Image Credit: Martin F. Vielma/Crackle

A few years ago, Grammy-winning record producer and unofficial sixth Radiohead member Nigel Godrich was lamenting the lack of the great music-based television shows like The Old Grey Whistle Test as well as great experiments like The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. So he did something about it and created From the Basement, a series with a simple premise: Great bands performing killer songs in a small room with no audience.

“I think what happened was MTV came along in the ’80s and destroyed the way that people film music on television,” Godrich told EW via phone from London. “The performance ended up in the edit, and it wasn’t very direct. It’s a selfish thing, really—as a music fan, I really wanted to see people performing on television, so we went ahead and did it. Musicians hate doing TV because it’s such a different world and a horrible environment for them, so wouldn’t it be cool for me as a music person to do a TV show? Then I could get something out of them that TV shows wouldn’t get.”

The series has mostly existed online and on U.K. television, but the third season—premiering this summer—will be featured the 3D network 3net. That means that not only will you be able to experience dynamic performances by the likes of the Shins, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Feist, and Foster the People, but you’ll also be able to watch them in 3D

“I was quite cynical about it when it was suggested to me,” Godrich admitted of the introduction of 3D. “I’m very careful about anything that seems like a gimmick, but the technology is so good and it looks so amazing. When you see a photograph of an Impressionist painting, it doesn’t really make sense until you go to France and stand in the museum and watch this thing vibrate in front of your face. It really is another level of intimacy, and it really translates in a really sophisticated way.”

Of course, those not equipped to view things in three dimensions won’t be left out in the cold, as From the Basement will be available on Crackle, which is available on a bunch of different smartphones as well as video game systems. That will let you catch stuff like the Shins performing “Bait and Switch,” which you can watch in the exclusive clip below.  READ FULL STORY »