3EB exploded onto the national music scene in 1997 when the band released its debut CD, Third Eye Blind, which yielded five radio hits, including the unlikely and now classic "Semi-Charmed Life." The band quickly rose to the heights of rock stardom, touring the world and releasing a string of radio hits over the next seven years. Yet becoming superstars took its toll on the band members' psyches, and as 3EB ground through the star-making machinery, they eventually found themselves losing creative control of their music and their image, until one day in 2004 they woke up and realized they didn't recognize themselves anymore. It was then that they decided it was time to take a break -- time to take a look inside, re-evaluate who they were as artists, and get back in touch with themselves and their music.

3EB have been inspired by the possibilities and potential that new media provide, and are discovering their own paradigm on how they create and reach people with music. They have toured consistently over the past two years, and sold out every show, playing in front of crowds of up to 11,000 fans, in response to an entirely new fan-base who have discovered this music on the web.

These new fans have proved that, despite a 5-year hiatus between albums, 3EB has in fact deepened its connection with its community. When Third Eye Blind releases URSA MAJOR in early 2009, it will be on the band's own imprint, distributed through Sony/RED.

It is the fans' energy and enthusiasm that has also inspired and invigorated the recordings for URSA MAJOR. 3EB has sought to use new media tools to involve its fans in the process of recording the album itself. They are soon launching a new website – www.thirdeyeblind.com – that will be a highly interactive hub for the fan community.

3EB has also recently partnered with Indaba Music to launch an innovative new web program, "Studio Access" (http://www.indabamusic.com/studio_access/3eb) giving fans and other musicians unprecedented access to the band's creative process. Through blog posts, videos, and audio previews, "Studio Access" allows the band to communicate directly with fans as they finish recording their new album, and allows fans to hear new music before it's released. And in an unprecedented move, the band has invited their fans to actually participate in the recording process by inviting them to create their own mixes of some of the new 3EB tracks – before allowing them to hear the band's own official mixes!

"Studio Access" kicked off September 15 when the band posted audio stems for "Non-Dairy Creamer," giving fans three weeks to download the stems, mix the song, and post their finished track on the site. On October 23 the band chose their favorite version of the song, which was mixed by an aspiring producer named Eduardo Reynoso Jr. The winning track will be made available on the band's new website (launching soon), Myspace, Facebook and various other sites. Several other tracks from Ursa Major will be made available through "Studio Access" throughout the rest of this year, culminating in a collection of fan-mixed tracks that will serve as a companion piece to Ursa Major. A grand prize winner will be chosen based on the single best mix of the entire "Studio Access" program, and will be invited to perform live on stage with Third Eye Blind on one of their tour stops in early 2009.

To hear the official mix of Third Eye Blind's new song "Non-Dairy Creamer," download the MP3 here (bloggers, feel free to post this track!):
http://www.girlieaction.com/thirdeyeblind/sounds/nondairycreamer.mp3