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3RDEGREE / NARROW-CASTER

If what you want out of your prog is something that tells you in the first 60 seconds of putting on a CD that this will not be an ordinary listening session... then you will be impressed with 3rDegree. The first 30 seconds is a bombardment of complex changes and and tight, well rehearsed transitions from part to part. The vocals are excellent. Background vocals too, very reminiscent of Kings X, which in turn have an affinity to The Beatles.

The disc is comprised mostly of songs dating back to the mid to late 90s that the band "always regretted" did not get justice in the recording studio. Often times, music that has seen the passage of time, ends up holding a special place only in the hearts of the artists themselves, however THESE are some incredibly fresh sounding tracks and I think we as a community of appreciating listeners should extend a hearty thanks to the group for not letting these songs be relegated to history.

The second track, "It Works" has an early Genesis vibe but quickly conforms to a pleasing niche the band have worked out for themselves. A 3-way answer-call type of communication is happening between the musicians that starts about a minute forty five into the song. It's impressive the cooperation that is proven in this section. This is not simply a group of guys that rehearsed their parts over and over again before heading to the studio, this collection of accomplished musicians actually ENJOY playing together. That's a chemistry that can't be faked, as evidenced also in "Live With This Forever".

Many times, the nature of progressive music, especially with the more advanced the arrangements, the more "less feeling" it becomes. This music does not suffer from that, but even beyond that are the thought-out lyrics. I'll admit, I actually got chills when reading along and listening to "Cautionary Tale". If this particular song is a decade old, then they obviously (or cryptically) altered the lyrics to transform it into an epic expose on our culture. With allusions to "Burning Crosses - Falling Towers" and a challenge to ask yourself if "something can unify despite the difference between our ways".

3 of the ten songs are recent for the band and show they have not only not lost their ability to write outstanding music, but have also a developing sense of humor like in "The Proverbial Banana Peel" and the lyric "phoning it in far too long because it's so hard to make it genuine" as heard in "Young Once".

Narrow-Caster is an excellent effort with outstanding production and musical variety to hold your attention from beginning to end. "Free For All" is probably the weakest track on the album, but "The Last Gasp" quickly jolts you back into place. On the first cursory listen of this album, I jotted down a note that it was worthy of a solid four. I have since repented and turned from my ways. I'm glad that I discovered the gem that this album is. Worthy of five resilient stars.

Dale JUDAY

Rating:

After being introduced to 3rDegree in late 2008, the group's music has struck us here at TheProgFiles as innovative, thought provoking and extremely proficient. This is the way prog is supposed to be done. We are very pleased to present them in this month's artist spotlight.

In December of 1990, bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Robert James Pashman met with drummer Rob Durham in New Jersey. Pashman who started playing keyboards around age 12 and taught himself bass at 16, had just left his previous band, both him and Durham had a passion for the progressive rock music they grew up listening to. The next step was to look for a guitarist, but it didn't come easy. They started with a guitarist for 6 months but when they met Pat Kliesch in the Summer of 1991 things changed and he soon became the third member of the band. Their music was slowly beginning to form: All 3 members were technically good at what they were doing and loved challenging themselves musically with odd-meters but they were also sensitive to creating melodious pieces that were singable. The band's debut album came out shortly after, it was titled "THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE": a 10 song collection which was played all over New Jersey & New York City in rock venues.

The trio did not think the "pieces of the puzzle" were complete yet, as they put it into words. The lacking element was powerful lead vocals that could possibly open up new windows for them and of course would grow their fan base too. Many prog rock bands lacked this element and settled with average vocals but 3rDegree did not want to be one of them. George Dobbs, who also plays bass and keyboards, was added in the summer of 1995 as the band's new front man. He was a tenor with a very eclectic voice. He could sound bluesy on some parts, even had a pop approach on other parts but with a very unique style without losing his technique.

Now that the puzzle was complete, the band was ready for a second solo album: HUMAN INTEREST STORY which was released in 1996. Unfortunately only a couple of years after this release, 3rDegree disbanded until 2005 when the 3 original members got back together and gathered some demos from old and new materials. When they found George in July of the same year they were writing again and thus came out with their latest release NARROW-CASTER (see Dale Juday's review of it HERE).

Since its release the album is receiving rave reviews all over the internet. It is classified as crossover prog by some or power prog pop by others, but the album with some of the materials dating all the way back to mid 90's is nowhere near a conventional mainstream sound. Odd-time signatures, loops, atypical song structures... this CD has it all. Plus it has powerful lyrics and vocals. The good thing about it is that the band, even with older songs, does not sound out dated. They do have tastes of 70's and 80's sound from time to time but all with a touch of their own. You've heard it said that a fine wine gets better with age - but in the case of 3rDegree, they came in to their prime early and have resided there since.

Visit their website at: www.3RDegreeONLINE.com

Visit their myspace page at: www.myspace.com/3rdegreenj