3RDegree - The Reunion Concerts
Performance
Production
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3RDegree - The Reunion Concerts
Performance
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For a music aficionado like myself, I don't know if the Internet is more of a godsend or a curse. Just about every musician or band out there now has their own MySpace page with samples of music available for listen. So unlike when I peruse the sorry-ass CD shelves of my local Best Buy or Wal-Mart and am rarely ever motivated to buy anything they have to offer, I am always overwhelmed by the number "must-buy" music offerings I come across on the Internet. If only I were a millionaire with more time to spare. New Jersey-based 3RDegree was one of those bands I stumbled across recently while reading new progressive-rock reviews on the most excellent Dutch Progressive Rock Page website. The band has just released Narrow-Caster, their first album in 12 years, as well as the companion DVD/2CD live set entitled The Reunion Concerts. If there was any justice in this upside down music world, 3RDegree would have made a splash back in '96, and this whole reunion thing would have never been necessary. But, hey, Brittany Spears is #1 again, so it's all good. 3RDegree's 1996 album, Human Interest Story, sparked some local interest in the band, but not nearly enough to sustain them full time, especially in a country that supports progressive music about as much as it supports an atheist running for public office. Although the band displays many of the standard prog-rock trademarks - varying time signatures, complex vocal harmonies, instrumental virtuosity - the prog label should be used pretty loosely with these guys. Your average pop-rock listener might dismiss them as simply too proggy, while the hardcore prog community might find them to be not quite prog enough. This may have been what hurt them back in the '90s. Back in late 2005, founding band members Robert James Pashman, Pat Kliesch, and Rob Durham met in a New York City pub to discuss the idea of a possible reunion. Several beers later, they all decided to give it another go. The following year they discovered lead vocalist George Dobbs on the Internet and began recording Narrow-Caster shortly thereafter. In 2007 they played a few gigs to see if they could still cut the mustard live, and The Reunion Concerts DVD shows that they most certainly could. The DVD features selected performances from the band's two reunion shows of 2007. An intimate acoustic show was recorded in the living room of Pashman's house, in front of a handful of special guests, and an electric concert was filmed at the NJ Proghouse, which is currently housed in the historical Old Franklin Schoolhouse in Metuchen, New Jersey. The performances jump back and forth between each show, and behind-the-scenes and interview footage is interspersed between each of the songs. Anyone who is familiar with this site will already know that I typically despise this type of editing format for a concert DVD, but considering the events leading up to this video, it was almost a requirement. A separate option to play just the songs should always be provided though, so that you don't have to continuously skip over the interview stuff during repeat viewings - and I'll assume that the band wants repeat viewings from their fans and customers. The DVD begins with the band being introduced by NJ Proghouse owner (I assume) James Robinson, who is also apparently the twin brother of Hurley from Lost, and this is followed by some tongue-in-cheek intro music featuring Peaches & Herb's "Reunited". More of the band's sense of humor is revealed throughout the rest of the DVD as well. The first song, "Top Secret", is certainly one of the more intense and proggy songs on the DVD, and it reminded me a little of King Crimson. From there, we head over to Mr. Pashman's home for the first acoustic performance of the night, "Black Orchid". I knew I might be in for something special when half-way through the song their ten foot tall drummer breaks into this gorgeous flute solo. Now we're talking. 3RDegree's unique sound can probably be most attributed to the superb vocal stylings of George Dobbs, who sounds like cross between a young Peter Gabriel and Graham Nash. He can also toss out some pretty mean snarls whenever the song requires. The band's diversely styled music reminds me of everything from Echolyn and CSN, to Gentle Giant and King Crimson. Nearly every track on this DVD is a compelling listen, but a couple of my favorites were "Apophenia" and "Cautionary Tale", which are two of the standout tracks from Narrow-Caster. Nearly every song by these guys has a catchy chorus, melody, or riff that immediately infects you on the very first listen, but the diversity of styles also makes it something you can listen to repeatedly without ever getting bored. Although the DVD features an impressive 19 songs (10 electric and 9 acoustic), the accompany CDs contain all 35 performances from both of the shows. It's a shame that the entire shows could not have been included on the DVD, especially more of the electric stuff. The Reunion Concerts was produced, edited, and mixed by bassist, keyboardist, vocalist, and founding member Robert James Pashman and he does a bang up job. Working with what I'm sure was a very limited budget, the DVD was recorded on 1080i HD video, is presented in 16:9 widescreen, and it looks pretty darn good because of it. The camera work is a bit amateurish - few guys wandering around with some expensive camcorders - but they capture atmosphere of the shows effectively. Although a 5.1 surround audio track is not available, the 24-bit, PCM stereo track is a killer. 3RDegree are definitely a band to watch and The Reunion Concerts DVD/CD set is the perfect place to start. Check out the band's official web site and pick yourself up a copy. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - February 2009 |
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Set List |
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Running Time: 112 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - June 2008 |
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Purchase The Reunion Concerts here. |