The Third Bardo

The Third Bardo
OriginNew York City, New York, United States
Genres
Years active1967
LabelsRoulette
Past membersBruce Ginsberg
Damian Kelly died 11/25/20
Richy Seslowe
Ricky Goldklang
Jeff Monn died 2023

The Third Bardo was an American psychedelic and garage rock band from New York City, New York. Their name is a reference to the book The Tibetan Book of the Dead.[1]

The group existed for a brief time in the late 1960s. In 1967 they released their only single, "I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time",[2] a song co-written by Rusty Evans (a.k.a. Marcus Uzilevsky), a former folk singer and leader of the psychedelic proto-punk band The Deep, and Vicky Pike, the wife of the record's arranger and producer Teddy Randazzo.[1] "Five Years Ahead of My Time" received some radio exposure until it was pulled for its perceived drug references, and only years later was recognized as a 1960s garage rock classic due to its inclusion in compilations such as the Pebbles garage/psych compilations.

Though short-lived, the band still performed in local Manhattan venues during their existence, including Arthur's Tavern and Ondine. They also appeared on the Cleveland-based television show Upbeat.[3]

The Third Bardo only had one recording session, which yielded six tracks in all including "Rainbow Life" which was released as the B-side to "I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time". Their technique of Eastern melody and distorted guitar made the single distinctive to the rock scene.[3]

The band broke up in 1967, soon after recording, and Jeff Monn began a solo career as Chris Moon. He released an album named The Chris Moon Group in 1970.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Third Bardo - I'm Five Years Ahead of my Time". psychedelicrocknroll.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  2. ^ "Third Bardo - Lose Your Mind". tyme-machine.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Classic Singles: The Third Bardo". cosmicmindatplay.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "Chris Moon". badcatrecords.com. Retrieved February 27, 2015.