Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

Here's the thrilling conclusion of our conversation with Clive Farrington from When In Rome, where we discuss our Top 3 Dance Hits...plus, as you may have gathered from last week, a whole lot more!In both podcasting and in life, when you need a friend, don't look to a stranger. Well, unless you've never listened to O3L before...in which case, you should totally look to a stranger. But if you wait around a while, we'll make you fall for us. We promise you we will.This week, we cover the songs that were hits in the dance clubs and on the dance charts. One such song was "The Promise," the emotionally charged synth-pop smash by UK band When In Rome, which hit #1 on the US Hot Dance chart on June 11, 1988. Since then, it has become a beloved classic - on radio, at weddings, on movies and TV.Serendipitous, then, that our Third Lad this week is none other than singer, songwriter and original member of When In Rome UK, Clive Farrington! Fresh off the '80s Cruise with musical partner Andrew Mann, When In Rome UK is busy working on a new album - including the new single "2 Fix Us." On top of being a great musician, Clive is a passionate and knowledgeable music fan with a flair for storytelling. You can also hear Clive Farrington Friday and Saturday nights on his villageradio.net show Weekend Dance Trance.Special thanks to Paul Richison for the introduction! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Record Store Day is upon us once again! On Saturday, April 20, 2024, masses of music fans will queue up early and partake in the collective cultural experience on RSD, hoping to score some of the exclusive and limited releases hitting independent record stores. It's a communal celebration of our favorite bit of retail therapy.For fans of classic alternative music, there is a plethora of special releases coming out on Saturday. Let O3L's Brett Vargo be your guide as you prepare your own shopping list.Plus, Brett reveals the RSD items that he thinks Uncle Gregg will put on his list that Brett would not consider, and vice versa. Also, hear "Markin' It Down," the brand new single by UK indie supergroup Swansea Sound (Hue Williams from The Pooh Sticks, previous O3L guests Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey from Heavenly, previous O3L guest Bob Collins from The Dentists, and Ian Button from Thrashing Doves and Death in Vegas). To mark RSD, it's a fun record store themed track. You also must see the video!Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Part 1 of a two part extravaganza!In both podcasting and in life, when you need a friend, don't look to a stranger. Well, unless you've never listened to O3L before...in which case, you should totally look to a stranger. But if you wait around a while, we'll make you fall for us. We promise you we will.This week, we cover the songs that were hits in the dance clubs and on the dance charts. One such song was "The Promise," the emotionally charged synth-pop smash by UK band When In Rome, which hit #1 on the US Hot Dance chart on June 11, 1988. Since then, it has become a beloved classic - on radio, at weddings, on movies and TV.Serendipitous, then, that our Third Lad this week is none other than singer, songwriter and original member of When In Rome UK, Clive Farrington! Fresh off the '80s Cruise with musical partner Andrew Mann, When In Rome UK is busy working on a new album - including the new single "2 Fix Us." On top of being a great musician, Clive is a passionate and knowledgeable music fan with a flair for storytelling. You can also hear Clive Farrington Friday and Saturday nights on his villageradio.net show Weekend Dance Trance.Listen to our #5 & #4 picks this episode, and stay tuned next week for our Top 3.Special thanks to Paul Richison for the introduction! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spring is in the air, and it feels like the perfect time to break open another Weekend Six Pack!This week, we feature six of our favorite new songs: Jetstream Pony - 'Look Alive' (from Under the Bridge 2, Skep Wax Records) Lame Drivers - 'Become An Island' (from Become An Island, Jigsaw/Bleeding Gold) The Armoires - 'We Absolutely Mean It' (from Octoberland, Big Stir Records) Elena Rogers - 'Queen' (single) The Wesleys - 'A Lot To Lose' (from The Wesleys, Little Village Records) Secret Shine - 'Captivate This Broken Love' (from Under The Bridge 2, Skep Wax Records) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Keep smilin', keep shinin', knowing you can always count on O3L for your fix of classic alternative music discussion. That is, after all, what friends are for.When bands have one member in particular that does most of the songwriting, friends also come in handy sometimes to shoulder a little of the burden from time to time. This week, we talk about the great songs that were NOT written by the band's main songwriter.Plus: Sniffin' glue, baseball, Uncle Gregg's busy concert calendar, K-Pop "creepy uncles", the genius of Rick Springfield, past music from Brett, future music from Gregg. and oh so much more.Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When most people hear the phrase "sampling" in music, their minds usually go to one place: hip hop. Some may even still hold onto misguided preconceptions that sampling is blatant thievery perpetrated by talentless hacks who can't come up with their own original music. Well, friends, we're here to set the record straight... because we celebrate the art of sampling in all of its different forms with this week's Third Lads, forceghost (Eric Kinlaw and Marcus Barfield). From the experimental composers who borrowed bits of familiar pieces and manipulated them into something daring and new, to the hip hop trailblazers who skillfully transformed stacks of dusty records into an essential part of their street poetry, to the electronic pioneers who utilized cutting edge technology to open up unimaginable worlds, sampling has indelibly and undeniably impacted the music we love.About forceghost:Eric Kinlaw (Vocals/Guitar/Bass/Sound Design) and Marcus Barfield (Production/Sound Design) are forceghost, an electronic psych duo based out of Augusta, GA. Both members sport a long list of previous bands and projects, but are elated to be bringing forceghost into its fullest realization.After their initial formation in 2019, time and circumstance have led to the reshaping of the band into its current form. forceghost is the product of impromptu jam sessions, free form experimentation, and friendship. Many years of musical evolution and collaboration between the duo have culminated into a sound both piercingly focused, and kaleidoscopic in scope and texture. Creamy guitars, soaring synths, sharp drums, and hauntingly beautiful vocals will leave the listener enveloped in a radiant afterglow.All previous recordings have fallen by the wayside. This is the definitive starting point for forceghost. With the release of their debut EP, unknowing the known, the band hopes listeners find themselves enriched by their listening. Come apart and put yourself back together with forceghost.SOCIALS:https://forceghostmusic.comhttps://www.facebook.com/forceghostmusichttps://www.instagram.com/forceghostmusic/https://forceghost.bandcamp.com/album/unknowing-the-knownhttps://www.youtube.com/@forceghostmusicProud members of the Pantheon Podcasts network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A brief, but extremely important, announcement. Big changes on April 1st! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's double trouble this week! Poof...just like a Criss Angel routine, we've magically got double the lads, double the laughs, double the fun...and double the vinyl! Yep, that's right, during this episode, we talk about double albums with our special guests Bryan Cook and Tom Cheek from Is/Ought Gap. More than just an album spread across two slabs of wax, symbolically the double album is an opportunity for artists to use the recording medium as a grand, bold artistic statement, a blank canvas for experimentation, stretching out, and crafting a long form musical narrative. When executed well, double albums can be beautiful, messy, ambitious, kaleidoscopic masterpieces.Is/Ought Gap was formed in Athens, Georgia by Bryan Cook (Time Toy, Club Gaga, Hindu Love Gods) and Tom Cheek (Kilkenny Cats) in the early '80s while attending the University of Georgia. Athens, as you well know, was already the musical hotbed of the south, with The B-52's, R.E.M., Pylon, Oh-OK, and other legends, and while those bands certainly informed the sound of Is/Ought Gap, they were also a bit looser and noisier. Despite being live favorites and recording a never officially released album in 1984, Lucky 7, Is/Ought Gap's original run was relatively short and the band members went on to other endeavors.It's now time to reclaim their rightful place in Athens music history with the release of the compilation album SUA, out on April 5th from HHBTM Records. SUA collects tracks from Lucky 7 along with songs that were demoed back in the day but recorded until 2014 and some vintage live tracks. The stage is set for a grand return, a celebration of sonic resurrection, as Is/Ought Gap weaves their enigmatic melodies once more into the tapestry of Athens, live and in person!Special thanks to Mike Turner from HHBTM for orchestrating our visit!Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We pay tribute to another of the great labels of the O3L era...this time shining the spotlight on the magnificent DB Recs, the Atlanta-based label founded by Danny Beard, and run from 1978 - 1997 out of his still thriving record store Wax'n'Facts. Through Danny's ingenuity, support, and incredible ear for talent, it's safe to say that the alternative music scene in the Southeastern US would not be the same without him. DB's initial release was catalogue number DB-52, 'Rock Lobster' / '52 Girls', the first single by none other than The B-52's. From there, DB gave a voice to a wide range of artists in Atlanta, Athens, and beyond, including Pylon, Love Tractor, Oh-OK, Guadalcanal Diary, The Swimming Pool Q's, Fetchin Bones, Zeitgeist/The Reivers, The Jody Grind, The Coolies, Chris Stamey, and others. This week, we each offer up our Top 5 DB Recs songs with special guests Current Rage - John Moore (rhythm guitar), Paul Lenz (drums), and Bryan Lilje (bass). In absentia is lead guitarist and vocalist Olivia Bewley. You may remember the remarkable story of Current Rage from Episode 140: The band formed in 1979 by professional skateboarders Chris Bewley (brother of Pylon's Randy) and John Moore. By the beginning of 1981, they were headlining shows in the southeast with their brash, energetic, catchy post-punk tunes. They released the indie EP Seven Songs in 1982, which became a highly coveted collector's item among fans of DIY indie rock. After Current Rage ceased to be, each of the members followed different paths, with Chris Bewley succumbing to a heart attack in 2018 at the age of 57.Coinciding with the expanded 40th anniversary reissue of Seven Songs in 2022 on Propeller Sound Recordings, Current Rage is now back and experiencing a resurgence...with a twist. Chris's daughter Olivia plays lead guitar and sings in the current iteration of the band. While she never had much of a relationship with her father, through his music, his former band, and even some of his equipment, she is able to connect with Chris in powerful, unexpected ways.During this episode, we catch up with the band and (despite not being DB Recs artists themselves) discuss the indelible impact of Danny Beard and the DB roster on them. Deep gratitude to Current Rage's manager, Robin Hall Bewley Frankland, for organizing this return visit to O3L! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Repost of a "classic" episode that has been missing from podcast platforms for the last year!Challenge accepted! For our last "regular" episode of Season 3 (before our holiday party and best of 2022 shows), we discuss the artists who continue to challenge us, defy expectations, and create uncompromising art. Some of these artists have such deep catalogues that it can be daunting to take it all in, some may be too esoteric or eccentric to immediately grab you. But the 25(!) artists that we pick during this episode have one thing in common...stick with them, and their music will reward you handsomely.In other words...you'll come around, Gregg! On the other hand, there are certain artists who we find immediately appealing...even if it took 40 years, like the Atlanta band Current Rage. To celebrate the 40th anniversary reissue of their 1982 mini-album Seven Songs on Propeller Sound Recordings (now generously expanded to 15 tracks) is guitarist John Moore, drummer Paul Lenz, and singer/guitarist Olivia Bewley (daughter of late Current Rage singer Chris Bewley). It's a powerful rock n' roll story about family, loss, redemption and second chances that you won't want to miss. It's the Penicillin Sound!Get the Seven Songs reissue at: https://propellersoundrecordings.com/About Current Rage:Current Rage are a four-piece, post-punk, musical group that played live in the Southeastern United States during the early eighties. They were comprised of Chris Bewley, John Moore, Pat Kirkland, and Paul Lenz. In the landscape of a fertile, burgeoning Athens/Atlanta music scene Current Rage gained notoriety and a loyal following performing with such musical icons as REM, Pylon, Swimming Pool Q’s, The Fleshtones, The Bush Tetras, and The Bongos. Eventually Current Rage would headline shows on their own at such iconic venues as Athens, GA’s 40Watt Club, Atlanta’s 688 Club, Chapel Hills’s The Cat’s Cradle, Birmingham’s The Nik, and Nashville’s Frankensteins.Current Rage released an indie label E.P. album called Seven Songs on EOD Records in late 1982. Current Rage was known for short catchy post punk tunes dripping with danceable irony as well as darkwave surf instrumentals. “Seven Songs” was produced by legendary Athens-Atlanta engineer, Bruce Baxter. Baxter had engineered the B-52’s single, “Rock Lobster”, Pylon’s debut album “Gyrate” followed by the debut albums of The Swimming Pool Q’s and Love Tractor. Current Rage’s album was the first release on Ron Bond’s EOD (Entertainment on Disc) Records. “Seven Songs” was recorded in April 1982 at Channel One studios with Bruce Baxter handling engineering and sound mixing and was released in late October. It is highly regarded by record collectors seeking out early eighties DIY releases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices