Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

O3L Media
  • 4.9 (38)
  • Music Commentary
  • Updated Weekly

Only Three Lads is a lively podcast celebrating the Golden Age of Alternative Music from the '70s, '80s & '90s. Join Uncle Gregg, Brett Vargo, and a variety of ”Third Lads” as we share our Top Fives, stories, and news about the music we love, and have a lot of fun along the way! Whether you‘re into indie, punk, new wave, Britpop, power pop, synth pop, shoegaze, grunge...or whatever...there is going to be something for you to discover and love. Part of Pantheon Podcasts.

  1. 21h ago

    E348 - Nicole Laurenne (The Darts / Black Viiolet) - Top 5 Songs with Awesome Organ!

    Hey you! Not so F.A.S.T.!** This week, we welcome one of the coolest people on the planet, Nicole Laurenne, to talk about one of the coolest instruments on the planet...the organ! Nicole has been working double duty this year, constantly touring and turning in amazing albums with both of her projects. All-female garage punk band The Darts released the riotously fun, fiendishly campy rock n' roll blast of Halloween Love Songs, while Nicole's smoky, jazz-soaked project Black Viiolet weighed in with the velvety, soulful record Dark Blue. Both records wonderfully capture two sides of Nicole's musical personality. Sure, you'll get a condensed history of the organ from aqueducts and pipes to modern electronics, but we, of course, focus on music that RAWKS! Plus, we also talk doorbells, body positivity, tofu, vegan cheese, life on the road, famous fans, movie ideas, pizza and more. Also, to celebrate Nicole's past life, we play a brand new world-famous O3L game "Here Comes the Judge!" Y'know, just the kind of high-brow commentary you would expect from not just one, but TWO Phoenix New Times award winners! **Farfisa All Silicon Transistor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E348 - Nicole Laurenne (The Darts / Black Viiolet) - Top 5 Songs with Awesome Organ!

  2. Sep 8

    E347 - Hypnolovewheel's Stephen Hunking - Top 5 Albums Critics Loved...but Fans Ignored!

    This week, Uncle Gregg, Brett, and Third Lad Stephen Hunking (guitarist/vocalist of cult '80s/'90s band Hypnolovewheel) dig into albums that critics raved about...but the record-buying public just didn't show up for. Stephen joins the show to talk about Hypnolovewheel's history — from a hilarious and chaotically-worded "drummers wanted" flyer that started it all, to their new reissue campaign kicking off with the compilation Parallel Universe (out now on streaming and Bandcamp), to reclaiming their masters decades later, and their reunion performance at Dromfest in the Catskills over Labor Day weekend. From the comic book store to the flower fields (and with plenty of Gregg bile), this is a fun-filled joyride that critics love...and you WON'T want to ignore! Featured tracks: "Wow" and "Everywhere and Nowhere Girl" (both available on Parallel Universe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E347 - Hypnolovewheel's Stephen Hunking - Top 5 Albums Critics Loved...but Fans Ignored!

  3. Sep 1

    E346 - Mark Wilkerson (Author, Pub Rock) - Top 5 Pub Rock Songs

    Surrender to the rhythm as we drink up the Pub Rock scene with author Mark Wilkerson! U.K. , early 1970s: In response to the glitz of glam and the pomp of prog there emerged a DIY, back to basics scene known as pub rock: no-fuss, grass roots rock’n’roll bands playing in tight, sweaty rooms to packed throngs in the Victorian pubs of north London. Pub rock was a relative flash in the pan, lasting only a handful of years, but it produced a seismic shift, bridging the gap between rock’s Baroque period and the ensuing punk and new wave scene, and crucially, restoring the visceral connection between artist and audience. Through trailblazing artists like Brinsley Schwarz, Dr. Feelgood and Kilburn and the High Roads, pub rock paved the way for countless acts of monumental stature including the Clash, Madness, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, and the Pretenders. Mark Wilkerson's new book, Pub Rock (33 1/3 Genre series, Bloomsbury Academic) explores the genre’s hardscrabble evolution, and examines its significant and enduring legacy. Mark is also the author of Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend, Tomas Young's War, and Hollywood Dream: The Thunderclap Newman Story, and the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Pearl Jam Twenty. Do anything you wanna do...especially if that "anything" includes O3L! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E346 - Mark Wilkerson (Author, Pub Rock) - Top 5 Pub Rock Songs

  4. Aug 25

    E345 - In Conversation with Adrian Sherwood

    During last week's episode, Jon Langford from The Mekons joined us on the heels of Horror-ble, their newly released dub reimaging on their 2025 album Horror.  While we’ve got dub on the mind, we were reminded that we have been sitting on a long lost interview with pioneering English producer, remixer, and label owner Adrian Sherwood. Throughout his career, Adrian has worked with reggae greats such as Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mikey Dread, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Blur, Primal Scream, Sinead O’Connor, KMFDM, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Einsturzende Neubauten, and so many others, formed the early ‘80s post-punk dub collective New Age Steppers with members of The Slits, The Pop Group, and Public Image Limited, as well as industrial hip-hop group Tackhead in the ‘90s.  His record label On-U Sound System has been one of the most beloved and respected labels for dub, reggae, and experimental electronic music since 1979.  As a solo artist, the record we were focused on for our chat was his 9th album, 2025’s The Collapse of Everything.  This meticulously constructed record sees Adrian move beyond the mixing desk and take centre stage, pushing his ever adventurous sound into new frontiers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  5. Aug 18

    E344 - Mekons' Jon Langford - Top 5 Songs of the Sea

    Ahoy, mateys! This week, we hoist the sails for a swashbuckling, deadline-fueled speed date with a genuine punk legend: Jon Langford of The Mekons (as well as The Three Johns, Waco Brothers, and Men of Gwent). We catch up with Jon somewhere in upstate New York next to a farm stand selling tomatoes and honey (which Jon assures us is "quite civilized"). The Mekons are going on 50 years as a band, from their chaotic early days on the Leeds art-punk scene to classic records like 1985's Fear and Whiskey and 1989's The Mekons Rock n' Roll. And they're still making great and very relevant music. Jon dives into their new dub companion album Horror-able — a wild reimagining of 2025's Horror - by Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu), done with zero input from the band on what the songs were "supposed" to sound like. We go full nautical with our list of Songs of the Sea this week — including a shockingly filthy history lesson and the mythology of sirens and selkies. Special thanks to Josh Mills from It's Alive Media for the introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E344 - Mekons' Jon Langford - Top 5 Songs of the Sea

  6. Aug 11

    E343 - Kevin & Scott Robertson - Top 5 Albums of 1971

    What's going on, you ask? Well, we can't make any promises, but we have a sneaking suspicion that we're gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove...because this week we focus on the classic albums of 1971! Our Third Lads love the music of 1971 as much as we do, as evidenced by their sparkling jangle pop and harmony-drenched folk-rock - the Scottish father/son combo Kevin and Scott Robertson! The pair have been recording music for a nearly a decade as part of the band The Vapour Trails, and now have treated us to their first album as a duo, simply entitled Robertson. Separately, Kevin and Scott have also released terrific solo records (Kevin appeared as a Third Lad during Episode 159 on the heels of his marvelous 2023 album Magic Spells Abound). Feel the family love as we talk about the joy and pride of recording together, being a first time grandad (Kevin) and uncle (Scott), and...huge spoiler alert...we pick the World Cup winner! (Second spoiler alert: yeah, we know it's already over. We recorded this episode before though.) (Third spoiler alert: we got it wrong.) Turn and face the strange! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E343 - Kevin & Scott Robertson - Top 5 Albums of 1971

  7. Aug 8 ·  Bonus

    O3L Presents: Weekend Six Pack, Vol. 33 - David Myhr (The Merrymakers)

    We're back with a brand new Weekend Six Pack, bringing you six fresh tracks that have made us feel warm and fuzzy inside. This time out, Brett welcomes Swedish singer/songwriter David Myhr, formerly of the band The Merrymakers, who released two albums in the '90s including the pristine pop classic Bubblegun (which was released in the U.S. on past Third Lad Dean Brownrout's Big Deal label). David has a new album on tap for September 18th (physical) and October 2nd (digital) called Everything Is All About You, and we've got the joyous forthcoming single "Say Yes" on tap. Plus, five other cool tunes, including a track from the newly released Strawberry Alarm Clock LP Where's One? to cap off an exciting SAC Week on O3L! In this Six Pack: 1) David Myhr - "Say Yes" (from the forthcoming LP Everything Is All About You, Oglio Entertainment) 2) The Roadhouse Rebels with Tony Valentino - "Fury and Dust" (single) 3) Paper Tigers - "Go Out" (from the LP East Coaster...out next Wednesday!) 4) British Birds - "Lie Down with Dogs, Stand Up with Fleas" (from the upcoming album Murmurate, Oscillate, Skep Wax) 5) Joel Cusumano - "Buying Time" (from the Appendix EP, Dandy Boy Records) 6) The Strawberry Alarm Clock - "I'm Not The One" (from the psych-pop legends' first new album of all-original material since 1969 Where's One?, Big Stir Records) "Say Yes" to this Six Pack! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    O3L Presents: Weekend Six Pack, Vol. 33 - David Myhr (The Merrymakers)

  8. Aug 6

    E342 - Strawberry Alarm Clock - Top 5 Songs That Best Represent the Psychedelic Era

    Whoaaaaaa, man. This might be the nutmeg tea talkin', but we're seeing double. Two episodes with twice the requisite amount of Lads. It's time for the exciting conclusion of our conversation with '60s psych-pop pioneers the Strawberry Alarm Clock. in which we discuss our Top 5 songs that best represent the psychedelic era. Bassist George Bunnell, keyboardist Mark Weitz, drummer Randy Seol, and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Steve Bartek (also a founding member of Oingo Boingo!) join us to discuss the band's history, the music of their peers, and - perhaps most importantly - the first new SAC album of original material since 1969, Where's One? , out on Big Stir Records on August 7th! The band will also be headlining the final night of the Tiki Oasis festival in San Diego on Sunday, August 9th. Far out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E342 - Strawberry Alarm Clock - Top 5 Songs That Best Represent the Psychedelic Era
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4.9
out of 5
38 Ratings

About

Only Three Lads is a lively podcast celebrating the Golden Age of Alternative Music from the '70s, '80s & '90s. Join Uncle Gregg, Brett Vargo, and a variety of ”Third Lads” as we share our Top Fives, stories, and news about the music we love, and have a lot of fun along the way! Whether you‘re into indie, punk, new wave, Britpop, power pop, synth pop, shoegaze, grunge...or whatever...there is going to be something for you to discover and love. Part of Pantheon Podcasts.

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