to take you take you aside"
Well the dirty bastard fired me but lucky for him
I had my tangerine to keep me from homicide
That's why I
The song "Tangerine" by 3 Minute Hero is a melancholic and humorous account of a man's life, weaving together different experiences with the motif of the tangerine. The repetition of "eat the tangerine" serves as a mantra, emphasizing how this small fruit can serve as a remedy for life's hardships. The song opens with the suggestion to "eat the tangerine" as it will "treat you well." The singer reveals that he has been eating tangerines since he was young and that they used to make him laugh as he read the funny papers. However, there was one comic strip that left a deep impression on him - the one with circle-headed kids drawn by Bill Keane. It's perhaps his least favorite part of the newspaper, and it left him "full of hatred."
The story then takes a turn as the singer shares how he used to work a dead-end job that paid a meager amount, and he would have customers that would come in just "to remind me that I was alive." However, his boss one day fired him, and this could have easily led him down a dangerous path. The only thing keeping him from "homicide" was the humble tangerine, making it more than just a fruit, but a symbol of peace and security.
Overall, the song is a quirky take on the mundanities of life, showing how small things like a tangerine can have a significant impact in preventing us from spiraling out of control. It's a reminder of how even the most inconspicuous objects or experiences can hold meaning in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Eat the tangerine
This line is repeated multiple times in the song and encourages listeners to consume the fruit as it brings beneficial effects.
It will treat you well
This line supports the suggestion to eat the tangerine, as it will provide positive outcomes for those who consume it.
When I was young I used to read the funny papers and I'd
The singer reminisces about his childhood habit of reading comics and eating tangerines, which was a source of joy for him.
Eat my tangerine and
This line continues the narrative of the singer eating tangerines while reading comics.
When I was done I'd be rolling on the floor laughing at the
The singer explains that after consuming his tangerine and reading comics, he found the content so entertaining that it made him laugh uncontrollably.
Funny things that I had seen but
This line serves as a transition to a negative experience that the singer had while reading comics.
There was one strip yeah it filled me full of hatred and I
The singer recalls a comic strip that he hated and how it affected him.
Think you know you know what I mean
The singer assumes that listeners can relate to having a negative experience related to something they love.
It was the circle at the bottom with those circle headed kids by
The singer is specifying which comic he hated, likely referring to the 'Family Circus' strip by Bill Keane.
That yellow bellied mother scratcher, Bill Keane
The singer expresses his anger towards the cartoonist Bill Keane, whom he blames for his negative experience with the 'Family Circus' strip.
Used to have a job, nothing special it paid five twenty-five
The singer details his former employment, which he considers typical and unremarkable.
Every so often a customer'd walk in
The singer describes his job as involving occasional interactions with customers.
Just to remind me that I was alive
The singer implies that his job was mundane and the customers added some excitement to his routine.
But then one day my boss said, "Jeff, grab a chair"
The singer sets up a story where his boss delivers some bad news that changes his life.
He said "I'm gonna have to take you take you aside"
The boss tells the singer that he wants to speak to him in private about something important.
Well the dirty bastard fired me but lucky for him
The singer reveals that his boss fired him, but suggests that it was fortunate for the boss because the singer was feeling aggressive.
I had my tangerine to keep me from homicide
The singer implies that his tangerine was a source of comfort that helped him control his anger and prevented him from doing something violent.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jeff Nelson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Johnson
so they're back together?