3RDEGREE Bio (source: 3rdegreeonline.com) :


3RDegree began when founder/bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Robert James Pashman met
with drummer Rob Durham in December of 1990 with a common love of the progressive
rock bands they had grown up with & in hopes of picking up where Pashman’s last band had
left off. A six month union with a guitarist didn’t pan out until new guitarist Pat Kliesch was
added in the summer of 1991 & the band played its first show that November. Kliesch’s hard
driving off-kilter riffs & juxtaposed melodic acoustic writing gelled with Pashman’s soaring
hooks within strange meter: all this thrown in with the most capable Durham who reveled in
the challenge of holding it all together. This would be the band’s mantra to the present day:
create challenging music to play but always with a memorable, singable calling card. The first
chapter would be THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE-a 10 song collection which was played all
over New Jersey & New York City in rock venues from 1992 through 1995 alongside the
much more interesting & refined tracks that would be its epic follow-up. The band would be
included on a Todd Rundgren tribute CD & Pashman would moonlight with metal band
POWER (featuring Alan Tecchio of Watchtower & Hades) on a tour of Germany & the ViaRock
festival in Belgium in ’95.


But one piece of the puzzle would be imperative to getting the band more noticed than ever
before: a world-class lead vocalist. George Dobbs, who would be added in the summer of ’95
would be that man. Also a keyboardist and bassist, the band’s live shows would be a much
fuller affair & the studio album a much more polished & diverse one. HUMAN INTEREST
STORY was released & well received in April of 1996, but frustration with the band’s inabilities
to find its market niche & fan base in a pre-internet age would make a January 1997
CBGB’s performance its last. Pashman would go on to work with Spiraling’s Tom Brislin who
toured with Yes on their 2001 Symphonic Tour and with Camel at Nearfest 2003.
In December of 2005, the three original members of the band met in a NYC bar with the idea
of reforming. Demos were made of new & old songs left on the cutting room floor that the
band had always thought were their strongest. Their singer would be found by July & the backing
tracks for a new album recorded by October. April of 2007, would see the band playing
their first live shows in over ten years at NJ Proghouse-a venue that would definitely have
saved the band from its earlier demise. The event & previous night’s acoustic show would be
captured in high definition & later released on DVD & double CD. The internet would also figure
largely into 3RDegree redux finding new fans & even re-connecting with the original ones
so that by summer 2008 when the band were ready with NARROW-CASTER-it wouldn’t fall
on deaf ears at its Nearfest (Bethlehem, PA progressive rock festival) debut. The reviews of
this CD would herald that it was nothing short of the band’s ”masterwork” & possibly even
worth the wait! A new plastic-less “Eco-Wallet” version is out December 2, 2008.

3RDegree plan on writing & recording new material in early 2009.

3RDegreeONLINE.com

Listen to us here: 

http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/873831

Our new CD NARROW-CASTER is getting great reviews at:

http://www.3RDegreeONLINE.com/3RDegree/Reviews.html

Please join or mailing list here:

http://www.reverbnation.com/3rdegree?add_email=true

Come see our latest video HERE (click on "watch in high quality"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W91j0btmDRg&feature=PlayList&p=1416880DF1938660&index=0

If you go to these sites, please add us or be our friend:

http://www.reverbnation.com/3rdegree

http://www.myspace.com/3RDegreeNJ

http://www.last.fm/music/3RDegree

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6CD81E71018A9125

http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/481155

http://www.ilike.com/artist/3RDegree+%28NJ+prog%252Fpop+band%29

Just listened to their latest album. Good stuff indeed! I hope to have an interview with these chaps online sooner than later 

A really cool year for Crossover, if I could say so. Frequency Drift, Lunatic Soul, even Panic Room or Pinneaple Thief. 3RDegree is lower in my preferences compared to the above, but it's still good music. Nice choice.

3RDEGREE interviewed by PA's King by-tor

I, too, got this in the mail today and gave 'er a spin. I haven't been too fond of the PA Featured Artists so far, so I was a little skeptical. Really nice upon my first listen. I wish there were some mid range to long range epics because a band like this could really pull it off. Very minor criticism, though. Nice disc.

E

On the precarious 5th place in my list so far; nice album. Reminds me quite a bit of Man on Fire's third release, although with different musical leanings.

Great CD. Top five for me. Very eclectic. The vocalist is great. I'm hearing lots of influences. Queen, Echolyn, Izz, KC....

3RDEGREE, is fresh air in progressive rock

Very unique combination of sounds, rhythms and techniqies... 

Sounds like QI (not good)    Too much trying to sound like prog and not enough trying to sound good. in places has shades of elevator music and 80's jazz. Made me want to put knives in there instruments to see if they cared or if it would make it sound better.