Third Of Never’s Jon Dawson always gets his man. Growing up in North Carolina, he’d often drive through a cornfield blasting Green Thoughts at maximum volume. Years later, there he was in a New Jersey recording studio with late Smithereens frontman Pat DiNizio and the band’s drummer, Dennis Diken. The latter would go on to make guest appearances on Third Of Never’s first two albums, 2007’s Moodring and 2013’s Downrising.
For years, Dawson was the music and humor writer for North Carolina’s Kinston Free Press, where he won 11 awards from the state’s press association and published a pair of books. The Connells were one of his favorite bands during his tenure there. After hearing Doug MacMillan on a local podcast, he reached out to the Connells lead singer, who agreed to listen to some demos. In a matter of days, MacMillan was an official member of Third Of Never. Other high-profile guests on the band’s self-released third album, Damage The Pearl, include the Church’s Steve Kilbey and former Who keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick.
The music for the title track was inspired by an alternate guitar tuning Dawson picked up from John Fahey. “Lyrically, the song sprung from the Southern phrase, ‘We’re in the short rows.’ That led to a sufi poem and a productive writing session while sitting at Doug MacMillan’s dining-room table.”
As he finalized the songs for the new album, Dawson locked into a recurring theme. Working with Raleigh-based director Brent Clark, he fleshed out his treatment into a full-fledged road movie that’s being readied for the festival circuit. Damage The Pearl is now officially a soundtrack, and the video for the title track features scenes from the film. The performance footage was shot at the Pour House in Raleigh and Earthtones Studio in Greensboro, N.C.
We’re proud to premiere Third Of Never’s “Damage The Pearl” video.
—Hobart Rowland
