In 1946, the Third Programme launched in Great Britain blasting classical music to the masses. Sixty years later, it has re-emerged, not as a station on the BBC, but as one of D.C.’s newest purveyors of trippy Brit pop. It is very appropriate that this band, who only recently formed at the beginning of the year, chose a name with such experienced undertones. With but several months under their belts working together, Simon, Fidel, David and Christian demonstrate a mature sound and cohesiveness worthy of their British baggy-scene influences, The Stone Roses.

The 23rd of October marked the release of the band’s first self-titled EP, and a CD release party at the Black Cat’s back stage. While some performers find this intimacy a welcome retreat from their usual gig, the Third Programme belongs elsewhere. They are almost ahead of themselves, with energy requiring a much bigger audience and venue to fully appreciate their talent. The acoustics in the small venue accentuated the exuberant guitar riffs of David Barker, but didn’t quite do justice to the band as a whole. Fidel, who sounds very much like Keith Murray of We Are Scientists, was drowned out by the volume of the base. While we couldn’t distinguish many of the lyrics, the set nonetheless kept the thin Monday night crowd tapping along and us wishing they had been scheduled upstairs on the main stage instead.

Their set included three catchy tracks off the band's self-titled EP: "Atmosphere," "Imaginary," and "The Message." Each song differs just enough from the next to add variety to their sound while maintaining a thread of unity. The Third Programme knows who they are and aren’t wasting any time with a scattered album of experimental tracks. Their five song EP is a solid start to a band with hopefully only good things awaiting them in the future.

Visit them at: www.myspace.com/thethirdprogramme

See them next: November 18th at DC9, 10pm.

Questions for The Third Programme:

How did you guys meet? Were you all in any other bands pre TTP?

Simon Ley: During the last days of my time with the band Morris, Dave and I bumped into each other at The Darkness concert at the 9.30 club which was years after we'd played together in a band that lasted five minutes. We decided to get together and play to see what clicked, he showed up with Christian. It clicked. Then we spent a year looking for a singer who we found at an Outland show, he was the singer of the band. We talked him out of that and into this.

David Barker: I had all but given up trying to form a band in DC. My last band had just released our debut cd and had a showcase set for CMJ of 2003, then suddenly disbanded. But playing the guitar is what I do, so luckily I ran into Simon again @ the Darkness show. I remember he loved Oasis and the Stone Roses, and he's a great drummer. I knew Christian was looking to play bass in a band, and he's into The Cure, New Order, and many other brit pop and post punk bands that I adore. We jammed for what seemed like ages before we found Fidel, who's a talented singer and guitar player.

Fidel Quintela: I received an e-mail with some demos from Simon after he and David caught an Outland show at DC9. I didn't have to listen very long before deciding it would be a good idea to get together. I've been in quite a few bands, the last being Outland. Call it serendipity but I'm glad Simon and Dave were at DC9 that night as matters were coming to a close for me in Outland.

Christian Baldo: I've been in a number of bands that few have had the misfortune of hearing. I won't mention them specifically now, and I'd appreciate you not bringing it up again.

Assuming it is taken from the BBC radio show, does the name choice have anything to do with your many British influences?

Simon Ley: Sort of, I suppose - I'm English and my mum thought of the name, she's English and she used to listen to The Third Programme (BBC Radio) and she was inspired when I told her about when we went to see Radio 4, except they're from NY...but in a round-about-way, yes, it is.

As a newcomer, what do you think it takes to stand out from the rest of the pack?

Simon Ley: If you come fully prepared with good songs and tight performances and plenty of both, it should be a piece of piss.

David Barker: I think having memorable songs and good recordings are key. People aren't likely to come to your shows, unless you have some really professional sounding recordings.

Fidel Quintela: There are also a few non-musical factors that are often overlooked by bands. One is the ability to focus and work hard. That leads into the need for definable goals or a plan, without which all that hard work is for nothing.

Christian Baldo: Stunning good looks, irresistible charm, and sponsorship from a major corporation. Or hot chicks. Cripes, we're screwed.

What do you find is the most successful form of promotion for the band?

Simon Ley: Dave's relentless hounding of his customers at the Guitar Center.

David Barker: I work very hard to get people out to our shows, and we have been fortunate to have some good crowds come support us. I do work at Guitar Center, and I hook a lot of people up with really good discounts and have been luckily to make a lot of great friendships along the way.

Christian Baldo: I'm a firm believer in really giving something back to the audience - an incentive to come and see us, and a reason to come back for more. Perhaps doing something new at our next show that we didn't do at the last, just to mix things up a bit. For instance, at our upcoming show with Death By Sexy, we'll be keeping most of our clothing on. Probably.

Why should we pick-up your new EP. What can The Third Programme do for us?

Simon Ley: You'll own a piece of history.....The Third Programme guarantee something unlike the rest of what is out there - most satisfying guitar rock, that has balls.

David Barker: I think the guitar is more prominent in our music than most local bands. We're not doing the light Brit Pop, ColdPlay thing that's so popular right now. Any band that I love, whether it be The Verve, The Stone Roses, The Church or Led Zeppelin, has an emphasis on the guitar. They share memorable riffs and melodies and I think that helps the songs stand out, especially live. I throw in little solos and melodies that compliment Fidel's vocals.

Fidel Quintela: I agree with David that the guitar is more prominently featured in our songs and that is not the norm among our peers. It's easy to overdo the guitar rock thing and slip into anachronism but I think it's handled tastefully in The Programme.

Christian Baldo: At the very least, The Third Programme can help prevent permanent damage to wooden surfaces - the cardboard sleeves of our EPs are delightfully absorbent and can easily handle the most extreme cases of condensation from pint glasses.

On what stage would you most like to be playing someday?

Simon Ley: Any stage with lots of people there to see us.

Christian Baldo: I wouldn't mind being a featured artist on "Pancake Mountain." Failing that, I'd also be open to sharing the stage with the animatronic musicians at Chuck E. Cheese's. It's good to set attainable goals.

Who writes the songs, and from where do you draw your inspiration?

Fidel Quintela: David will usually come in with a riff or an idea and if it resonates with the rest of us, we'll work on it. Good or bad, we're never at a loss for ideas. Lyrically, I try to stay away from anything too overt or didactic. Otherwise, I'll experiment with melodic ideas and from there phrases will usually come about that will steer the lyrics in a certain direction. For the most part, I deal with moods and tones, seldom writing from a concrete idea. For me, it's more interesting that way.

What are your favorite albums?

Simon Ley: Mine is whatever I'm into at the time - now it's Graham Coxon's Happiness in Magazines.

David Barker: Hands down, The Verve's Urban Hymns. That's a very important record to me. It has the atmosphere that I love, and that record sounds like a band striving for greatness. To me they succeeded

Fidel Quintela: I can't commit to one but I'm currently listening to Beck's The Information and Bowie's Ziggy Stardust.

Christian Baldo: Although admittedly typical, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless.

What are a few of your favorite local bands?

Simon Ley: (tso) K, Wierd War, Thee Snuff Project, The Chance.

David Barker: My favorite DC band was a band called Phaser, it's a shame they're not around anymore. I really like Death by Sexy, I think they rock. Carol Bui is really talented. I also really like Exit Clov. Their new ep is great.

Fidel Quintela: the sounds of kaleidoscope tops the list for me.

Christian Baldo: My current favorite local is Middle Distance Runner. I've yet to hear the Chance's new lineup, but I've loved their work thus far.

What is your opinion of the DC music scene? Both positives and negatives.

Simon Ley: Small, Good bands are few - more chance to stand out. On the negative side, most people here aren't into live music, small.

David Barker: There are more places to play than there were 3 years ago. Also more people seem to be coming out to shows which is cool.

Christian Baldo: One thing I've recently become more and more aware of is that there's an impressive amount of camaraderie among many of the musicians in DC. Bands helping other bands get shows, attending each other's performances, sharing resources, and sometimes sharing members. It was pleasantly surprising to find such a warm family dynamic in the music community. Strangely, though, no one seems to want to lend me money or let me crash on their couch while I'm between jobs.

Photo from the band'sMySpace page