It’s a good thing local trio 3 A.M. isn’t afraid of a challenge.

Because for an R&B group trying to make it in an indie-rock dominated town like Lawrence, there are plenty of roadblocks ahead.

“Any time we do a show, it’s mostly alternative with some rock or rap. We’re the only R&B cats that are really SINGING around here,” Brian Harris says. “It’s hard to get shows, but at the same time it sets us apart.”

The unit — comprised of Harris, Job Jackson and Darrick Doleman — will showcase silky vocals and soulful lyrics tonight at The Bottleneck, as part of a bill with Devin the Dude, Mac Lethal and others.

Manager Keith Loneker, who signed the trio to his Lock-N-Load record label, agrees with Harris’ take on the lack of a true R&B scene in Lawrence.

“When you go to get your own shows you want to have other groups who are like yours, and there’s nobody around here who really does it like that,” Loneker says.

Humble beginnings
3 A.M. was started by baritone Harris and tenor Doleman in Emporia, and was originally known as Heart and Soul. While struggling to find a way to get an album recorded, the two frequented karaoke contests in an attempt to get noticed. The ploy worked, and the two came into contact with Loneker.

“He heard us and liked our stuff, but told us that there was this other cat we should be singing with,” Harris says.

That “other cat” turned out to be bass vocalist Jackson, and “Heart and Soul” became 3 A.M.

3 A.m. members Job Jackson, left, Darrick Doleman and Brian Harris comprise the Lawrence-based vocal trio. The R&B group is attempting to carve out a career in a style rarely represented in the city.

Unwilling to sit around and wait for the big break to come to them, they moved to Lawrence, got to work in the studio and eventually released “Past Your Bedtime” in September of 2003.

The record is a fine representation of the trio’s low-middle-high harmonies. Stylistically, it ranges from pop anthems (“Can U Feel Me”) to slow ballads (“Can’t Wait”) to songs backed by hip-hop grooves (“What’s Up”).

“It’s like a pack of vultures,” describes Loneker of the group’s equally shared approach to songwriting. “If two of them come to the studio and pick up a beat, they’ll have a song written before the other can get there. Whoever gets there first ends up writing the song.”

With album in hand, the three made their way to Las Vegas for a performance last November.

“It was a show that showcased mostly rappers, and we were one of the two or three R&B groups there,” says Jackson.

“We did two shows down there just to try to promote ourselves,” adds Harris. “We were handing out CDs to every celebrity we could find, just to see if we could get anyone interested … It’s all about meeting the right people.”

Melting pot
Thankfully, Lawrence music aficionados have been incredibly receptive to what 3 A.M. brings to the stage.

“There’s no real R&B shows here in town, so if somebody comes to The Bottleneck they’re gonna be looking for an alternative group and then we show up,” says Doleman, who cites multiplatinum artists such as Jodeci and Boyz II Men as influences.

“At the Jayplay show (Jayplay Live on April 24) the band that won — who we felt deserved to win — had a couple of their members come up to us and tell us that they felt we should have won,” recalls Harris. “And it’s not just them. All of the other bands have been so supportive.”

The group is taking advantage of the chance to immerse itself in such a musical melting pot and blend some of the various styles into their own sound.

“When we go to these shows, we don’t feel out of place,” Harris adds. “We always listen for what these other guys are doing and try to learn from them.”

Even if they can’t take anything away musically, there are always other lessons available at a concert.

“Like at Jayplay, some of the other bands play types of music that we wouldn’t do, but their energy and the way they get the crowd going, that’s something that we might try to emulate,” Doleman says.

According to the members, their ability to put on a stellar live show is one of their strongest selling points. Mixing a CD soundtrack with a capella tunes sprinkled throughout, the trio thrives on the closeness of the audience in a club setting.

“If we’ve got someone who’s coming to listen to us, I’d rather they hear us live than on a CD,” Jackson states. “You just get something more out of the music when it’s live.”

Big plans
Thanks to all the hard work, the group has already had a couple of near-misses with big-time success.

“We’ve gotten some feedback from major labels,” Loneker says. “We sent our stuff to Jive Records and they really liked it, but they said they were getting away from signing groups at the time. We were just six months too late.”

Regionally, 3 A.M. is starting to become appreciated. In fact, they are nominated in the Rap/R&B category at this year’s Pitch Music Awards in Kansas City.

While they haven’t experienced much radio play locally, they have managed to create a buzz in other parts of the country. In fact, their Latin-tinged single “So Sexy” ranked No. 1 on 104.7 KISS FM — a Wyoming radio station — besting such national artists as 50 Cent.

The members feel they’re closing in on a big payoff, and any opportunity to play with a known artist is another chance for them to get their name out in the open.

“Every time you do a performance it’s always important,” says Harris. “If you have an artist like (Houston rapper) Devin the Dude coming in, we’re hoping it’ll attract quite a few more people.

But for right now, 3 A.M. is determined to harmonize with the local scene.

“I think we’re starting to make some noise,” says Jackson. “We don’t really get to do a whole lot of shows around Lawrence, so this is a big thing for us.