Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

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