It’s straight out of a movie — the rock ‘n’ roll American dream. A three-piece band starts in a garage, gets a record deal and puts out an album.

“It’s a dream come true,” says Derek Gledhill, drummer for Smile Empty Soul.

Gledhill, along with bandmates Ryan Martin on bass and Sean Danielsen on guitar and vocals, released their self-titled first album in May 2002.

“It feels like not much is happening while recording and then one day you walk into Best Buy and see your album on the shelf,” Gledhill says. “That’s when you think, ‘Wow, we’re actually doing this.'”

Gledhill says simplicity is a key concept to the band’s melodic, hard rock sound.

“We didn’t need all that glitter to get here,” Gledhill says. “Why start?”

Gledhill says he can pinpoint Smile Empty Soul’s biggest accomplishment to a single moment.

“Signing on the dotted line with Lava Records,” Gledhill says.

Getting to that point, however, was the band’s greatest struggle.

Smile Empty Soul is based out of L.A., where the competition is high. Gledhill says it was a fight to get where they are today. He says there are fewer rock bands today and that’s what makes them stand apart from the masses.

“We struggle every day to win fans over,” Gledhill says. “We tour and tour and always keep pushing.”

Gledhill says the band’s shows are simple. It’s just the three band members rocking as hard as they can.

“You’re only as good as your song,” Gledhill says. “If you’re playing a song, you have to feel it. You can’t play it. It’s like our song ‘Knife.’ The concept is simple, but no one has ever said it like this before.”

The idea for the band’s name, Smile Empty Soul, came from one of their friends. Gledhill says it’s the title of an old song about people going through the motions of everyday life.

“It’s about people working their 9-5 jobs and coming home to their boat and cars,” Gledhill says. “It’s about things that might appear all right on the outside, but on the inside it could be a whole other story.”

Gledhill says the band has been influenced by everyone from Eddie Vedder to The Beatles. He says they have very diverse tastes in music.

“If it’s good, it’s good,” Gledhill says. “Even if it’s not your normal choice of music.”

Gledhill says Smile Empty Soul has experience playing both large and small venues.

“Radio shows are usually outside and people always go nuts — it’s a blast,” Gledhill says. “But they don’t have the intimacy of a small club.”

Gledhill says he personally prefers playing at smaller clubs. “Fans are right in your face and you can look in their eyes and make a connection,” Gledhill says.