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. 2d ago ·  Bonus

    E353 Bonus Game! "The Dylan Dylemma"

    This week's Third Lad Wesley Stace (aka singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding) had dinner reservations to get to, which meant that we didn't get to play this absurdly fun O3L game with him - "The Dylan Dylemma". But, hey, we're not ones to let a good game go to waste. Play along with our only contestant, Uncle Gregg, as he is challenged to guess which quote came from which famous Dylan - Nobel Prize winning, Rock n' Roll Hall Fame troubadour Bob Dylan; hard-drinking Welsh poet Dylan Thomas; or brooding Porsche owner Dylan McKay (as played by Luke Perry on the hit '90s TV show Beverly Hills 90210). How well do YOU know your Dylans!? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E353 Bonus Game! "The Dylan Dylemma"

  2. 4d ago

    E353 - Wesley Stace aka John Wesley Harding - Top 5 Bob Dylan Covers

    With over 1,500 covers of 350+ compositions by over 600 artists, Bob Dylanis is clearly one of the most frequently covered songwriters in music history. His material has been covered at some point by a wide range of rock, pop, folk, soul, blues, country, and jazz artists. For a folkie from Minnesota inspired by songs learned from Woody Guthrie to a rock legend, he has built a songbook that will surely be passed down as long as there are voices to sing and ears to listen. Appropriately enough, our Third Lad is a prolific singer / songwriter who cribbed the stage name that he’s used throughout his career from one of Dylan’s iconic records. Since the late ‘80s, British born and raised Wesley Stace and his alter ego John Wesley Harding has strung together a remarkable and varied catalogue, from early records like 1989’s Here Comes The Groom and 1991’s The Name Above The Title that grabbed the attention of alternative radio and MTV to recent critical favorites like the Americana of 2017’s Wesley Stace’s John Wesley Harding and the elegance of 2021’s Late Style. His brand new album on Pravda Records, One Last Heist, is an organic, slinky, groovy affair - one that will surely thrill long time fans of Wesley’s clever narratives and exquisite songcraft, yet doesn’t quite sound like anything he’s ever done before. As if he wasn’t already a renaissance man, he’s also penned four novels and since 2009 has curated the recurring live variety show Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders at New York’s City Winery, featuring a few dropping assortment of his creative friends from the worlds of music, literature, and comedy. Special thanks to Howard Wuelfing for his introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E353 - Wesley Stace aka John Wesley Harding - Top 5 Bob Dylan Covers

  3. Oct 13

    E352 - Robyn Hitchcock - Top 5 Albums of 1968

    Explore the past, present, and future as we welcome the return of one of the most pivotal figures of alternative music, Robyn Hitchcock! The past: We wax ecstatic about the best albums of 1968, the year that happens to be the launching point in Robyn's newly released second memoir, Stranded In The Future (Akashic Books). The present: Stranded In The Future is a delightfully surreal self-portrait of the artist as a young man, from teenage obsessions through to the formation of his seminal band The Soft Boys. Fans of his first volume, 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left, will delight in how the story continues to unfold. But Robyn has not only turned in an exquisitely crafted page-turner in 2026, he also also released an exquisitely crafted new album, The Confuser, on Tiny Ghost Records. It's a record bearing all of the trademarks of classic Hitchcock - absurdist imagery, clever lyrical turns, sparkling pop melodies, and the perfect combination of jangle and groove. The future: The lads contemplate the future of rock n' roll and the impact of artificial intelligence on art and life. We are this thing. Thanks to Holly Watson from Holly Watson PR for the coodination! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E352 - Robyn Hitchcock - Top 5 Albums of 1968

  4. Oct 6

    E351 - hackedepicciotto - Top 5 German Albums

    Go ahead. Laugh and point as Brett struggles through pronunciations...because this week, we're taking on the Top 5 German Albums. Diese Alben sind sehr gut! Fortunately, we are joined by the gloriously cinematic experimental duo hackedepicciotto - comprised of musical and life partners Alexander Hacke (formerly of German post-punk/industrial pioneers Einstürzende Neubauten) and multi-disciplinary artist Danielle DePicciotto. Their newly released 10th album, Lichtung (Mute Records), is a beautiful, expansive mix of electronics and organic instrumentation, with lyrics - for the first time in their discography - written entirely in German. As Alex and Danielle put it, "[Lichtung] means a clearing, a place in which you can suddenly see the light in a dark forest, a place to rest. As the world seems to be spinning ever more quickly into a place of madness, being in this quiet place helps us think about how to deal with it all.” Put on your best tablecloth dress and listen to our picks, get swept up in the love story of Alex and Danielle, take in a history lesson or two, learn what the "ZZ Top Theory" is, and much, much more. Special thanks to Howard Wuelfing from Howlin' Wuelf Media for the introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E351 - hackedepicciotto - Top 5 German Albums

  5. Sep 29

    E350 - Glenn Morrow - Label Spotlight: Bar/None Records

    It's time for another in our series of label spotlights, as this week we turn our focus to Hoboken indie Bar/None Records, celebrating its 40th anniversary. Joining us is no better authority than the most omni-present figure in the label's history, Glenn Morrow! In 1986, Glenn's band Rage to Live became the first act signed to startup label Bar/None. Later that year, Glenn would become a partner with the label's founder Tom Prendergast and eventually sole proprietor - a post he held until earlier this year. Even though he stepped away from his role at the label, his third opus with his current outfit Glenn Morrow's Cry For Help, Our Final Album - Vol. 1, is out now on (what else??) Bar/None Records. The album features 11 new songs and finds the band exploring a number of styles and moods that are sure to please long-time fans as well as newcomers. During Bar/None's influential history, they have released pivotal records by They Might Be Giants, The Front Bottoms, Yo La Tengo, Freedy Johnston, Edwyn Collins, 10,000 Maniacs, Alex Chilton, The dB's, Ben Vaughn, The Feelies, of Montreal, Richard Hawley, and over 100 other arists. During this episode, we chat about our Top 5 albums from the Bar/None catalogue, catch a history lesson on the label, and get a glimpse of future releases. Thanks to Howard Wuelfing from Howlin' Wuelf Media for the introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E350 - Glenn Morrow - Label Spotlight: Bar/None Records

  6. Sep 25 ·  Bonus

    O3L Presents: Weekend Six Pack, Vol. 34 - SKEPTEMBER!

    Hear ye, hear ye! We hereby declare this month SKEPTEMBER at O3L! That's right, the releases of the UK fiercely independent label Skep Wax Records have been so uniformly excellent this year that we thought it was high time to dedicate an entire episode to them. Skep Wax is run by indie legends Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey, whose long history runs through seminal bands like Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Catenary Wires, and Swansea Sound. The label carries forward the DIY spirit that drove labels like Sarah Records and K Records, with the simple premise of releasing terrific music on their own terms, driven by the belief that NOTHING beats a great pop record. During this episode, you will hear this delectable six pack of tracks: 1) Swansea Sound - "Mean To Be Mean" (from the forthcoming LP Pre-Post Truth) 2) British Birds - "Scary Movies" (from the upcoming album Oscillate, Murmurate) 3) Jetstream Pony - "Grimalkin Tom" (from the compilation Pets Sounds) 4) The Would-Be-Goods - "Witch Hazel" (from the marvelous record Tears Before Bedtime) 5) Railcard - "Flannelette" (from the brand new long player Two Steps At A Time) 6) Foglights - "A Brighter Kind of Almost" (from the debut EP Nous Deux) Bonus Track! Gay Skeleton Club - "2 Cats" (also from Pets Sounds) Thanks to Amelia, Rob, and the brilliant Skep Wax roster. Get these releases and more at https://skepwax.bandcamp.com. Have a splendid weekend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    O3L Presents: Weekend Six Pack, Vol. 34 - SKEPTEMBER!

  7. Sep 22

    E349 - Author Debora Masterson ("Freedom Quest") - Top 5 Bands That Should been HUGE

    Anyone who have ever had any sort of aspirations of making it in the music business know this well - the chances of “making it” are so slim you might as well play the Lottery with the expectation of becoming a gazillionaire or stand motionless in the same spot waiting to be hit by lightning.  All of the things they tell you to keep you motivated are important - having a dream, drive, determination, and, of course, talent…but that’s clearly not all there is to it.  There are connections and industry politics, but, more than anything, it takes a world of luck.  It’s like this constant series of sliding doors where you need to be at the right place at the right time, and any little tweaks to your timeline and decisions could be the difference maker between being a hopeful and being huge.  Today, we’re going to be talking about the bands that should have been huge - but never quite crossed over to the massive audience they deserved.  Case in point is the band Freedom Quest, who built up a solid following in San Diego and Southern California in the early ‘70s, built off of the soulful, stirring songs of Craig Ingraham.   It’s hard not to listen to this material (available on streaming services as the album Freedom Quest under Craig Ingraham’s name), and wonder how they didn’t become huge.  All of the ingredients are there - beautiful tunes, expert musicianship, messages of peace, love, and unity that perfectly capture the zeitgeist of the era.  So what happened to Freedom Quest?  Well, a lot, it turns out and you can read the slightly fictionalized version of events in Debora Masterson’s debut novel Freedom Quest: A Love Story (Atmosphere Press), which winds through nearly 60 years in the lives of main characters Michael and Grace - from young star-crossed lovers to bandmates with a world of possibilities in front of them to facing life’s unique twists and turns separately to, ultimately, finding their way back to each other.  It’s the kind of story that reminds you that fate and destiny are very real and powerful forces, and it doesn’t take you long to recognize that the love story of Michael and Grace is largely the love story of Craig and Debora.  It’s a compelling read with a real life soundtrack, as you will learn as we welcome educator, producer, musician, dancer, and now author Debora Masterson! Thanks to Philip Nakov from City PR for the introduction and coordination. Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    E349 - Author Debora Masterson ("Freedom Quest") - Top 5 Bands That Should been HUGE

  8. Sep 15

    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!
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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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