“I asked myself, I could either sit behind a desk for the rest of my life or a drum set,” Jesse Allem, drummer for 3 Shades of Blue, said of his decision to drop out of college and pursue a music career.

Joining him to perform Friday as the opening act for Panic! at the Disco were lead singer Jeffery Allem, bassist Dane Duncan and guitarist Austin Allem.

Being together for seven years, 3 Shades of Blue has proven itself to be a force to reckon with in the rock genre.

Similar to most working musicians, all four members work part-time jobs as well as perform gigs from small dive bars to crowds of hundreds all in pursuit of gaining fans and furthering their music career.

All of the members come from the rural area of Morgantown, Pennsylvania, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia.

They knew from very early on that they were going to have to work hard to gain the exposure to reach the type of career in music to which they strive.

Social media has proven to be a huge platform for them in communicating with their fans and reaching a larger audience.

With a consistent stream of YouTube videos, Instagram posts and tweets, fans stay connected to the band.

The band’s social media presence began to gain even more traction when 3 Shades of Blue decided to audition for “America’s Got Talent” last April.

Auditioning with the song “Feeling Good,” originally by Nina Simone, they captured the audience and the judges with their raw talent and amazing musical and performance skills.

Howard Stern was an instant fan commenting that he has been looking for a great rock band on the show and that 3 Shades of Blue granted that wish.

After advancing to the next round, “Judges Cut,” the band performed a less popular song by the band 21 Pilots, titled “Fairly Local.”

“It was the perfect time to perform that song because the judges were still making the decisions about our placement on the show, as long as we impressed them we would make it through. The performance also gained the attention of the very dedicated fans of 21 Pilots and put us on their radar,” Duncan said.

After two more performances on the show the band was voted off but was extremely grateful for the experiences they gained and the platform that “America’s Got Talent” provided.

The band members said that “America’s Got Talent” was a “whirl-wind” experience and they were able to meet awesome people and meet many people in the industry.

3 Shades of Blue’s performance on Friday night was the first of many shows that the band has lined up for the upcoming year.

They will be touring with the popular alternative band, Switchfoot, performing in Philadelphia at the end of September, and are looking to plan a radio performance tour that will continue to help them gain exposure and fans.

Jeffery commented that they are committed to keeping their fans that they gained from the show and are looking forward to creating new music.

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