Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

O3L Media
  • 4.9 (37)
  • 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. 12h ago

    E337 - Robert Ellis Orrall (Taylor Swift, Hit Country, Rock & Pop Songwriter) - Top 5 Songs Written for Other Artists

    This week, we place our focus on songs that one established artist wrote for another artist. And what better ceremonial Third Lad than Robert Ellis Orrall, a songwriter who has not only penned his own hits ("I Couldn't Say No" with Carlene Carter - #32 Pop, 1983; "Boom! It Was Over" - #19 Country, 1992; "A Little Bit of Her Love" - #31 Country, 1993) but has also written many hits for other artists like Shenandoah ("Next to You, Next to Me" - #1 Country, 1990), Clay Walker ("What's It to You" - #1 Country, 1993), Reba McEntire ("What If It's You" - #15 Country, 1997), Olivia Newton-John ("I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight", 1998), Lindsey Lohan ("Ultimate", from the 2003 Freaky Friday soundtrack), and many more. What more, you ask? Oh yeah, REO was also instrumental in the formative years of an up-and-coming artist named Taylor Swift (you may have heard of her), co-writing and/or co-producing a number of songs including "A Place in This World" and "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" from her 10x platinum debut album. Even with all of the great songs he's written for other artists, Orrall's latest album, Wonderland, is a vital reminder that he's saved plenty of great songs from himself. The album collects nine previously unearthed unrequited love songs from his seemingly endless creative vault, plus an introspective new version of "I'm Only Me When I'm With You," performed through the lens not of a teenage girl, but as a man 45 years into a loving marriage. REO continues to record and tour with the same band he had on his string of '80s albums for RCA - which featured an eclectic bunch of new wave songs inspired by Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Todd Rundgren, and Joe Jackson, and found them opening for U2, The Kinks, Psychedelic Furs, and countless others. He also co-founded the label Infinity Cat Records with sons Jake and Jamin, who make up the beloved indie rock band JEFF the Brotherhood. Plus, REO comes with a bonus Top 5: the Top 5 Songs He Wishes He Had Written. It's O3L...in Wonderland! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 56m
  2. E336 - The Blue Herons - Top 5 Jangle Pop Songs of the '80s & '90s

    Jun 30

    E336 - The Blue Herons - Top 5 Jangle Pop Songs of the '80s & '90s

    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

    1h 36m
  3. E335 - Dean Brownrout (Big Deal record label, Author - No Big Deal) - Top 5 Power Pop Songs of the '90s

    Jun 23

    E335 - Dean Brownrout (Big Deal record label, Author - No Big Deal) - Top 5 Power Pop Songs of the '90s

    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

    1h 39m

  4. Jun 16

    E334 - The Grodes' Manny Freiser - Top 5 Garage Rock Covers

    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

    1h 59m
  5. E333 - Tammy Ealom (Dressy Bessy, The Tammy Shine) - Top 5 College Radio Favorites

    Jun 9

    E333 - Tammy Ealom (Dressy Bessy, The Tammy Shine) - Top 5 College Radio Favorites

    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

    1h 31m

  6. Jun 2

    E332 - George Usher (Beat Rodeo, House of Usher) - Top 5 Self-Produced Albums

    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

    1h 28m

  7. May 26

    E331 - Parliament-Funkadelic Guitar Hero Michael Hampton - Top 5 Songs from the P-Funk Universe

    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

    1h 17m

  8. May 19

    E330 - The Melody Chamber - Top 5 Songs About Trains

    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

    1h 44m
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4.9
out of 5
37 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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