Three Bones.

Austin-based quartet [Three Bones]' dreamy watercolor shoegaze and lo-fi pop is charged with a lot of soul, thanks in large part to the vocals Victoria de Benedicty. Take a moment to soak in their groovy single “Hold On To Ya” - KUTX

"I listened to III Bones’ song “Hold On To Ya” more this week than I did any other song—aside from that new Jessica Pratt song (DAMN!!). This song is one that you just need in your life. It will make you whole, and it will make you ache." - Paste Magazine

...triumphant, soul-packed track “Hold On to Ya” is exactly what you want out of retro psych, in that its influences are obvious (that projection is pure 60s), but it’s very self-aware and thoroughly fun. - the deli magazine

Underdog of the year goes to this track. III Bones is a little-known group from Ocala, FL who make bluesy rock and soul-like songs. “Hold On To Ya” is the first single and studio recorded song from the band and if it’s any hint as to what’s coming on their debut album then the world better prepare for the next big thing. - Avid Sound

On Monday evening, lo-fi Motown-soul duo III BONES held one of its final rehearsals in Ocala on American Eagle Farm. Light from the setting sun streamed in through the farmhouse’s floor-to-ceiling living-room windows as guitarist/singer Victoria de Benedicty, guitarist/singer Dalton Jacob and fill-in drummer Jared Reddick practiced for III Bones’ farewell show at High Dive on Saturday night.
The farm belongs to 18-year-old de Benedicty’s parents. She and Jacob, 24, the band’s founders, are preparing to relocate from the de Benedicty’s home to Austin on July 8 in their recently acquired used 1992 Tiffin Motorhomes RV.
After 18 months of making music together, the pair is ready to get its feet wet in the city’s flourishing music scene and find more musicians to fill out the band.
They recorded their third album, which will be released this fall, at Good Danny’s, a recording studio in Austin owned by Danny Reisch.
The new record, scheduled to be released later this year, represents a growth spurt for the group. The songs are a bit more up-tempo, a bit more rock ‘n’ roll and a lot more refined as III Bones establishes itself as a serious lo-fi soul outfit.
“Long term, we want to tour in this,” Jacob said and gestured at the inside of the RV, “for like, the next 50 years. It’s like a certain type of addiction when you go on tour.”
Since III Bone’s formation in early 2013, de Benedicty and Jacob have played more than 200 shows in Gainesville and along the east coast, recorded three albums and opened for acclaimed indie bands like Surfer Blood, Reptar, Hank & Cupcakes, Matt Pond PA and Jacuzzi Boys.
From the moment they met at an open mic night at an Ocala bar on Jan. 1, 2013, the two have remained focused on writing, performing and recording as much as possible.
Jacob, a Warped Tour veteran who had been in and out of pop-punk bands since he was 16, knew immediately after seeing de Benedicty cover of the Kinks’ “Strangers” at O’Malley’s Alley that he wanted to perform with her.
“(She) was so good that no one in the bar was talking,” Jacob said. “They were just turned around, watching her. I don’t even know if the guitar was in tune — it might’ve been slightly out of tune. But that really didn’t matter. It was just (her) singing, playing acoustic guitar into that microphone.”
After having played piano since she was 2 years old, de Benedicty picked up guitar and learned to sing by mimicking the vocal styles of the blues artists she loved.
She was bored with top 40 pop music and fascinated by blues, especially the guitar playing of Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell and other Delta-blues style artists.
“You listen to those recordings from the early 1920s, and they’re just so raw,” de Benedicty said.
“There’s just nothing else like it. I really felt something in that music that I didn’t feel about anything or anywhere else.”
The two clicked instantly that first night, realizing they had similar musical sensibilities and shared a passion for lo-fi blues rock that was earthy and honest, unprocessed and gritty.
In a matter of weeks, they wrote, recorded and self-released their first EP, “Organic.” In April 2013, they released their second album, “No Great Shakes.”
They started performing around Ocala wherever they could.
They acted as house bands for both a Greek restaurant and a tattoo parlor, and they played secret shows at a local Starbucks while preparing to move beyond Florida.
Following de Benedicty’s graduation from Hale Academy in May 2013, Jacob spent last fall booking shows, and soon, the duo, along with former drummer Jason Sands, began performing in clubs along the east coast.
Audiences in New York City loved them, Jacob said, and they planned to return that winter, but the north polar vortex cold wave caused storms that resulted in the cancellation of the band’s plans to go back.
“I guess we were sad for maybe six hours,” Jacob said, “Then we just (went to Austin), replanned, locked ourselves in and made a whole new album.”
They credit the momentum they earned in Gainesville to local musician Waylon Thornton, who acted as a mentor and adviser, and Pat Lavery, owner of the promotions company that organizes High Dive events.
Lavery, owner of Glory Days Presents!, met Jacob and de Benedicty through Thornton.
After one show in April 2013, the duo said they took Lavery to dinner at Moe’s and asked for advice on how to “get serious.”
Lavery, who has longtime roots in the Gainesville music scene as an agent and booking manager, said their eagerness to learn and listen was a quality that not many artists have.
He advised them to be persistent and grateful.
“They’re such nice kids,” Lavery said,“they have ‘It’ — this charisma about them that’s really important for getting people excited about a band. They’re unpretentious, and that’s a big part of why I like them.”
They plan to debut songs off their new album on Saturday at the High Dive.
Doors open at 9 p.m., and tickets are available for $5 in advance or $6 at the door.
[A version of this story ran on pages 8-9 on 7/3/2014 under the headline "Lo-fi Motown-soul duo III Bones graduates from Gainesville"] - The Independent Florida Alligator

It’s a little sad when a local band moves away just after they’ve started to make an impression. But local up-and-comers III Bones, the local Janis Joplin-blues inspired Indie duo featuring vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Victoria de Benedicty and songwriter Dalton Woodard, are making a move. A big move, to Austin, Texas, where they’ll be furthering their education, and hopefully, their music.

They have potential; think of a great blues-rock band from the late ’60s using a TON of reverb, add that to an immense amount of sass, and you have III Bones. Their music just has an atmosphere that is lacking so much in a lot of local music, and hopefully they’ve inspired more to follow in their footsteps. III Bones will surely be missed, so why not see them off in style? - Gainesville Sun

Word is spreading fast about III Bones, a new spirit-breathing, organic band launched this year in Ocala, Fla. Call III Bone’s music “Jivanmukta”—an enlightened state: assimilation of self-knowledge and liberation of spirit while living in human physical form.

III Bones is performing gigs from Gainesville to Orlando, as well as Marion County venues. We tuned into their “soul-space” recently attending an outdoor gig they did at Feta Mediterranean Cuisine near Ocala Square.

It was an easy listening experience for sure, but also uniquely engaging—even comfortably mesmerizing. Their hosts at Feta had to bring out most of their downstairs tables to accommodate the spontaneous gathering of patrons that drew to the music.

Victoria de Benedicty carried the vocals that night—pure, engaging and lyrical scores—with Dalton J. Woodard on guitar and Curtis Haaker on percussion. Musically the trio synthesizes a unique blend of psychedelic rock & roll and R&B soul. This manifests in a mysterious calming experience for any contemporary listener.

Essentially, III Bones belongs to the organic genre: music of natural, percussive and acoustic-based instruments. It’s roots are in music, natural and good for the soul.

Named for the three bones of the inner ear that enable us to hear, III BONES aspires that its sound be “the truth, the soul, the body, and the screaming word of all that is pure.”

Victoria, Dalton and Curtis are all about bringing a blend of willing idealism and spiritual hope to music-making. III Bones’ goal is world improvement, following a conviction that changing oneself is integral with changing the world. Their compositions and performances connect heart-to-heart. They convey an inviting sense of appeal that awakens the listener’s want to reach and stretch for something more hopeful than the human distress of an inherited world gone mad.

In the band’s words, “There are ones who are in dire need of someone to help them and I am not talking about overseas, [we’re] talking about in your community. We are starting in the communities, helping one individual at a time, changing their heart to begin an effect to change all.

“Our message is enjoy each day to its full potential. Go outside and breathe clean air, stretch, and eat. Be good to one another and keep a smile on your face for a smile is contagious whether the person with the frown knows it or not. Begin with yourself and others will learn the ways of happiness and tranquility.”

Recently, III Bones climbed to the top spot for Blues in Ocala on the ReverbNation charts. Tracks are available on the official III Bones website http://www.threebonesofficial.bandcamp.com including “Hidden Doorways”, “What I’ve Become”, “Day by Day”, and “Faded”.

Look for them again soon at Feta. III Bones’ upcoming performances also include:

Free show on Saturday, May 11 at 7:00 pm at Tattookah in Ocala

“Down at the Den” on Saturday, May 25 at 8:00 pm at Odin’s Den in Winter Park

“No Great Shakes” CD release show on Friday, June 7 at 9:00 pm at High Dive in Gainesville - The Hammill Post