3RDegree - The Reunion Concerts DVD (2008)                          7/10

By Peter Renfro 

3RDegree certainly tries to give you your money’s worth with this release – a CD of their acoustic show, a CD of the electric show and a DVD featuring highlights from both events and interviews with the band.  For a relatively unknown band, this is quite an undertaking.

First, a little history behind the band and this particular project:  3RDegree is a New Jersey-based band that released two albums in the ‘90s; both with a strong pop-influence with some prog elements mixed in.  The band enjoyed only very limited success and essentially disbanded as members moved apart and pursued other interests.  Ten years later the band re-formed; the Internet helping to bridge their physical distances.  To celebrate their rebirth, the band planned a ‘reunion weekend’ in April 2007.  The first night would be an intimate acoustic evening; the following evening would be a full-on electric show at the infamous New Jersey Proghouse.  Both shows were recorded for posterity and this release is the fruit of their labors.

The first CD is the evening of acoustic numbers.  “Black Orchid”, an instrumental guitar piece reminiscent of Anthony Phillips or Steve Hackett, opens the set.  What follows is over an hour of 3RDegree tracks with acoustic arrangements.  Individually, each song sounds quite nice, but taken as a whole, the set does become a little similar sounding.  An interesting cover of Sarah McLachlan’s “Elsewhere” stands out, as well as originals “It Works” and “Human Interest Story.”  Had I been more familiar with the original versions, this set might have held more interest, but as it stands, most of the songs tend to fall into a singer-songwriter mold with only slight variations.

The second CD was recorded the following night at the New Jersey Proghouse.  Being the full-electric band, the songs here feature much more variety and energy.  Stand-out tracks include “Apophenia”, “It Works”, “I” and “Human Interest Story.”  The one cover is Gentle Giant’s “Peel the Paint” which sits comfortably with the band’s own material.  Despite the small crowd, the energy comes across nicely on disc, and most of the between-song banter is left in.

The DVD culls the highlights from both nights interspersed with interviews and reminiscences from the band, and as such works better as a documentary than as a concert performance.  The band’s anecdotes are witty and insightful and shed light on indie-music making then (1990s) and now (2000s).  The performances are nice, but with limited camera coverage they tend to look a bit the same from song to song.

For those looking for more of a history of 3RDegree, this is the place to go.  It’s a great snapshot of the band; a snapshot that will likely become more appreciated as time goes on.  If you want to experience them as a live band, their ProgDay DVD release is a much better representation.