Three was a post-hardcore band that released music on Dischord Records. The group was active from summer 1986 until its breakup in early 1988.[1]
The band's initial lineup included Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson of Minor Threat, along with Geoff Turner and Steve Niles of Gray Matter. MacKaye soon left the band and was replaced by Mark Haggerty, also from Gray Matter.[2] Following MacKaye's departure, the group sought a new singer—auditioning Bruce Merkle of 9353—before deciding to proceed with Turner as vocalist. "Turner's increasingly sophisticated songwriting and Nelson's powerful, precise drumming distinguished the band from Gray Matter," Mark Andersen and Mark Jenkins' observed in their history of the Washington, D.C. punk scene, Dance of Days.[3]
Three's song "Swann Street" was described by Washingtonian magazine as one of the D.C. punk scene's "most enduring songs" and "an anthem of youthful confusion that still resonates."[4]
Their sole album, Dark Days Coming was released in 1989 (after the band broke up), and remastered in 2010.[5] The group also contributed an acoustic version of their song, "Swann Street," to the State of the Union compilation that Dischord Records released in 1989.[6]