Cord of 3
Encyclopedia
Cord of 3 is an American Christian rock
band, originally formed in Bowling Green, KY. The band consists of Randall Erskine (lead vocalist, rhythm guitar
), Robbie Bennett (lead guitar
), Evan Butler(bass guitar
), and Tim Miller (drummer
). Cord of 3 released their debut album "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" in 2010, and span from genres such as alternative metal
, hard rock
, and Christian
inspirational
. The name refers to a paraphrasing of a popular Bible
verse in Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.) Since the release of the band's first album "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" they have released two radio singles, "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" and "Breathe", and have reached top 40 on billboard charts and as far as 27 on the Christian rock CRW chart. As of current the band has played with such acts as: Disciple
, Seventh Day Slumber
, The Letter Black
, Inhale Exhale
, Me in Motion
, Satellites and Sirens, and The Apologetix. The band released the album "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" on platforms such as: iTunes
, Amazon
, Napster
, CDbaby, etc. The lead singer Erskine, is noted for wearing a traditional Scottish kilt
during the band's live performances, this is due to his very proud Scottish heritage. And usually plays a brief assortment of songs on the bagpipes
before each live performance.
Liz Okeson, and drummer
Chris Collins. Together they formed the contemporary worship band "Big Daddy Dale", via their strong influences and like for modern worship band Big Daddy Weave
, and the name also coined an inside joke with the group and the bass player Dale Avery's weight. Later on the group would be contacted by current guitarist Robbie Bennett about playing a church event he was responsible with the booking for. Erskine would ask Bennett to fill in for acoustic guitarist Liz Okeson, since she could not make that show. Bennett started practicing with the band, and is said to have initially turn down Erskine's first offer to join the band, but would later join after a few weeks of the first refusal. Later, drummer Chris Collins left the band to join the military, after which Bennett would ask drummer Mike Ballard to join the line up. Through the next few years, the band would experience many changes in members, but a core few would remain. Hence the band's selection for the name "Cord of 3", from the popular Bible verse in ECC. 4:12 (Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.)
with 4 other songs the band recorded out of their own home studio, to make up their self titled debut EP "Cord of 3". The band would only sell this CD at their live shows, and did not pursue any further distribution.
except the track "Letter of My Life", which was recorded in Atlanta by Alex Rexroat of Pendlwood Studios. and so far the band has released 2 radio singles, the title track: "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" and "Breathe". Which were both released on radio stations nation wide.
, of Off the Wall Studios.
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
band, originally formed in Bowling Green, KY. The band consists of Randall Erskine (lead vocalist, rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Robbie Bennett (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), Evan Butler(bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), and Tim Miller (drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
). Cord of 3 released their debut album "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" in 2010, and span from genres such as alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, and Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
inspirational
Inspirational fiction
Inspirational fiction is a term that refers to a sub-category within "inspirational literature," or "inspirational writing," used in various ways in the United States and other nations...
. The name refers to a paraphrasing of a popular Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
verse in Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.) Since the release of the band's first album "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" they have released two radio singles, "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" and "Breathe", and have reached top 40 on billboard charts and as far as 27 on the Christian rock CRW chart. As of current the band has played with such acts as: Disciple
Disciple (band)
Disciple is a Christian metal / rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, formed in 1992.-History:Disciple was formed in 1992 by high school friends Kevin Young, Brad Noah, and Tim Barrett. The band released their first CD, What Was I Thinking in 1995...
, Seventh Day Slumber
Seventh Day Slumber
Seventh Day Slumber is a Christian rock band from Dallas, Texas formed in 1996. They were an independent band for five years. until signed to Tooth and Nail Records in 2007. They are best known for their songs "Oceans from the Rain" and "Surrender". "Oceans from the Rain" was the 14th most played...
, The Letter Black
The Letter Black
The Letter Black, formerly known as Breaking the Silence, is a Christian rock band that was formed in 2006 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. The band consists of lead vocalist Sarah Anthony; her husband, lead guitarist and vocalist Mark Anthony; bassist Matt Beal; and drummer Taylor Carroll.-Early years...
, Inhale Exhale
Inhale Exhale
Inhale Exhale is a Christian metalcore band from Cleveland, Ohio.-Formation/The Lost. The Sick. The Sacred.:The band was formed in 2005 by Guitarist John LaRussa and bassist Brian Pittman...
, Me in Motion
Me in Motion
Me in Motion is a Christian Rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The members consist of Seth Mosley , Tim Wilson , Brian Dexter .- Biography :...
, Satellites and Sirens, and The Apologetix. The band released the album "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" on platforms such as: iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
, CDbaby, etc. The lead singer Erskine, is noted for wearing a traditional Scottish kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
during the band's live performances, this is due to his very proud Scottish heritage. And usually plays a brief assortment of songs on the bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
before each live performance.
Early Years (2003-06)
The lead vocalist Randall Erskine started his own project (contemporary Christian) as a solo artist, traveling to nearby churches in his local town. Erskine and Bennett (the current lead guitarist) still joke around when asked about Erskine's early career, hence the only way Erskine could get to his church shows were by riding his dirt bike with his acoustic guitar strapped to his back. Erskine later recruited life long friend and bass guitar player Dale Avery, and later found acoustic guitaristAcoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
Liz Okeson, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Chris Collins. Together they formed the contemporary worship band "Big Daddy Dale", via their strong influences and like for modern worship band Big Daddy Weave
Big Daddy Weave
Big Daddy Weave is a contemporary Christian band composed of Mike Weaver , Jay Weaver, Jeremy Redmon, and Joe Shirk. Their popular songs include: "Every Time I Breathe", "Audience of One", "In Christ", "Fields of Grace", "Without You", and "What Life Would Be Like". They are signed to Fervent...
, and the name also coined an inside joke with the group and the bass player Dale Avery's weight. Later on the group would be contacted by current guitarist Robbie Bennett about playing a church event he was responsible with the booking for. Erskine would ask Bennett to fill in for acoustic guitarist Liz Okeson, since she could not make that show. Bennett started practicing with the band, and is said to have initially turn down Erskine's first offer to join the band, but would later join after a few weeks of the first refusal. Later, drummer Chris Collins left the band to join the military, after which Bennett would ask drummer Mike Ballard to join the line up. Through the next few years, the band would experience many changes in members, but a core few would remain. Hence the band's selection for the name "Cord of 3", from the popular Bible verse in ECC. 4:12 (Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.)
Metamorphosis (2006)
Metamorphosis was the band's first single recorded as the group Cord of 3, Recorded and engineered by Andrew Woody of Pendlwood studios out of Nashville, TN. The single would go on a self released EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
with 4 other songs the band recorded out of their own home studio, to make up their self titled debut EP "Cord of 3". The band would only sell this CD at their live shows, and did not pursue any further distribution.
Broken but Undeniably Hopeful (2010)
Broken but Undeniably Hopeful is Cord of 3's first debut studio album, that was released in Early June 2010. The album artwork on the front depicts a young looking girl in a torn prom dress, who is in the middle between two mirrors (one broken and black mirror, and another golden and unblemished mirror). The girl in the picture is also the former bass player, Brandon Bradshaw's sister Amanda Bradshaw. The CD has 12 tracks, and was recorded and engineered by Tim Kenning Jr. of Pendlwood Studios, in Plain City, OH.Plain City, Ohio
Plain City is a village on the west banks of Big Darby Creek, in the northern part of Darby Township, Madison County and the southern part of Jerome Township, Union County in the U.S. state of Ohio...
except the track "Letter of My Life", which was recorded in Atlanta by Alex Rexroat of Pendlwood Studios. and so far the band has released 2 radio singles, the title track: "Broken but Undeniably Hopeful" and "Breathe". Which were both released on radio stations nation wide.
Additions and Contributions
Radio version of "Breathe" remixed & remastered by Robert VenableRobert Venable
Robert Venable is a GMA Dove Award-winning producer, mixer, and engineer, currently based in Nashville, TN.-Biography:Growing up in Springdale, AR, Robert Venable performed in several bands and eventually made the decision that he wanted to pursue a career in music. He attended the Conservatory of...
, of Off the Wall Studios.
Current
- Randall Erskine- lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist (since 2003)
- Robbie Bennett- lead guitarist (since 2003)
- Evan Butler - bass guitar (since 2011)
- Tim Miller- drummer (since 2010)
Former
- Brandon Bradshaw- bass guitar (2008–2011)
- Mike Ballard- Drums (2004–2010)
- Dale Avery- Bass guitar (2003–2008)
- Trevor "Trigger" Thompson- Bass guitar (2005–2006)
- T.C. Huddleston- Bass guitar (2007–2008)
- Jerry McDonner- Guitar (2007–2008)
- Liz Okeson- Acoustic guitar (2003–2005)
- Nathan Hornback- Drums (2003–2004)