North Carolina’s Third of Never has an organizing principle that most organizers wouldn’t recognize. It’s a theory of randomness. Chance meetings, unlikely friendships, likely friendships and musical chemistry all contributed to the building of the band.
The band’s new album, Damage the Pearl is out in August, and the band will celebrate with a show at Pour House in Raleigh on August 23rd.
While finalizing the songs for the upcoming album Damage The Pearl, Dawson realized there was a faint theme running through the songs. "I thought some of the lyrics and the stories that inspired them would make a great road movie," Dawson said. "I got a copy of a treatment to director Brent Clark, who luckily for us had always wanted to make a road movie. In collaboration with Brent, we re-worked the script into something cohesive that we're all very proud of. The movie is in the can and is currently being readied for the film festival circuit. Scenes from the film can be seen in the videos for the Third of Never songs "Grab The Ground" and "Damage The Pearl".
Third of Never founder, guitarist Jon Dawson, remembers the moment the band started. "A friend of mine told Jode Haskins that I was looking for a bass player," Dawson said. "About 20 seconds into our first little jam, I knew he was the guy. He walked that bass like it owed him money; he elevated everything we played. He's the band's true lead guitarist, and we've also written some great stuff together over the years. He was the first real musician that thought what I did had any value, and the way he weaves those bass lines through my self-taught, odd chords is sublime."
For years, Third of Never was based out of New Jersey, even though Dawson maintained a residence in North Carolina. "New Jersey was full of the type of musicians I wanted to play with,
" Dawson said. "I spent many hours on the train to make it to shows and recording sessions, but it was worth it. When I was a kid I'd drive out into a corn field and blast The Smithereens' Green Thoughts album as loud as I could, and just a few years later I found myself sitting in the House of Vibes studio with two members of the band, Pat Dinizio and Dennis Diken. Dennis went on to make guest appearances on our first two albums."
After three albums, some healthy college radio play, and regional touring throughout New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Dawson decided to give North Carolina another try. "The Connells are one of my all-time favorite bands," Dawson said. "I heard their lead vocalist Doug MacMillan on a podcast and he was so down to earth I worked up the nerve to contact him. For whatever reason he agreed to listen to some demos I'd been working on. After a meeting at the Flying Saucer in Raleigh, he decided to join the band. Within days we were meeting at the Connells rehearsal room to work on songs together." Over the course of the band's recording career, legendary Who/Pete Townshend/Bob Marley keyboardist John 'Rabbit' Bundrick has contributed to the band's studio work. Due to his schedule with The Who, Bundrick was not available for live work. Finally, in 2024, the band crossed paths with renowned North Carolina keyboardist Charles Cleaver, who notably collaborated with Mike Mills, Chris Stamey, and Mitch Easter in the Big Star's Third project.
"We've always wanted a keyboard player in the band," Dawson said. "Charles is a great improviser and has a melodic sense that adds a sense of grandeur to even our most raucous material." Drum duties for the Damage The Pearl album were handled by Mayflies drummer Tony Stiglitz. Unable to commit to both bands, Third of Never sent up a Bat-Signal looking for a new kit commander. "I was working in an office during the Covid years, and one day a new guy came in to occupy the empty desk two rows over from me," Dawson said. "A few days later I made an obscure musical reference that would normally fade into the ether, but the new guy - Brandon Ruth - laughed at the reference. As it turns out, Ruth spent his early years drumming in several touring bands based out of Buffalo." "I gave Brandon a copy of the upcoming album and a few tracks from our previous albums," Dawson said. "He nailed every track from the jump, often putting his own twist on the arrangements. He and I are constantly working up rough demos that are quickly fleshed out when we all gather for full-band rehearsals.
We've already worked up a pile of demos that will make up most of the next album. We've also made several recordings with North Carolina musician John Guy Barwick (Coastal Chase and the Biploaroids). Guesting on the album are the aforementioned John 'Rabbit' Bundrick, Connell's keyboardist Steve Potak, Steve Kilbey (The Church), Sara Bell (Shark Quest, Regina Hexaphone, and Dish), and Tara Tish-Wallace (The Lovely Intangibles).
For years MacMillan was the music and humor writer for the Kinston Free Press. During that time, he published two books of his columns, Making Gravy In Public and Counterfeit Sauerkraut & The Weekend Teeth.
His columns won him 11 North Carolina Press Association Awards. His column now appears monthly at www.bucklesberry.com.
Band: Doug MacMillan (of the Connells) - vocals Jon Dawson - guitars/miscellaneous Jode Haskins - bass Charles Cleaver - keyboards Brandon Ruth - drums https://www.thirdofnever.com/
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten