Third Class is a band of modern artistic value, a trio of progressive-minded musicians. Their music’s intention is to bring art and life closer together through the display of "Nouveau Réalisme," a term defined by Pierre Restany in 1960 as "new ways of perceiving the real." This term has been redefined into a more musical setting by Youngstown-based artists who have been cohesively classified into the "Nouveau Rock" genre, a term coined by a Youngstown band called The Zou. With this in mind, here is the story of Third Class:
Third Class officially formed in 1999 with the brothers Lee and Jack Boyle and their friend Pepe Parish. These three teenage boys lived together in a small town called East Palestine, Ohio. In the winter of this same year, Third Class played their first show in a living room.
In the years 2000 and 2001, after the a number of shows in basements, living rooms and barns, Third Class made a successful attempt to break into the music scene of Youngstown, Ohio. They played their first battle of the bands competition and were featured on NBC News. They also played their first few shows at a venue that encouraged the original progressive style that Third Class was developing. This venue was a bar called Cedars Lounge, the main place for innovative music in the city.
By the year 2004, Third Class had come to represent the offbeat style of indie rock music that had started an underground movement in many areas in Ohio. The band received a handful of interviews from local newspapers and airplay on 98.9 FM. They also co-headlined a big festival called The Nouveau Rock Festival with their friends in a prominent Youngstown band known as The Zou.
After becoming more established, Third Class decided it was time to expand its promotional methods. Being that Third Class was of such an experimental style to many skeptical ears, they decided they needed to travel and find more fans who wanted new and innovative music. Therefore, in 2005 Third Class ventured to Long Island and New York City. In their travels, the band spent a week and a half passing out demos, selling home-made albums, and playing small venues.
Then, in the summer of 2006, Third Class began to think seriously about a well-recorded project. A couple months after an interview on Kent State University’s Black Squirrel Radio, the band went into a professional recording studio in Youngstown called Ampreon Recorder. With the legendary sound engineer and multi-talented musician, Pete Drivere (The Deadbeat Poets, The Infidels), Third Class recorded a full-length album in four days. November saw the album’s official release under the title “Chloe’s epitaph is Chloe.†In the following months, the album made its way to being available on a number of music sale websites including itunes, napster, and cdbaby. The album was referred to as an “attempt to classify [an] idiosyncratic sound†by Leonard Crist of The Walruss. In the Youngstown Vindicator, writer John Benson described Third Class as “a progressive pop band falling in the same mindset as Ben Folds Five and Radiohead,†and “a band to be reckoned with in Northeast Ohio.â€
After the album’s release and a year of local promotion and numerous shows, Third Class set out on another tour in the summer of 2007. Throughout the process of growing and playing more shows as a band, Third Class had ventured to a variety of cities and venues. But, this was their first real, organized tour. Throughout their travels, Third Class played shows in Philadelphia, PA, Cambridge Springs, PA, Louisville, KY, and Youngstown, OH, with promotional stops along the way in Cincinnati and Columbus, OH. Then, in 2008, they received airplay on a show called The HomeGrown Show on 93.3 FM and an internet station called ruckus.com.
Today, you can find Third Class on myspace.com/thirdclass and thirdclass.net where show updates and album availability are shown, as well as a variety of band photographs and song samples. Third Class continues, at present, to define themselves as an influential part of the up-and-coming indie/progressive musicians of these times.
Download "Chloe's epitaph is Chloe" by Third Class from Napster:
Chloe's epitaph is Chloe.
A Drug Inside Your Wrist (Third Class)
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Public Service Announcement: Why Safe?: iSAFE
..
SHOWS:
____________________________________________________________ _____
"Whether or not you are ever achieve 'popular' success is irrelevant. Keep putting out great music!" -Pete Drivere (Ampreon Recorder, The Deadbeat Poets)
"As far as its live presentation is concerned, the act is different from most anything else out there." -John Benson (Interview in The Vindicator)
“…extremely haunting…†-Alex Williams (cdbaby.com album review)
"The most unique band I have seen in a really long time" -Simon Kenneally, Founder of The Bon Frog Festival (Interview in The Jambar)
"...new and fresh, and fucking talented..." -Apoorva (Fan)
"I saw [these] guys for the first time...at Cedars and I thought [they] were the best band there...definitely have the most potential..." -Kevin Arcuri (Attendee of the Nouveau Rock Festival)
"...quirky, clever lyrics..." -Patricia (Owner of Friends Roastery Coffee Shop)
“…the lyrics just echo in my head when I need them most.†-Patrick/Dog OK (cdbaby.com album review)
"I love the punk sensibility that [the song 'Blue']...exhudes, piqued by the chaotic...drum breakdown in the center of the song..." -Todd Maki (Dragonfly Studio)
“I often listen to [Third Class] in the car…†-Carmen Jamis (cdbaby.com album review)
"...a brave and fiercely original brand of nearly unclassifiable rock..." -Leonard Crist (Interview in The Walruss)
"...running through the streets of Chicago to get the album mixed was well worth the exercise..." -Brandon Hull (cdbaby.com album review)
"If your head isn't in your ass, you will love this band. If your head is, remove it and hear something real." -Sean Haughey (Fan)
"...refreshing in comparison to the tacky, radio rock that so many people listen to today" -Cathy M. (cdbaby.com album review)
"One of the most innovative bands...and also some of the nicest people to deal with in the studio and on the stage." -Pete Drivere (Ampreon Recorder, The Deadbeat Poets)
"Wondering who their style resembles? Two words: THIRD CLASS" -Kari McKenna (cdbaby.com album review)
“Because of Third Class, people from Columbiana are now regular at Cedar’s†-Khaled of The Zou (Interview in The Walruss)
“…they get so involved in their mind-boggling keyboard riffs and head-pounding drum solos, that they give the impression that they've forgotten anyone's watching them…†-Katlin Potochnik (Springfield High School News)
“…trying things with the sound and rhythm that most bands wouldn't touch…†-Randall Brammer (cdbaby.com album review)
