The Ton3s, formerly known as The Hamiltones, is composed of North Carolina natives J. Vito, Tony Lelo, and 2E. The soul trio’s name originated from their work as backup vocalists for Grammy-winning R&B artist Anthony Hamilton.
The group has released four projects under The Hamiltones name, including their powerful debut album 1964, a Christmas album, and two EPs. They’re now set to solidify their fresh new style as The Ton3s.
How did you all get your big break?
J. Vito: We never really got a big break, I tell people [that] all the time. We just had opportunities that fell in our laps, and we made the best out of them as quickly and efficiently as possible. That’s been the story of all of our careers.
How would you describe your style?
Lelo: We call it young vintage. We’re young guys, but we all come from a vintage background, and being more Southern we’re called the country guys. We come from the church. A lot of the people down south from North Carolina like Jodeci, Anthony Anderson, George Clinton, and Chuck Brown, you’re going to get that churchy vibe. Vintage doesn’t mean old, it just means seasoned. There are different types of harmonies like New Age harmonies, but then you got those soulful harmonies that were presented back in the day by Jodeci. We wanted to reach back and grab that type of talent with a new kind of tone.
What should we be expecting from your new album?
2E: We’re embracing a more R&B approach. I think it’s all soul music to me, but I guess to the average listener this would be a more R&B/soul approach. We have some dope features and some great music. We hope that the people think it’s great. You’ll see another side of the Hamiltones because we’re a multi-dimensional, multifaceted organization.
How would you describe your creative process?
J. Vito: It depends on who has the juice that day. I might come in with it, Lelo might come in with it, or 2E might come in with it, and we kind of just create together. That’s been our formula to create and we like to feed off of each other. That’s why being in sync is important.
How do you get the juice?
2E: You definitely have to have the drive, and you definitely have to have those moments where you might have to call on someone for help. You have to remain in the eyes of the people.
J. Vito: Always have room to grow. Every day is a learning process and an opportunity for you to grow into something better than who you were before. Just be willing. I struggle with this because men have egos, but just be willing to take constructive criticism and use it to build and not let it hurt you.
