Punk, pop, and the future of Third Estate
Third Estate was
rehearsing, chiseling out a new tune. Ideas and riffs bounced around. Something
began to take shape, but essentially had no words. Then guitarist/singer David Fondiller saw a sign, a flash of inspiration on bassist Ron
Ficarro’s t-shirt: “No Future.”
“I saw it while I was
playing the chords for the chorus,” says Fondiller.
“Then I came up with the melody and the hook.”
“No Future” is a
bleak punk outlook that has been perhaps romanticized a little since showing up
in 1977 as the angry chorus in the Sex Pistols’ “God Save The Queen.”
However, the
5-year-old Third Estate’s future is bright. The trio — Fondiller,
guitar and vocals; Ficarro, bass and vocals; and new
drummer Josh Gailor — released a new album, Ready For A Revolution, in August, and
continues to tighten up as it tours and matures. And who would have thought an
actual Sex Pistol would be in this Rochester
pop/punk band’s future?
Despite what you’ve heard, Glen Matlock was the bassist for the Pistols, not Sid Vicious. Sure,
Vicious looked good and gave an honest attempt to pull it off live, but by all
accounts he was so strung out he couldn’t play. So Matlock — along with
guitarist Chris Spedding — laid down the music.
Years later Matlock’s
phone number was spinning on Third Estate’s ex-manager’s rolodex.
“We sent him a demo
we made on our computer,” Ficarro says. “We wanted
him to come out and produce.”
What the hell? It was
worth a shot.
Matlock dug the demo
and hopped on a plane across the Atlantic.
“We were the first
band he came over here to work with,” says Ficarro.
Matlock produced and
sang on two tracks on Ready For A Revolution, including “No Future Here.”
On the other end of
the rock spectrum — the other end
— Third Estate also employed the skills of pop producer Earl Cohen, who had
previously worked with Whitney Houston, Pink, Jessica Simpson, and Will Smith.
So you’ve got Third
Estate’s punk leanings coupled with Matlock’s seasoned status, then you add in
the pop fizz. You’d think there would be problems.
“You know, not to get
the end result,” says Fondiller. “But
to accomplish the work?Absolutely.”
The band felt some of
the pop techniques Cohen introduced would dull the punk edge.
“That’s where most of
the arguments came in,” Fondiller says. “There’s a
line between where you’re applying something new, especially in the vein of
reaching as many people possible with something that’s honest, and where you’re
just trying to reach people with something that’s not yourself.”
But the give-and-take
between the band and Cohen yielded positive results. It started with the band’s
desire to grow.
“I guess it takes a
little bit of maturity to take time and make more potent statements,” Fondiller says. “So instead of more notes, it’s notes that are more important.”
So the new Third
Estate is…
“Some would say
polished,” suggests Ficarro. “It’s not radical, it’s
just more developed. It just depends on the honesty for me.”
Third Estate has
little pretense. Despite the members’ grubby, punk leather exterior, Third
Estate plays catchy pop/punk with little of the threat or antagonism found in
some of its influences.
Fondiller was honest about the origin of “No Future Here” with
Matlock when he first came to do pre-production with the band in Ficarro’s basement.
“Yeah,” he says. “I
went right in and told him. It was one of the first things we talked about.”
Things might’ve been
different had Ficarro’s shirt said “Where’s The
Beef?” or “I’m With Stupid.” Still, If that had
sparked a song, Fondiller swears he still would’ve
sung it.
Third Estate plays with guests The Capitols, Almost
Tomorrow, and The Rev Friday,
December 22, at The Club @ Water Street, 204 North Water Street, 325-5600, 7
p.m. www.waterstreetmusic.com.
This article appears in Dec 13-19, 2006.
