Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

This week, we're slaying the proverbial demons of jangle pop with Andy Jossi (Switzerland) and Gretchen DeVault (USA) from transatlantic "jangle gaze" duo The Blue Herons! The Blue Herons create wistful dreampop with a cinematic sense of space and emotion, lit by sparkling layers of guitars and clear, expressive vocals. Since their debut in 2020., their music has drawn comparisons to The Sundays, Alvvays, Hatchie, and Sea Lemon. Their latest album, Demon Slayer (Shelflife Records), broadens their sonic palette and emotional range. Written over the course of a year, the album took shape through an inspired back-and-forth between two prolific songwriters trading sketches, melodies, and ideas across time zones. The result feels immediate and deeply collaborative: two distinct musical voices weaving texture and melody into something greater than the sum of its parts. What emerges is a sound rooted in melody but driven by feeling. Plus, join in on a brand new O3L game - "Jingle Jangle" - in which your favorite jangle pop artists meet commercial jingles. Not to give any spoiler alerts, but...point for Andy! Thanks to Ed Mazzucco from Shelflife Records for the introduction. Jangle on, friends! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you ready to rumble?!? Very few topics seem to provoke as much heated debate as power pop - what (and who) is power pop? This week, we dare tackle our Top 5 Power Pop Songs of the '90s. Raise your pitchforks! Nah, we're not worried...because, truth be told, power pop during the decade would have looked drastically different without our Third Lad this week, Dean Brownrout. As the co-founder of the crucial indie label Big Deal, Dean is responsible for releasing some of the greatest power pop records of the era, including The Wondermints, Gladhands, The Vandalias, the indispensable four volume compilation series Yellow Pills, and many more. Dean recounts his quarter century’s worth of adventures in the music business in his witty, nostalgic, honest memoir No Big Deal (Guernica Editions Inc.). From his beginnings promoting metal and hardcore shows to running pivotal labels, No Big Deal offers a revealing glimpse into the triumphs, tribulations, and tragedies of the last of the record industry’s glory days. No big deal, eh? It's a REALLY big deal 'round these parts, buddy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the '60s, thousands of young rock n' roll hopefuls picked up instruments and took to the garage to play music that was loud, raw, primitive, and spiked with attitude. It was a sound that was later branded as "garage rock", and it became massively influential when these wild records were rediscovered by a new generation of bands through seminal compilation albums like the Lenny Kaye-curated Nuggets compilation (Elektra, 1972). Many bands included garage rock staples in their repertoire and released cover versions, which is our focus today. One of the songs on the Nuggets album that grabbed younger listeners by the jugular was "Let's Talk About Girls" by The Chocolate Watchband, with its driving rhythm, fuzzed-out guitar, and snarling vocals. What many didn't realize was that the Watchband's version was a cover of a 1967 song by Tucson, Arizona garage punks The Grodes (released under the name of The Tongues of Truth), written and sung by the band's guitarist/songwriter and this week's Third Lad Manny Freiser. From 1965-1968, The Grodes racked up a series of local hits and future garage classics, including the oft-covered "Cry A Little Longer", "Uh Huh Girl", and "Love Is A Sad Song". After the demise of the band, Manny and his second wife Patti McCarron headed west to LA to record as the folk-rock duo Fire & Rain, best known for their Billboard Top 100 version of Barbara Lewis's "Hello Stranger". While working as a record executive for A&M Records in the '80s, he also recorded as the mysterious Ian Messenger, and continues to write and record new material. If that weren't enough (oh yeah, did we also mention he was an attorney?!?!), he's recently chronicled his life through the end of the '60s in his memoir Tracks in the Sands of Time. It's a warm, witty, nostalgic, and sometimes lascivious tale of the other side of the era - from the perspective of someone who didn't quite "make it big" but has plenty of stories to tell. It's an entertaining and fascinating page turner that will leave you thinking, "what happened next?" Fortunately, Volume 2 is coming soon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1980s, college radio served as a vital alternative to increasingly corporate and playlist-driven commercial radio. These stations became incubators for emerging alternative genres, provided early exposure for artists who would later become influential acts, and championed independent labels, local scenes, and adventurous programming. In a tenth anniversary book issued in 1989, CMJ, the trade journal for college radio, published a list of the Top 250 most played songs from the publication's first decade (1979 - 1988). These week, we are picking our Top 5 lists from the CMJ chart. The full list is here: https://pulsemusic.proboards.com/thread/171053/cmjs-top-singles-1979-1989? Joining us is an indie rock icon who is no stranger to college radio airplay. Tammy Ealom is the force of nature behind one of the coolest indie bands ever to roam the earth and part of the Elephant 6 collective, Denver's Dressy Bessy. After a few singles and EPs, Dressy Bessy released their classic 1999 debut, Pink Hearts Yellow Moons, which many listeners discovered through prominent placement in Jamie Babbit's cult film But I'm A Cheerleader (starring Natasha Lyonne). In 2017, Tammy played a solo gig at the Athens Popfest under the name of The Tammy Shine; in February 2026, the first album by The Tammy Shine, OK Shine OK, was released by Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records. It's a showcase of Tammy's "clutterpunk" vision, balancing toughness with vulnerability, and grit with melodic charm. Plus...the single dumbest O3L game? You be the judge, as the gang TRIES to get through the radio call letter game "KO3L". Thanks to Mike Turner from HHBTM for the introduction, and John Hill (Tammy's husband, Dressy Bessy bandmate, and Apples In Stereo guitarist) for the coordination! Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we grab the reins on a discussion of self-produced albums; that is, records on which the artist takes control over their own vision and not only performs the music, but takes responsibility for the final production as well. Joining us on this an exploration is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and pop craftsman who has been a vital part of the New York City music scene, George Usher.   George was a member of Beat Rodeo on their second and final album from 1986, Home in the Heart of the Beat, he’s written with Richard Barone from The Bongos, and has led or played in bands like The Decoys, The Schramms, and House of Usher during the ‘80s & ‘90s.  It only takes one listen to his two disc anthology, The End and The Beginning 1990-2009, to recognize that George Usher has amassed a jaw-droppingly great catalogue of Byrdsy folk-rock jangle, melodic power pop, and brilliant chamber pop over the years.  After a couple of gorgeous records with singer/songwriter Lisa Burns over the past decade, George is back with Stevensonville, a multi-media project that’s a long time in the making - a 12-part illustrated song-cycle moving through a fictional town and its residents.  But don’t go looking for Stevensonville on streaming services right now - this is an experience to be enjoyed on vinyl LP and its accompanying 28 page booklet through georgeusher.bandcamp.com.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climb aboard the mothership...because we wants to funk YOU up! This week, we celebrate the music of the P-Funk universe - revolving around the nucleus of the George Clinton-led Rock & Roll Hame of Fame bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. Joining us as our Third Lad is none other than "Kidd Funkadelic" himself, P-Funk guitar hero Michael Hampton! Led by visionary bandleader George Clinton, the wildly influential collective known as Parliament and Funkadelic — together dubbed “P-Funk” — revolutionized funk music in the 1970s by blending deep grooves, psychedelic rock, outrageous sci-fi mythology, and fearless social commentary into a universe all their own. Featuring an ever-evolving cast of legendary musicians including Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Eddie Hazel, Michael Hampton, and Maceo Parker, P-Funk produced a staggering run of groundbreaking albums and hits that helped shape funk, hip-hop, R&B, rock, and electronic music for generations to come. Equal parts musical movement, cosmic philosophy, and extravagant stage spectacle, P-Funk remains one of the most creative and influential forces in popular music history. After receiving his first guitar at age 10, a determined Michael became self-taught with the help of his bedroom radio, spending days on end playing along with Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery and B.B. King records. After studying jazz guitar in high school, an impromptu backstage audition for George Clinton in 1974 earned 17-year-old Michael a seat on the Parliament mothership alongside the immortal Eddie Hazel, under the name “Kidd Funkadelic”.  Hampton has spent the past half-century playing nearly 400 shows with the band, in 25 countries across 6 continents. Among Hampton’s Funkadelic writing credits are group staples like “Who Says a Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?!” and “Funk Gets Stronger”, both released during the group’s late-’70s/early-’80s hit run. His lead guitar is also embedded in the DNA of 90s hip-hop’s G-Funk movement—Dr. Dre’s “Let Me Ride” samples Parliament’s “Mothership Connection”, Ice Cube’s “Bop Gun” borrows elements of Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove”, while De La Soul’s “Me Myself and I”, Digital Underground’s “Kiss You Back”, and Snoop Dogg’s “What’s My Name?” all draw from Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choo-chooooo! All abooooooooard! This train may not run on time, but it does run off the rails...and fast. This week, the Lads complete their "Metal MAY-hem" trifecta by covering the heaviest metal of 'em all: trains. Joining in on the fun is Wallace Dietz and Dan-O Deckelman, who make up the creative engine of the Richmond, VA post-punk locomotive The Melody Chamber. Their self-titled debut (HHBTM Records/Too Good to Be True) landed not only in Brett's Top 5 Albums of 2025, but some of you in the O3L Community also named it as your favorite release of the past year. All of the accolades are very well deserved too - the record sounds like some great lost ‘80s album that was discovered in the dusty racks of a defunct college radio station. It contains 10 songs of post-punk and southern gothic jangle pop that not only evoke bands like The Psychedelic Furs, R.E.M., The Smiths, and The Chameleons, but are of such substantial quality that they stack up favorably against those bands. Although this is The Melody Chamber's first record, Dan-O and Wallace are both veteran musicians who have spent decades in indie bands such as The Silent Boys, The Grain Hoppers, Mudd Helmet, and Rocket 69. Grab your ticket and find a seat to hear: The band's unlikely origin story. Based off Uncle Gregg's off-color remark about our new recording platform, Brett picks an unfortunate new moniker. Silent applause. Train conceptions. Jumping trains. Stickin' it to Sisters of Mercy. New O3L t-shirt ideas (hint: our inspirations are Manowar and the "My Pillow" guy). Pilfering poetry. "Decide, don't hesitate"...to do a classic, no-holds-barred Uncle Gregg rant. Thanks to Mike Turner from HHBTM for introduction! So, whaddya waiting for? Come on, ride the train (woo-woo)! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got another six pack of fresh tunes for you in our "show within the show" bonus! This week, Brett chats with composer/keyboardist Johnny Iguana from Chicago band The Claudettes, as they prepare to release their 7th album, Garage Glamour, due June 5th from Pravda Records. “Garage glamour” is about as apt a term as you can get to describe a band who has defied neat categorization over the years - mixing gritty blues, passionate soul, rabid rock n’ roll, cabaret jazz, cinematic drama, slinky funk, and a DIY punk spirit into a sound that’s all theirs.  Outside of the band, Johnny has made an international name for himself as the co-composer of the score for the hit TV show The Bear, as well as playing with legendary musicians like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Junior Wells, and Johnny Winter. We bookend the six pack with two tracks from The Claudettes (including a duet between Claudettes chanteuse Rachel Williams and Chicago blues legend John Primer), plus four other songs that we think you will dig as much as we do! During this six pack, you will hear: 1) The Claudettes (with John Primer) - "(You Are My) Whole World" (from the upcoming LP Garage Glamour, Pravda Records) 2) Grey Disco - "Vigil" (from the LP Shades) 3) J. Mau & The Kiss Off - "Poison" (single) 4) The Rallies - "I Believe" (from the LP No Better Time) 5) The Get Alongs - "Sunday Afternoon" (from the forthcoming LP Second To None, Having Fun/We Are Busy Bodies) 6) The Claudettes - "That Could Be Arranged" (from the LP Garage Glamour, Pravda Records) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

O3L's Metal MAY-hem continues, but this week we're talking about a different kind of heavy metal: the kind you drive. From “Rocket 88” to “Little Red Corvette”, the automobile has long been a popular subject in song, representing freedom, escape, prosperity, power, control, solitude, safety, danger, or passion.  Some artists simply sing about cars because cars are cool. Much like a classic ‘57 Chevy or ‘69 Rambler, our Third Lad this week is an American treasure.  Ben Vaughn is a singer/songwriter who has built an eclectic catalogue of wry, literate songs, from the roots rock of The Ben Vaughn Combo in the ‘80s to power pop, garage rock, folk, easy listening, country, Tex Mex, surf, TV (3rd Rock from the Sun), and movies (Psycho Beach Party)…you name it and he’s probably done it.  Healso hosts the weekly syndicated radio show The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn and performs regularly in the U.S. and Europe. Vaughn is known for producing artists such as Ween, Arthur Alexander, and Charlie Feathers, and for collaborations with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton. As the leader of The Ben Vaughn Combo and through his solo albums—including the cult classic Rambler ’65, recorded entirely in his car—he has built a devoted following in his native Philadelphia, his adopted home of L.A. and beyond. His songs have also been recorded by artists including Marshall Crenshaw, The Morells, and Deer Tick. Get revved up and ready to go! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Metal MAY-hem over here at O3L! This week, we're talking about some of the metal albums that we would recommend to alt-rock fans, whether it be the thundering classics whose influence crossed stylistic boundaries or the albums that could serve as a gateway into the genre for the uninitiated. And, when we say "uninitiated", we might as well be talking about Brett. Fortunately, not only has Uncle Gregg been a connoisseur of metal for many years, but our Third Lad is the singer/songwriter/guitarist V of alt-metal band Buried Beneath Me. Fusing the raw aggression of post-hardcore with the cinematic weight of progressive metalcore, the band delivers a sonic assault of towering riffs, crushing breakdowns, and lyrics drenched in introspection and despair. With a reputation for dark, immersive storytelling and a sound that balances brutality and melody, Buried Beneath Me's 2025 concept album The House of Ash creates an atmosphere that pulls listeners into its abyss. Each track is a journey—a descent into struggle, self-destruction, and the fight to rise from the ashes. Sounds pretty dark and heavy, right? Well, then, it seems like the perfect guest to rope into a rousing O3L game - "METAL LORDS", in which contestants decipher lyrics to decide whether they are from a metal song...or a Christian song. It's a fine line, y'know. Whether you're a seasoned headbanger or a newbie growing out a sweet mullet, you are invited into our lair of doom...if you dare! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you all sitting comfybold two square on your body? Then I'll begin. We return to the topic of the concept album...with a spin. Some concept albums simply don't work without context. Others function as a cohesive collection of songs, even divorced from a weighty backstory or overarching theme. Those are the records that Brett Vargo discusses with this week's Third Lad, Bill Kopp. You may remember renowned music scribe Bill Kopp from his O3L appearance a few years back discussing his book on classic San Francisco indie label 415 Records, Disturbing The Peace. Now Bill's back, celebrating the release of his latest book, What's The Big Idea - 30 Great Concept Albums, out now on Hozac Books. In What's The Big Idea, Bill explores 30 remarkable concept albums, drawing from new, firsthand interviews with the artists behind their creation, including Pete Townshend, Steve Kilbey, Captain Sensible, Utopia, and William Shatner. While there are some well-known classic concept albums covered such as The Pretty Things' S.F. Sorrow and Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick, much of the book is dedicated to lesser known gems that dispel the myth that the concept album died in the mid-1970s. Order the book at: https://hozacrecords.com/product/pre-order-whats-the-big-idea-30-great-concept-albums-book-by-bill-kopp/ We also feature music by the great veteran Australian singer-songwriter Greg Williams ('Everyday Is Your Birthday') and Pillars of Creation, a band comprised mostly of early Creation Records musicians - led by Jasmine Minks' Jim Shepherd and featuring members of Primal Scream, The Loft, and June Brides ('Be Careful What You Wish For'). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DON'T you forget about us. DO listen to this week's O3L! That's right...we're covering songs with "do" or "don't" in the title. Our Third Lad is French songwriter/guitarist Stéphane Schück from The Salt Collective, the unique international collaborative project who recently released their second full-length album, A Brief History of Blindness, on Propeller Sound Recordings. The record features vocal, instrumental, and/or songwriting contributions by a wildly impressive "who's who" of indie rock, including Chris Stamey and Gene Holder (The dB's), Mitch Easter (Let's Active), Andy Partridge (XTC), Jason Falkner (Jellyfish), Kimberly Rew (The Soft Boys, Katrina & the Waves), Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Aimee Mann (Til Tuesday), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), the late, great Lynn Blakey (Tres Chicas, Let's Active), Pat Sansone (Wilco), Rob Ladd (The Connells) and more. It's a striking testament to what can happen when great musical minds orbit under the spell of the same creative gravity. Thanks to Howard Wuelfing from Howlin' Wuelf Media for the introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hope you like curling up with a good podcast, because this week we're all about books...well, specifically, songs that are about or inspired by literature. How high brow of us! Our Third Lad for this discussion is "literate folk-pop" singer/songwriter Robert Deeble. Literary themes are central to the heart of his music, and his recently released 7th album, The Space Between Us, is no exception. It's another invitation into the secret, beautiful world he has been building since his 1997 debut, Days Like These. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're gonna make you an offer you can't refuse...because this week, we go way back to discuss some of our favorite songs of 1972 with the marvelous Anne Richmond Boston from The Swimming Pool Q's! Possessing a crystalline voice, Anne's journey led her from church and high school choirs to the quirky new wave of the Swimming Pool Q's. Following their debut album The Deep End on DB Records in 1981, the Q's were one of the first Atlanta/Athens areas bands to be snapped up by a major label. For A&M, they recorded their self-titled second album (1984) and Blue Tomorrow (1986). A major tour with Lou Reed ensued, as did a major label makeover. Anne left the Q's in 1987, with her terrific solo debut, The Big House of Time (largely written by and recorded with then husband Rob Gal from The Coolies) following for DB in 1990. With such a promising start to her solo career, surely a second album was hot on its heels. Right??? Well, the intended follow up, I Should Be Happy, was recorded, roughly mixed, and then shelved for 30+ years for unknown reasons. Fortunately, the tapes were revitalized, revamped, and are at long last released! It's a beautiful song cycle about longing and loss, featuring a notable cast of musicians and singers. That should make us ALL happy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the darkest, most spiteful O3L yet! Thanks to an expected guest standing us up at the last minute, after 322 episodes of musical positivity, this week it's all about pushing each other's musical hot buttons. We each curate a list of five songs that we believe the other will loathe. Detest. Hate. Which means you get more scorn. More disgust. More Uncle Gregg rants. More annoying Brett "grunge voice" imitations. Lucky...you!?!? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The merit in action lies in finishing it to the end." - Genghis Khan Well, you'll definitely want to finish this six pack to the end, because this week it's all about Meritorio in action. That is, Meritorio Records, the splendid Madrid-based record label founded by Álvaro Lissón that has been connecting some of the finest indie pop/rock artists with worldwide audiences for nearly a decade. During this six pack, you'll hear the following recent tracks by a selection of Meritorio artists: 1) Prism Shores - "I Didn't Mean To Change My Mind" (from the upcoming LP Softest Attack) 2) Dancer - "Always Running" (from the LP More or Less) 3) The Maureens - "Me & My Friend" (from the forthcoming LP Don't Give Up) 4) The Kitchenettes - "Sunday Best" (single) 5) Rural France - "Lonely Heart Pyramid Scheme" (from the forthcoming LP Sloths) 6) Fort Not - "Careless Love" (from the LP You On Repeat) Support this great label and its roster at https://meritoriorec.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What the world needs now...is O3L, sweet O3L! The lads are joined by guitarist/vocalist duo Eric McFadden and Kate Vargas — collectively known as Sgt. Splendor — to count down the top five songs this messed-up world needs right now. The conversation explores how music can heal, empower, and unite in difficult times. Guest Bios: Eric McFadden — A spellbinding guitarist with a catalog stretching back to the mid-'80s punk band Angry Babies. He's played with George Clinton & P-Funk All Stars, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Jackson Browne, Joe Strummer, Anders Osborne, Fishbone's Angelo Moore, among many others. Kate believes that Eric is one of the greatest guitarists of all time...and who are we to disagree? Kate Vargas — A singer-songwriter with five acclaimed solo albums, including Golden Hour in the House of Lugosi (2025). Known for her gritty voice and evocative storytelling. Eric believes that Kate belongs in an elite group of songwriters that include Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen...and who are we to disagree? About Sgt. Splendor: Eric and Kate met at Pat McDonald's (of Timbuk 3 fame) Steel Bridge Song Fest at the Holiday Music Motel in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Their collaboration blends hard rock, riff blues, junkyard folk, desert psychedelia, alternative funk, and carnival-esque vibes. Their third album, Isotopia, is out now on Mother West. Other Topics Discussed: The Soil Dove immersive circus/dinner show featuring Joan Baez Eric's personal encounters with Joe Strummer The origin story of Sgt. Splendor at Steel Bridge Song Fest The making of Isotopia Their cover of Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta" Uh...Lou Bega. Music Featured: Sergeant Splendor — "Brave, Rough, and Ready to Go" Sergeant Splendor — "Play On" Connect: sgtsplendor.com facebook.com/onlythreelads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BIFF! This week, we're focusing on Album 1-2 punches...that is, albums where the first two songs knock you out. BANG! Our Third Lad is Ben Crum from long-running Elephant 6 band Great Lakes. POW! More than 25 years and eight records on from Great Lakes' classic debut, Ben Crum returns with a fantastic new Great Lakes album, Don't Swim Too Close (HHBTM Records). The immediately accessible record draws from classic rock tradition, echoing both the Americana spirit of The Band and Neil Young and the proto-indie rock of Television and the Velvet Underground. Crum's dry humor bubbles up throughout, tempering heavy, earnest moments with wit. WHAMMO! This is very likely to be the only music podcast you listen to today that incorporates both boxing and Scuffy the Tugboat references. KO!! Thanks for Mike Turner from HHBTM Records for the introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the first full weekend of Daylight Savings Time here in (most parts of the) U.S. You bring the sunshine, and we'll supply the tunes! Brett Vargo chats with electropunk pioneer Peter Pepper about his journey from a "dirtbag punk kid" growing up in Florida to becoming an underground cult hero of a genre he accidentally helped to create. He is currently a renowned multimedia creator, world-traveling storyteller, and founder of the AdventurePunk movement - a philosophy centered on curiosity, reinvention, and crafting meaning through exploration and doing something rather than nothing...even if it's hard. Featured in our most eclectic six pack yet: 1) Peter Pepper - "Monday Night Electropunk" (single) 2) Mekons - "Mudcrawlers (Version)" feat. Benji Webbe (from the forthcoming LP Horrorble, Fire Records) 3) The Sweetest Ache - "Briaris" 4) Heavenly - "Robas Escenas" (original version from the LP Highway To Heavenly, Skep Wax Records) 5) Special Friend - "Isolation" (from the LP Clipping, Skep Wax Records) 6) Boiled In Lead - "King of the Dogwoods" (from the LP King of the Dogwoods, Omnium Records) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re covering bands who released one…and only one…proper album in their career.  Sometimes they say everything they need to say in one album long statement.  Sometimes, they attempt to chase the same feeling of the first album and can’t quite repeat the magic.  Sometimes they’re not given a chance.  Our Third Lad knows a little something about being in a "one and done" band.  Frank Boscoe’s great ‘90s indiepop band Wimp Factor 14 released exactly one proper album for Little Teddy Records, 1993’s Ankle Deep.  Fortunately, more music followed with his mid-to-late ‘90s band Vehicle Flips, 2000s group The Gazetteers, and this decade, The Ekphrastics.  Fortunately, The Ekphrastics were NOT "one and done," as they released their marvelous third album, All of a Sudden, Pow!, on Harriet Records in September 2025. Like the two albums that preceded it, it contains the kind of songwriting prowess that makes you marvel at how the songs can be so clever, so novel, so well researched, and yet so infectious and accessible.  For example, how about a song called “I’m Going to Read You the Riot Act” where he then ponders where the term came from, and then actually READS you the Riot Act as it was written in 1715 England?  Or how about  the wind chill factor?  Or journeyman first baseman John Jaso?. Experience short stories about aging marching bands, bee stings, COVID testing vans, money-laundering art galleries, rampageous hockey fans, who’s in the obituaries today, and unwritten pop songs.  You can get another glimpse into the mind of Mr. Boscoe in his sixth book of poetry, Tiny Delivery Robots All Over Campus.  Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Croon•er (n) ['kru:nər]: a singer, particularly a male one, who sings sentimental songs in a soft, low voice. Decades before Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, or Uncle Gregg captured the hearts, imaginations, and undergarments of a swooning audience, crooners ruled the earth. The term typically conjures up golden throated singers like Bing Crosby, Nat "King" Cole, Tony Bennett, and Mel Torme interpreting the timeless songs of Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. But one crooner reigned supreme: Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. He was "The Voice," possessing an instrument of rare, pure, crystalline perfection, with a phrasing, tone, and ability to charge every word with such emotion that you can palpably sense his audience getting weak in the knees. Never has Sinatra's legendary 1940s performing career sounded as immaculately and pristinely alive as it does on the SING label's recent archival projects: At the Hollywood Bowl 1943-48; Christmas on the Air; and the 5-LP box set Long Ago, Far Away, all lovingly restored and mastered by an award winning team and featuring exquisitely detailed liner notes by no greater authority than record producer, historian, archivist, author of the acclaimed Sessions with Sinatra, and host of the weekly radio show Sinatra Standard Time, Chuck Granata. We are fortunate to have Chuck join us this week to chat about all things Sinatra: the innovative new sets, his important role in pop music's breakthrough, his classic and most underrated albums, and the use of AI for good. And, of course, because O3L is focused on classic alternative music, our lists cover some of our favorite singers who carried on crooning into the '70s, '80s & '90s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we celebrate the life and music of Elliott Smith, tracing his journey from noisy indie rocker to lo-fi DIY troubadour to the reluctant voice of a generation. Elliott released three records with his band Heatmiser and five solo classics before his untimely passing at the age of 34 in 2003 (with two posthumous collections that followed), leaving a rich, beautiful, emotionally wrought catalogue of music that continues to influence artists today. We explore the complex, brilliant, funny, but ultimately tragic figure that was Elliott Smith, and we are fortunate to have a Third Lad who had a front row seat to his musical development - Lucas Ward from The Silver Snails. Lucas was a close friend of Elliott's (née Steven) in high school and college and shares an intimate portrait of the artist as a young man. But this episode has a dual purpose, as we also celebrate the release of the second Silver Snails album, Speed of Light. The Silver Snails are a glam rock space pop family band based in the wine country of Italy, consisting of Lucas, his wife Elisa Fantini, and aided and abetted by their three children. It's a cosmic delight of an album - a string of ten pearls lovingly crafted to uplift, inspire, and open the hearts of listeners. It draws from a stylistically diverse, spiritually enriched, globally connected palette. Oh, it also rocks and is a lot of fun! And if their cover and video of "Video Killed The Radio Star" doesn't have you smiling from ear to ear, consult a doctor immediately. Learn about Lucas's journey from Portland-raised Wall Street titan to Italian-dwelling psych-pop craftsman. Get a primer on Italian pop music. Laugh. Cry. Feel. Get reaffirmation that you are pretty. Be the faro d'amore. All this and more...only on O3L. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready for six new tunes that hit the mark every single time! Speaking of bullseyes, this week we welcome the charming and talented Nicole Laurenne from "spooky kitten garagepunk" band The Darts and torch/soul/trip-hop project Black Viiolet to O3L! Learn about Nicole's fascinating journey, get a glimpse of her creative process, and marvel at a work ethic that has produced two great new albums in the first quarter of 2026 and a seemingly endless touring schedule throughout the rest of the year. The Darts: https://thedartsus.com Black Viiolet: https://blackviiolet.com In this six pack: 1) The Darts - "Apocalypse" (from the upcoming LP Halloween Love Songs) 2) Fake Friends - "Hyperconnection" (from the LP Let's Not Overthink This, Stomp Records) 3) Softjaw - "Pleased with Me" (from the forthcoming LP Softjaw, Dandy Boy Records / Bachelor Records) 4) Shapes Like People - "Lately" (from the upcoming LP Under The Rainbow, Jangleshop Records) 5) The Suncharms - "Midnight Train" (from the forthcoming LP Darkening Sky, Sunday Records) 6) Black Viiolet - "One" (from the LP Dark Blue, Adrenaline Fix Music) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recycling is good, kids. Sometimes that even applies to song titles, as we look at pairs of tunes that share a title. Totally random example: "The Promise" is a fantastic song by both The Numbers and When In Rome. OK, we can't get anything past you. That wasn't random, because our Third Lads this week just so happen to be Terry & Larry Tutor from the aforementioned Numbers. L.A.-by-way-of-Texas band The Numbers cut some absolutely crucial singles between 1963 and 1967, as well as a couple of highly sought after albums. They were truly ahead of their time, crossing paths with The Who (whom they sued to , The Easybeats, Billy Gibbons, and the Grateful Dead. They were originally shoo-ins to be cast as The Monkees. Although they didn't get their due in their time, their influence on legions of power pop bands that followed is immeasurable. That is, of course, if you were to believe the extraordinarily detailed, myth-building liner notes and discography on the back of The Numbers' album Anthology '64-'67 , released on Bomp! subsidiary label Voxx Records in 1983. Truth is, the band, led by twin brothers Terry & Larry were barely old enough to remember the '60s. Yet, proudly wearing their influences on their paisley sleeves, they created one of the best, most collectible releases of the era (that part's true). Anthology is prime 1983 mod/power pop - brilliantly crafted, melodically rich, and harmonically deep pop music. Although the Tutors would only release one Numbers album in the '80s, they would morph into the "electrified Americana" of The Bordersnakes. Fast forward to 2025 (prompted by a rediscovery by YouTuber Matthew Street), The Numbers released their first new album under that moniker in more than 42 years, Mad Day Out (Bomp! Records). It finds the band with all of their strengths firmly intact, a chiming, harmony-filled blend of joyous folk rock and power pop. The guys say that this is the most fun they've ever had on a podcast...and who are we to argue with that? Plus, for those of who are into O3L games, we've got TWO for you this episode: "O3L by the Numbers", a Price Is Right-style trivia game; and "Twintuition", in which our twin guests reveal how much they know about each other. Turns out it's a lot! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spice up your Valentine's Day weekend with six proverbial vials of Love Potion No. 9...it's a brand new O3L Weekend Six Pack! This "show within the show" spotlights six new songs that we think you need in your life! Brett chats with the wildly talented brothers Matheus and Thiago Khouri from Brazil's Banda AL9. Over the past few years, Banda AL9 has earned millions of social media followers, streams, and viral video views with their irresistible blend of Beatlesque songcraft, tight brotherly harmonies, and fun, infectious energy. Now it's time for American audiences to catch up with their upcoming album on Little Steven's Wicked Cool Records, Hey ! Hey! We're Banda AL9, due on July 17th. The first taste of the new album is their sublime cover of labelmate Kurt Baker's "She Can Do It All." Those of you fortunate enough to be in the New York area can check out the phenomenal pop combo live at the Cutting Room on February 19th! This six pack consists of: 1) Banda AL9 - "She Can Do It All" (from the forthcoming LP Hey! Hey! We're Banda AL9, Wicked Cool Records) 2) The Scarlet Goodbye - "She Is Fire" (The Label Group/Virgin) 3) Randy Klawon - "Spoonful Of Love" 4) Railcard - "Day Dream" (from the LP Railcard, Skep Wax Records) 5) Brighton Strangler - "Georgie Best" (from the forthcoming LP Moves Like Lovers) 6) The Blue Herons - "Willow" (from the forthcoming LP Demon Slayer, Shelflife Records) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ramones. Blondie. Television. Talking Heads. Patti Smith. New York Dolls. Everyone knows the big names that made New York City THE epicenter of American punk rock in the 1970s. But that's only a part of the story... For every band that "made it" in some way, there were hundreds of bands who either faded into obscurity or never got the break they deserved. They shared the same stages at legendary clubs like CBGB and Max's Kansas City. And their stories are essential to the NYC punk revolution of the era. One of those bands was Manhattan's The Rousers, whose drummer, Jerid O'Connell, joins us as Third Lad today!  Rousers 1979 Sire Session is out now on Left For Dead Records on both black and translucent white individually numbered 12” LP vinyl and 2 x CD set (with bonus tracks). Inspired by the New York Dolls, Ramones and such immortal ‘50s rockers as twangy guitar hero Duane Eddy, the Rousers were woefully under-documented in their prime. A few major labels sniffed around, including RCA and Warner Bros. subdi­vision Sire. But no one committed them to vinyl until their single “Party Boy” b/w “Don’t Let The Band Stop Playing” 45 (produced by Wayne Kramer of the MC5) via Jimboco in 1981.  This oversight is corrected with the release of the demos that the original Rousers lineup cut for Sire in the label’s basement studio on New York’s Upper West Side in 1979.  Never before released, the tapes sat shelved in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Sire archives for decades, digitized and re­stored in 2024. This is not a footnote. It’s a rescue mission. Tracked to tape under the sharp ear of Ed Stasium, hot off sessions with the Ramones and Talking Heads, the 1979 Sire demos are raw, radiant, and long overdue for release. They captured the Rousers in full dragstrip ignition mode: dueling Gibson guitars plugged into Fender amps for maximum punk twang, hiccupping Elvis/Buddy Holly vocal inflections, and a rhythm section built for backseat makeouts and beer-splashed dance floors.  We celebrate the true underground of NYC punk this week, including Jerid's incredible stories ranging from hanging out with Sid Vicious the week before his death to the Rousers' neighbor Madonna opening for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes a great frontman? A technically perfect voice? Good looks? Someone who can work the stage and crowd? Someone who oozes personality, charisma, and showmanship? Does your mind instantly go to classic frontmen like Mick Jagger, Roger Daltrey, or Robert Plant? This week, we look at some of those frontmen who carried the torch during the classic alternative era. One of those guys is this week's Third Lad, Adam Sherman, the frontman for Boston power-pop rockers Private Lightning, who released an excellent underrated self-titled album for A&M Records in 1980. Following Private Lightning, Adam was the lead singer and songwriter in Americana band The Souls and a member of Boston rock n' roll institution Nervous Eaters. Adam's song from the last Nervous Eaters album, "Don't Need To Make You Mine" was named as the "Coolest Song in the World" on Little Steven's Underground Garage in 2024. Adam has also released the acclaimed solo albums Songbird, River of Dreams, and Triangle Sky - with a brand new record, Sorrows And Smiles, due the week of this episode's release (Feburary 5, 2026). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the first Weekend Six Pack installment of 2026 - the "show within the show" where we spotlight six new tracks that have rocked our proverbial knickers off! Valentine's Day is coming a couple weeks early this year, because we've got two electrifying new tracks from Marc Valentine album bookending the show - the man who Vive Le Rock calls "the new king of British power pop". Both singles will feature on Marc's upcoming album Uncommon Side Effects, due April 10th from Wicked Cool Records. Better yet, Marc joins Brett to discuss the tunes! In this six pack: Marc Valentine - 'NY UAP' (from the upcoming LP Uncommon Side Effects, Wicked Cool Records) Blindness & Light - 'Fly Paper' (single, from their upcoming LP) Hauntees - 'All Over Again' (from the forthcoming LP Shadows Forming, Xonoring Records) The Legal Matters - 'Stuck With Me' (from the forthcoming LP Lost At Sea, Big Stir Records) Would-be-goods - 'Dr. Love' (from the forthcoming LP Tears Before Bedtime, Skep Wax Records) Marc Valentine - 'You Are The Jet' (from the upcoming LP Uncommon Side Effects, Wicked Cool Records) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since we were young lads, we played the silver ball. From Pacific Beach to Scottsdale, we must have played them all. But you ain't seen nothing like this in any podcast hall. This week, these lads sure talk a mean pinball! Many musicians have been honored with their own branded pinball tables - from The Beatles, The Stones, and Elton John to Iron Maiden, Rush, and Guns n' Roses. What are some other bands who are deserving of their own machine? This week's conversation is fueled by fantasy and fun, as we welcome one of the coolest couples in the world - Mike Felumlee (drummer for Smoking Popes) and Stephanie Wysocki. Mike & Steph have combined their shared passion of raw rock n' roll and pinball into Punk Rock Pinball. They co-host the wonderful podcast of the same name, and host tournaments and live shows at the Punk Rock Pinball HQ. The goal is to foster a scene that feels welcoming, fun,and DIY at any skill level...not intimidating or gatekept. On the fun-o-meter, this episode pretty much gets the high score. Take that, Tommy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your motor runnin', head out on the highway. Yup, this week we're looking for adventure...and whatever comes our way...because it's an O3L Road Trip! Everyone's piling in the van and bringing five albums with them. Our Third Lad this week has not only spent countless hours on the road, but has made some great road trip albums himself! Jamie James is best known as the singer/songwriter/guitarist of the new wave/roots rock band The Kingbees. The Kingbees recorded two albums for RSO Records (Robert Stigwood's classic label that was also home to Bee Gees and Eric Clapton) - the first of which included the Billboard Top 100-charting single "My Mistake" in 1980. Jamie has also played with a late-70s touring version of Steppenwolf, and spent decades playing with musically inclined actors (or is it dramatically inclined musicians?) Harry Dean Stanton and Dennis Quaid. Better yet, Jamie has a new album out on Oglio Records called Straight Up. It channels a lifetime of grit, heartbreak, and swagger into a punchy collection of blues and rock n' roll tunes. You'll hear some amazing tales of rock n' roll - including crashing Apple Records headquarters, getting bottled off the stage while opening for AC/DC and ZZ Top, and getting a pistol pulled on him by Phil Spector while trying to escape listening to a Celine Dion demo! Your only mistake would be NOT listening! Dang it! This van only has an 8-track player?!?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ah, 1990...the year of acid washed jeans, Beverly Hills 90210, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Oh, and lots of Bea Arthur. Of course, none of which we really talk about on this episode. Instead, we're focusing on the best (mostly) alternative albums to come out of that fantastic year. Returning to Third Lad-dom is power pop great Jim Basnight, a fixture on the scene since the late '70s. What has Jim been up to in the past two and a half years since his last appearance? Well, good thing you asked, because the answer is "plenty." For starters, his bands The Meice and The Moberlys were honored with tracks on the definitive Cherry Red box sets Looking For The Magic: American Power Pop in the Seventies and I Wanna Be a Teen Again: North American Power Pop of the '80s. He also released a steady stream of singles throughout 2025 that culminated in the full length album release of Under The Rock in December. As a blues devotee and expert, he's finished writing an exhaustive history of Sonny Boy Williamson, which will hopefully see a silver screen adaptation one day. All that, and he's still found the time to partake in his favorite pasttime - hanging out with O3L. Relive the fun, memories and music of this pivotal year. Plus, play along with the brand new O3L game "Ninety...or Nonsense?!?" It's the most fun you can have without telling someone to "eat my shorts, man!" Buy Jim's music at https://powerpopaholicproductions.bandcamp.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're not quite ready to say goodbye to 2025 yet. Join Uncle Gregg and Brett as they celebrate some of the year's finest LPs...with YOUR help! Oh, and by the way...you think you're Andy Warhol, but you're not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025: Was it a "Golden" year for songs or did it coast on the fumes of 2024's hits? This week, Uncle Gregg and Brett dive in to discuss their top songs of the year that was. Better yet, some of YOU chimed in with your opinions as well! Settle in as we recap the year's most listened-to songs, 2025 trends, discuss the future of physical media, give our 2026 predictions, and much more! Albums of 2025 episode coming soon. Happy New Year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think about your favourite records. Go ahead. Chances are, one of the first things that popped into your head was the album cover. And it makes sense...who hasn’t studied an album jacket while listening to a record?  Or scanned the track listing, or read the liner notes or credits?  How many of you have bought an album solely based on the cover art? The artwork colors how we hear the music, and, likewise, the music informs how we interpret the artwork.  Either way, when done effectively, the two are intertwined. But don’t take it from us.  This week, we have one of THE greatest creative art directors in music history joining as our Third Lad.  There's a near certainty that you have the iconic work of John Kosh sitting in your record collection - and it’s absolutely staggering list of credits since the late ‘60s.  For starters, how about his work as with The Beatles' Apple Records, like Abbey Road, Let It Be, or John & Yoko’s Wedding Album? Or how about Who's Next?  Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out?  Hotel California?  Out Of The Blue, featuring his familiar ELO spaceship logo?  In fact, he is the only Art Director to have worked with The Beatles, The Stones, and The Who.  That’s not enough for you?  Among the hundreds of album covers Kosh has designed, there are also familiar sleeves for Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Marvin Gaye, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffet, Donovan, Aerosmith, Family, The Moody Blues, Badfinger, 10,000 Maniacs, T. Rex, and so, so many more.  And, oh yeah, the four decade string of gorgeous covers he did for Linda Ronstadt, three of which have earned him Grammys. Aside from album covers, there’s artwork for singles, books, TV, film, posters, and billboards - like, for example, the simple but incredibly effective John & Yoko campaign declaring WAR IS OVER…if you want it.  Listen as Kosh recounts stories from his fabled career and discusses his Top 5 Album Covers (other than his own). This is living history, kids! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

’Twas the night of the O3L Holiday Party, and all through the cabin The drinks were a-flowin, and the friends were a-blabbin’ Meanwhile, the snow piled up, it was treacherous out there, And Bob Dylan’s words rang true, you ain’t going nowhere. The turntable hummed with a familiar warm crackle, As laughter rang out with a loud joyful cackle. Mixtapes were stacked by the glow of the fire, Each one tells a story, a hope, a desire. (Oh, and incidentally, cassettes melt, so that’s a really bad idea.) From post-punk to new wave, these songs tell our truth, We argued what really defined the music of our youth. There were games full of nonsense, of trivia and cheer, “Did this actually happen?”—the answer unclear. But what clatter arose, and echoed all through the city It was flippin’ “Word Girl” by Scritti Politti, But oh how they danced, some arguably twerked Brett was seething in the corner, like a judgmental jerk And just when they thought it couldn’t get any funner, “Come on Eileen” came on, by Dexy’s Midnight Runners. We all joined in on the chorus, what a jubilant sound, That is, except Uncle Gregg, but perhaps he’ll come around. So settle in close as for the 6th year, Our holiday tradition is finally here. Tonight, we’re all snowed in at O3L cabin So let the memories start, Let the party begin! Join Uncle Gregg and Brett for a holiday party filled with laughter, (mostly) good cheer, and plenty of holiday spirit(s) - including our friends Joshua, Kimberly (who brought along Timmy the Taxi with her!), Lance, Paul, and Matt & Stefan from Paisley Underground legends The Rain Parade. We make the most of the blizzard-like conditions, making themed mixtapes, playing brand new O3L games ("That's Soooo 2025!") and Alternativity") and spinning future holiday classics by Swansea Sound ("Not My Order"), Mossy Ledge ("Christmas Lights"), Autos ("X-Mas Eve At The Metro"), and Slow Owls ("Counting Down To Christmas"). It may be freezing outside the cabin, but inside we're gettin' LIT! Happy Holidays to you and yours from O3L! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready for more petty arguments, hot takes and fisticuffs*, because we're back with more cover versions that we feel are better than the originals. Annie, are we OK? You betcha! Joining us for this discussion are two members of the iconic Seattle indie pop band Tullycraft, vocalist/songwriter/bassist Sean Tollefson and guitarist Chris Munford. For more than three decades, Tullycraft has married DIY punk ethos to tender twee pop songs featuring charming boy/girl vocals and clever songwriting filled with pop culture references. Appropriately enough, one of their early songs was the brilliantly titled "Pop Songs Your New Boyfriend's Too Stupid To Know About," which not only does a great job of summing up Tullycraft's career but is also the namesake of Sean's great Friday night radio show on Seattle's SPACE 101.1 FM that he hosts with his wife. Tullycraft practically defined the twee movement in the US, inspiring legions of bands, zines, and record labels. Their debut album, 1996's Old Traditions, New Standards, was named as one of Pitchfork's 25 Best Indie Pop Albums of the '90s. And, now they're back with their 8th album, Shoot The Point on HHBTM Records, which runs the full Tullycraft spectrum - from tender, heart squishing moments to full-throttle freakouts. It's fun. It's weird. It's very Tullycraft. Special thanks to Mike Turner from HHBTM for the introduction and coordination. *No podcasters or guests were actually harmed in the making of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, it's all about personal growth with a side of nostalgia. We cover some of the albums that helped to shape or change our taste as music fans, consumers, and/or musicians with Derek Almstead (Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Marshmallow Coast, Circulatory System, Faster Circuits) and Emily Growden (Marshmallow Coast, Faster Circuits) from Elephant 6 band Giant Day. In October, the Elephant 6 Recording Company released Alarm, the second full-length album by Giant Day. Their first, 2024’s Glass Narcissus, bore a unique weight — it wasn’t just a debut album, it was the debut album by the first official Elephant 6 band in more than 15 years. With the 2023 wide-release of the documentary The Elephant 6 Recording Co. codifying the E6 “sound” for some and introducing it to others, what Giant Day conjured into being on Glass Narcissus was notably darker than the lysergic, sun-drenched pop associated with their former Athens, Georgia home.The word “former” is important to Giant Day’s origin story. In 2020, Almstead and Growden moved from Athens to rural Pennsylvania, where they became caretakers of a family farm. They converted the horse stables into a studio and continued to write and record music, but they were dislocated from their sense of the world, let alone anything resembling a “scene.” That lack of place — what Almstead and Growden refer to as the “dissonance” between the beauty of their new home and the reality of the world beyond it — crept into their songs, a desperate signal emanating from off the grid. On Alarm, that signal is stronger, more urgent. The alluring, paranoid throb underpinning their songs is keener now, more lived in, as if the veil between the fears of characters whose points of view Almstead had written from on Glass Narcissus and his own had dropped. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Record Store Day - Black Friday is Friday, November 28, 2025. In this bonus episode, join O3L's Brett Vargo as he spotlights some of the releases that will appeal to classic alternative music fans. Hit our social media and let us know what's on your want list, and what ends up in your shopping bag! Song: American Lips - "Record Store Day" (from the LP On Strike!, Ancient Fashion Records) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**PART TWO** Life is beautiful! This week, we have the extraordinary honour to welcome the creative nucleus of Brett's favourite band of the 21st century...Murray A. Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak from Montreal's orchestral pop noir heroes The Dears! Life is beautiful! We are heading into the future from our normal O3L timeline to the year Two Thousaaaaand (more echo, please) to commemorate the albums that are unbelievably a quarter of century old this year. This includes The Dears' debut album, End Of A Hollywood Bedtime Story. Life is beautiful! We celebrate humble beginnings to a life less ordinary... from an innocent encounter to musical partnership to a love story of marriage and family. Along the way, The Dears have continued to hone their unique brand of indie rock, boast one of the most consistent catalogues of the past 25 years, play in front of 50,000 people at Glastonbury, and garner fan adoration and critical praise (well, mostly...ahem, Pitchfork). Life is beautiful! The Dears' brand new album, Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! is out now on Next Door Records. Their ninth studio album finds them at the top of their game, equal parts passion and compassion, beauty and defiance, intimacy and universality. Part 1 premieres Tuesday, November 25, 2025 Part 2 premieres Thursday, November 27, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Stranger than fiction, larger than life...we are elated to welcome Split Enz singer/songwriter/pianist Tim Finn and keyboardist Eddie Rayner to O3L! This is gonna be a hard act to follow. Formed in 1972 in Auckland, New Zealand, Split Enz, known initially as Split Ends, were, and remain, utterly unique. As the first band from New Zealand to achieve major success beyond the Southern Hemisphere, they blazed a trail with a sound and style entirely their own. Evolving from folk-inspired beginnings into a fusion of art-rock, new wave, and theatrical performance, Split Enz didn’t just follow trends, they genuinely created them. While no one sounded like Split Enz at the time, countless acts have drawn inspiration from their legacy over the past five decades. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut, Mental Notes, the first installment of a landmark archival project, ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two, presents a comprehensive tribute to New Zealand’s most visionary and influential band.  ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two is housed in a deluxe 5-CD box set (also available as a 3-LP + Blu-Ray edition), this release has been curated in close collaboration with the band. It offers an in-depth look at their formative years, showcasing the evolution of a group whose creative spirit reshaped the boundaries of popular music from New Zealand. The CD set features remasters of their first two albums, Mental Notes (1975) and Second Thoughts (1976), a remix of Second Thoughts, a partially remixed, remastered version of the early tracks comp The Beginning of the Enz, and a disc of live tracks, rough tracks, and alternate mixes. ENZyclopedia Volumes 1 & 2 is out now on Chrysalis Records. Special thanks to Maria Malta for the introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we are heading back into the weird and wonderful world of the Elephant 6 collective - this time to talk about E6 obscurities. Yes, "obscurity" is relative. To the casual music fan, perhaps it's all obscure. We take it to mean that we don’t need another episode to extol the virtues of Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane, Over The Sea, Olivia Tremor Control’s Dusk At Cubist Castle, or The Apples In Stereo’s Tone Soul Evolution. Either way, we aim to uncover some of the lesser known gems in the consistently consistent E6 catalogue. Outside of the four founding members - Robert Schneider, Jeff Mangum, Will Cullen Hart, and Bill Doss - there is arguably no bigger name in the E6 universe than Elf Power and their songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Andrew Rieger.  Elf Power is responsible for some of the finest psych-pop and indie rock records since 1995...but we’re actually NOT here today to celebrate the release of a new Elf Power album, but rather roughly five minutes of some of the most surprising music to come out in 2025. Leap Through Poisoned Air is a from the vaults collaboration EP between the late, great Will Cullen Hart, who we lost in 2024, and Andrew Rieger, and released on Rieger and keyboardist Laura Carter’s label Orange Twin.  Thanks to Mike Turner from Crashing Through Publicity for the introduction and coordination! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes too much is just enough! This week, our criteria is simple…but that doesn’t make it easy.  We're looking at albums with 20 or more songs - whether they are long or concise, and regardless of how many slabs of vinyl or hunks of digital plastic are contained within. And, ultimately, it's not about quantity, it's about quality. Just because it's sprawling doesn't mean it can't be purposeful. One such album, weighing in at 27 tracks and nearly 85 minutes, is the purposeful new album Proverbs by Atlanta/Athens band The Shut-Ups. To quote the synopsis on The Shut-Ups Bandcamp page, Proverbs is a “double album full of dubious advice for a stiff-necked people.”  It’s a sprawl of an album that’s rooted in power pop and new wave-influenced indie rock, but covers a dizzying range of stylistic ground, and is all tied together by sardonic songwriting and an irreverent sense of humor.  Our Third Lads are the constant creative force of the Shut-Ups, songwriter/vocalist/keyboardist Don Condescending, and multi-instrumentalist Jason NeSmith…a name that we’ve brought up a bunch of times on this very podcast as he not only also plays in Pylon Reenactment Society and Casper and the Cookies, but is also the renowned mastering engineer behind so many of the sonically and musically great records and reissues by many of our past guests. Get happy with O3L! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, geez, you caught us feeling all nostalgic and celebratory. It's time for the landmark 300th episode of Only Three Lads! During this episode, you'll hear: Your messages! A special visit from the original Third Lad...Bueno! New music from Tony Valentino, The Goods, The Melody Chamber, and The Chelsea Curve A brand new O3L game...based off of O3L's past - "Pod Sharks" A new segment of "You Weren't Supposed to Hear THAT!" We are so grateful for and touched by the wonderful audio messages that you sent us. Thank you: The Jack Rubies Barry Andrews (Shriekback, XTC) Jesse Jackson (Set Lusting Bruce podcast) Debora Iyall (Romeo Void) Love Tractor Marina Muhlfriedel (Vivabeat, Backstage Pass) Maurice Bursztynski (Love That Album, See Hear podcasts) Tony Valentino (The Standells) Steve Barton (Translator) Dave Scheff (Translator,) Genny Schorr (Backstage Pass, author - All Roads Lead to Punk) Pylon Reenactment Society Matt Piucci (The Rain Parade) Daniel McKeown Dean Brownrout (Big Deal Records, author - No Big Deal) The Rishis Kimberly Brown (author, Timmy The Taxi) Timmy the Taxi Allison Landa (author, Bearded Lady) Slender Dan Lemoyne Alexander Allen Wagner (Kilkenny Cats, Is/Ought Gap) Mat Mills (Goodbye Wudaokou) DoubleVee Dan Voznick (aka Alec Tension - Afterimage) Julio Santos Frank Boscoe (The Ekphrastics) Jim Basnight Tears Run Rings The Melody Chamber Carl Cafarelli (DJ - This is Rock n' Roll Radio, author - several fine books!) Daniel House (Skin Yard, C/Z Records) Tony Jenkins (Kobayashi Bookstore) The Open Flames Terry Banks (Dot Dash) Lance Carmine Joshua Cole Stay tuned for the next 300! Want to access the O3L Index for a handy reference on where to find discussions about your favorite artists? Go to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EpesEJ-JWBTxVZ3C11J3MGZ1qcAzrDx_/view?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cowabunga, Moondoggie! Let's pack up the woody and go Huey at the beach! Whaddya say? Yeah, call it bad timing, call it wishful thinking, or call it wistful nostalgia for the bygone summer, but this week we’re having an O3L Beach Party! We’ve got all of the essentials with us, except the most crucial thing: the tunes, man! We each need to pack up some albums for the beach to play on our state-of-the-art O3L boombox.  There’s a new album that definitely needs to come to this beach blanket bingo : Now, by Seattle’s Acapulco Lips on Killroom Records.  It’s a euphoric mix of fuzz n’ Farfisa garage rock swagger, heady reverb-drenched psych, sinewy surf rock, and girl group charm that crackles with restless energy and reckless cool.  It carries on admirably from, and improves upon (in our opinion), their self titled record from 2016.  Get it on cool tangerine & lemon galaxy colored vinyl from acapulcolips.bandcamp.com or stream it - of course, if you’re one of those new fangled fancy pants - but you’ve gotta hear this record.  Joining us for this rad rager is none other than the aforementioned Acapulco Lips - vocalist/bassist Maria-Elena Herrell, guitarist Christopher Garland, and drummer Jordan T Adams. You can almost feel the sand in your shorts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are a brave and adventurous soul... Surprise, all you groovy ghoulies and "eyeball eaters from outer space!" 'Tis the season to get spooky, so we're going "full-on witch mode" with our friends from Big Stir Records - label founders/mad scientists Rex Broome & Christina Bulbenko from The Armoires and sparkle*jets uk evil genius Michael Simmons - in a brand new Halloween Spoooooooooktacular special! We'll be chatting about some of the most chilling and thrilling songs from the O3L era. Speaking of which...those of us of, uh, let’s say, a certain "vintage" may associate Halloween with the classic 1964 Disneyland record Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House.  This fall, Big Stir is scratching a nostalgic itch with the coolest release of the season - Chilling, Thrilling Hooks and Haunted Harmonies, an incredible double album set on eerie bright green vinyl, complete with a playable Big Stir themed board game, and artwork and horrifically humorous narration reminiscent of the Disney record.  The biggest trick of all is how many treats are on it - the album contains 21 never before heard Halloween inspired tracks from the incredible Big Stir roster, including many names that have appeared on O3L as guests and/or Weekend Six Packs - Librarians with Hickeys, Splitsville, Graham Parker, The Spongetones (and Steve Stoeckel solo), The Jack Rubies, The Armoires, sparkle*jets uk, Dolph Chaney, Hungrytown, Shplang, and so many more, including - get this - brand new music from ‘60s legends The Strawberry Alarm Clock.  It’s a creepily compelling, fun, and unique essential for your Halloween party that you can get from BigStirRecords.com.  Songs: • Splitsville - "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein" • The Spongetones - "Spirit World" • Lady Darkevyl (with Chris Church) - "I Watch You Sleep" • The Pepper's Ghost Players - "Spread My Ashes in the Haunted Mansion" Hurry baaaaaaaack. Hurry baaaaa-aaaaaaaack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we tip our hats to the trailblazing all (or mostly) girl bands of alternative rock. Speaking of the trailblazers, today’s ceremonial Third Lad certainly is one. As a musician and songwriter, Genny Schorr (aka Genny Body) was a member of one of the first mostly female punk bands in LA, Backstage Pass, along with past O3L guest Marina Muhlfriedel (aka Marina Del Rey), Joanna Spock Dean, and Holly Beth Vincent, later of Holly & The Italians (of “Tell That Girl To Shut Up” fame).  They were critical in the launch of legendary LA punk club The Masque.  They landed a track on Rhino Records’ seminal LA punk comp, Saturday Night Pogo.  They played with, and their story intertwines with, a jaw-dropping list of punk, new wave, and rock heroes.  After Backstage Pass, she was invited to be in the Go-Go’s.  She owned the influential rock n’ roll clothing boutique Strait Jacket with Stiff Records’ impresario Jake Rivera, which launched a long career as a wardrobe designer and stylist to the stars.  Many of those stylish videos, album covers, and magazine shoots you love from the ‘80s?  Genny had a hand in sculpting the look.  She lived with and toured with Linda Ronstadt as her personal wardrobe stylist as the singer transformed her image from new wave darling on the Get Closer tour to sophisticated starlet stepping in front of Nelson Riddle’s big band.  She styled and toured with the Bangles at their peak.  But ultimately, All Roads Lead to Punk - which just happens to be the title of Genny Schorr’s incredible new memoir of sex, drugs, rock n’ roll and fashion fromHoZac Books.  It’s not only a fantastic page-turner, but the photos and ephemera make it an indispensable time capsule of the era.  If you think the stories Genny shares on O3L are incredible...just wait til you read the book! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, dog our cats...it's a new episode of O3L! This week, lovin' is what EGOT, as we celebrate those artists who successfully traversed the worlds of music AND acting. And, it just so happens that our Third Lad today, Rebecca Pidgeon, has indeed enjoyed a long and fruitful career in both worlds.  As an actress, she has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows since the late ‘80s, including The Spanish Prisoner, The Winslow Boy, State and Main (all of the preceding written and directed by her husband, the legendary David Mamet), Shopgirl, Red, Allegiant, Bird Box, her daughter Clara Mamet’s Two Bit Waltz, and many more.  As a musician, Rebecca began her career as the lead singer of Scottish folk/pop band Ruby Blue. After two charming albums with band - Glances Askances (1987) and Down from Above (1990), she has released a succession of 12 acclaimed solo albums like 1994’s The Raven, 1996’s The New York Girls’ Club, and 2019’s ambitiously brilliant double album Sudden Exposure to Light / Comfort, right up to her two most recent spectacular releases, 2024’s Songs of LA and 2025’s Unillusion.  Special thanks to Howard Wuelfing from Howlin Wuelf Media for the introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We like women. Not in a creepy way (usually)...we mean we really like music created by women. So, in our ongoing series of episodes celebrating women in alternative music, this week we are covering our top 5 women-led albums of the 1990s. Appropriately enough, our Third Lads this week are a dynamic duo who "lived through this" and are inspired by this music - Julie Exter and Andrea Tarka White from Philly-based rock band Gun-Shy Butterfly! They currently have four singles that exemplify what the band has dubbed "bubble grunge" - a combination of sugary melodies and crunchy hooks that would have been right at home on mid-90s alternative radio. We hit it off right away with Andrea & Julie...we love 'em and we know you will too! But wait...there's also discussions about: tattoos, Higglytown Heroes, Nairing...uh...various areas, Goldschlager and comics, flip-flops (yes, again), our new grunge band Grotesque Quiche, hologram Jewel, hosers, Easttown accents, Julie's music/comedy podcast Rock'n'LOL, and much more. Oh, and guess what? A brand new O3L game called "Riot Grrrl Riot" - in which our contestants (and host) receive their very own riot grrrl names. As Kim deal would say to Gregg, "ugh!" Songs: Gun-Shy Butterfly - "Dark Side" Gun-Shy Butterfly - "Manchild" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've covered covers before, but this week we're really blowing our cover by covering covers that we feel are better than the originals. With such a controversial topic, you'd best believe that there are petty arguments, silent treatments, and fisticuffs galore as we tackle some of popular music's sacred cows. Fisticuffs, we say! (OK, well, it was more civilized than that. We're not savages!) And joining us for this discussion today? It's Splitsville, daddy-o! That's right...one score and two years after their last album, Baltimore indie rock/power pop heroes Splitsville are dressed up and ready to party with a brand new record, Mobtown, on Big Stir Records. It's a remarkable song cycle, a love letter of sorts to their hometown, that sits comfortably alongside the band's other essential releases such as 1997's Ultrasound, 1999's Repeater, 2003's Incorporated, and 2001's modern classic The Complete Pet Soul - a pop stunner that lives up to the weight of its referential title and influences. We welcome guitarist Matt Huseman, drummer Brandt Huseman (both of whom were the driving forces one of the best mid-90s power pop bands, the Greenberry Woods), bassist Paul Kryziak, and guitarist Tony Waddy. Plus, play along to the brand new O3L game "Blanktown Heroes"! Technical note: You may also notice some imperfections on Splitsville’s vocal track in places - there was an inexplicable glitch that almost sounded like when you'd hit fast forward on a CD player.  That being said, we know you’ll enjoy listening to it as much as we did recording it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices