

Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast
O3L Media
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 24, 2023 • 13min
Bonus - An O3L Guide to Record Store Day Black Friday!
We hope all of our US friends had a marvelous Thanksgiving. We gave you the main course on Tuesday, a second helping on Thanksgiving, and now it’s time for dessert. Why? Because it’s Black Friday...more specifically, it’s Record Store Day Black Friday. Join O3L´s Brett Vargo as we highlight some of the releases from this special RSD that we think will appeal to classic alternative music fans.Whether you´re lining up early, going to hit your favorite store later in the day, or chance it on the secondary market, there´s a little something for everyone to enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 23, 2023 • 57min
E191 - A Very O3L Friendsgiving (Top 5 Songs about Friendship)
Happy Thanksgiving to those of in the US! To those other places, Happy Random Thursday.In what has become somewhat of an O3L tradition, we're here to either help you get through Thanksgiving or ruin it...it's a fine line! After all, one of the things that this holiday is about is gorging yourself, so treat yourself to a second helping of O3L this week. (B-t-dubbs, Thanksgiving is also about other things too, as you'll learn about with some enlightening trivia questions.) This year, we celebrate "Friendsgiving," where we cover our top five songs about friendship. Ain't that sweet?Oh, and Brett has an adult beverage during the show. It's a Thanksgiving miracle! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 21, 2023 • 1h 38min
E190 - Top 5 Albums You GOTTA Have on Vinyl! (with writer Gillian Gaar)
Ahhh, vinyl records. For audiophiles and other assorted music nerds (know any of them!?!), it's the passport to sonic bliss. For others, it's an archaic, delicate, noisy and inconvenient medium. Whatever side of the fence you're on, there are albums that you gotta experience on vinyl - whether it be for the sound quality, the artwork, the liner notes, the overall presentation, or maybe it's not available digitally.Remarkably, decades after the format was declared all but dead and buried, it has experienced a huge resurgence in popularity. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the commercial vinyl LP, In The Groove: The Vinyl Record and Turntable Revolution from Motorbooks is an authoritative and visual celebration of the history and culture of record collecting and turntables, from the first 78 to the explosive growth of vinyl in the last decade, with entertaining sidebars highlighting classic record stores, legendary labels and iconic artwork. Designed to satisfy readers from the most discerning of collectors to those new to the passion, In The Groove gathers five of the finest music scribes to contribute a chapter each. One of those writers (covering record stores) is our Third Lad this week, Gillian Gaar.Gillian G. Gaar is a Seattle-based author. Her first book, She's A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll was published in 1992. In addition to her own books, she has appeared in various anthologies, including The Nirvana Companion, Trouble Girls: The Rolling Stone Guide to Women in Rock, Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History, Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen: Interviews and Encounters, Goldmine: The Beatles Digest (volumes one and two), The Best of the Beatles Book, The Stranger Guide To Seattle, 33 1/3 Greatest Hits Vol 2, A Survey of American Culture, and various editions of The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, among others. She was editorial assistant for Krist Novoselic's book From Grunge To Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy!She was also a project consultant/liner note writer for Nirvana's box set "With The Lights Out." She has written for numerous magazines, including Rolling Stone, Mojo, Q, Goldmine, The Seattle Times, The Stranger, Option, and No Depression, and was a senior editor at Seattle music paper The Rocket.She has also written liner notes for collections by Laurie Anderson, Judy Collins, Heart, Pat Benatar, Paula Cole and Mat Kearney, among others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 14, 2023 • 1h 4min
E189 - Top 5 Songs with "Heart" (with The Darling Buds!) - Part 2
Here's the exciting conclusion of a two parter that's all about songs with "heart" - in the title, that is.The heart is a nasty lookin' thing, innit? But it's a word that symbolizes so much - love, pain, devotion, longing, passion, energy, excitement, life itself. It's safe to say that it's perhaps the second most essential organ in rock n' roll (insert winky smiley face here).We are thrilled to be joined by Andrea Lewis Jarvis, Harley Farr, and Matt Gray from The Darling Buds! The Buds formed in Newport, Wales in 1986, a band of friends who made great music and experienced amazing adventures together. The new 5-CD Cherry Red Records box set, Killing For Love: Albums, Singles, Rarities, Unreleased 1987-2017 collects the band's three albums recorded for CBS/Sony (1989's Pop Said... , 1990's Crawdaddy, 1992's Erotica), their 2017 EP Evergreen, and plenty of early singles, demos, b-sides, and rarities. During Part 2, you'll hear our top two choices for "heart" songs, the glorious new box set, the pros and cons of the modern music business model, the obscene power of the British music media, US vs. UK crowds, the timelessness of classic alternative, and what drives the band now.Plus, hear the 1987 Leeds demo of "Shame On You" from Killing For Love. If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, go back and listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 7, 2023 • 1h 15min
E188 - Top 5 Songs with "Heart" (with The Darling Buds!) - Part 1
Part one of a two parter that's all about songs with "heart" - in the title, that is.The heart is a nasty lookin' thing, innit? But it's a word that symbolizes so much - love, pain, devotion, longing, passion, energy, excitement, life itself. It's safe to say that it's perhaps the second most essential organ in rock n' roll (insert winky smiley face here).We are thrilled to be joined by Andrea Lewis Jarvis, Harley Farr, and Matt Gray from The Darling Buds! The Buds formed in Newport, Wales in 1986, a band of friends who made great music and experienced amazing adventures together. The new 5-CD Cherry Red Records box set, Killing For Love: Albums, Singles, Rarities, Unreleased 1987-2017 collects the band's three albums recorded for CBS/Sony (1989's Pop Said... , 1990's Crawdaddy, 1992's Erotica), their 2017 EP Evergreen, and plenty of early singles, demos, b-sides, and rarities.During Part 1, you'll hear our first three choices for "heart" songs, the thrill of being played on John Peel, Tom Waits in the toilet, major label pressures, a guy who we shall call "Fred", that other Erotica album, LA nights, dalliances with Debbie Harry, Kirsty MacColl, Thompson Twins, Christina Applegate, Cher, Sarah Jessica Parker, the cast of 90210, and getting stuck with Shane MacGowan's bar bills.Plus, hear the previously unreleased demo "Why Bother Now" from Killing For Love.Stay tuned for Part 2 next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 2023 • 1h 1min
E187 - Top 5 Musical Destinations
¡Hola! Somos Tío Gregg y El Rocktor. We are musical explorers. Do you want to go on a classic alternative journey with us?You doooooooooo?!? ¡Muy bien!This week, we are talking about songs with a destination in the title or lyrics of a song. It could be a physical destination...or it could be a state of mind. Either way, our scheduled guest couldn't make it due to illness, so you know what that means. Yep, oddball song choices, general contemptible behavior, rants, and wacky hijinks.So get out your talking map and vámonos! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 24, 2023 • 1h 31min
E186 - Top 5 Five Letter Words (with comedian Mike Finoia)
Remember back in Episode 151 when we used a lot of four letter words? That is, song titles consisting of a single four letter word? Well, we're back to ramp up the fun...one word at a time! This week, we cover five letter words with our special guest Third Lad Mike Finoia.Mike Finoia is a standup comedian based out of New York City. He is a writer / producer for TruTV's hilarious and wildly popular Impractical Jokers, and tours nationally in support of their theatre and arena tour. When he's not on the road, Mike can be found performing nightly at NYC's premiere comedy clubs. Mike has been featured on TruTV, Sirus XM & Comedy Central. On top of that, he also co-hosts the successful podcast Comes A Time with bassist Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Co, Allman Brothers), a fellow show on the Pantheon Podcasts network. Talk about a renaissance man!But wait, there's more! Mike also has a new comedy special, Don't Let Me Down, which is available RIGHT NOW on 800pgm.com and will be released to YouTube on November 9th. With a penchant for finding the absurd in everyday life and a knack for weaving relatable tales with a comedic twist, Finoia takes the stage to deliver a performance that's both uproarious and thought provoking. Did we mention the phrase "renaissance man"?We have a marvelous time chatting about comedy during the pandemic, one of the title ideas for his special, life on Impractical Jokers, following Phish, Music League, and much more. Plus, we play a rousing game of O3L Scrabble!So, c'mon...don't let him (or us) down. Click that play button, and like, subscribe, rate and review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 21, 2023 • 27min
O3L Presents: Weekend Six Pack, Vol. 6 - For Dwight & Ruth
We pay tribute to two pivotal figures in alternative music, both of whom passed away this week - Tulsa power pop icon Dwight Twilley and influential indie singer/songwriter.Our Six Pack consists of:
Dwight Twilley Band - 'I'm Losing You'
Soft Science - 'True'
The Journals Kept - 'Nothing In This World'
Jamie Hoover - 'Genghis Khan'
Special Friend - 'Wait Until The Flames Come Rushing In'
Po! - 'Fay'
Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family.#musicpodcast #bestnewmusic #alternativemusic #classicalternative #noisepop #indiepop #indierock #powerpop #alternative Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 17, 2023 • 2h 9min
E185 - Top 5 Three Album Runs (with Tony Jenkins from The New Fools)
Rock, paper, scissors. Three wishes. Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Moe, Larry & Curly.We think it's safe to say that good things that come in threes...and that includes albums. But the "three album run" - where an artist/band puts together a string of three amazing records in a row - is rather elusive. This week, we attempt to uncover some of the finest three album runs of the classic alternative era.You know what other good thing comes in threes? Lads. I mean, it is in the name of our show, after all.We are joined by a Third Lad who knows a thing or two about putting together an impressive string of albums, because Tony Jenkins and his band The New Fools have just released their latest in a run of great records, Seashells. With Seashells, the Cambridge, England band has crafted a gem of sparkling pop songcraft, full of ebullient horns, guitar jangle and clever, topical lyrics.Along with delving into three album runs, The New Fools and the new album, we also ruminate on tribute bands, media feuds, children's TV, hip hop, awkward urinal conversations and more. Plus, Tony ruins being the ideal husband for all of us, and we, in turn, just ruin his dinner.Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family.#musicpodcast #musicpodcasts #classicalternative #punkrock #newwave #indiepop #indierock #collegerock #1stwave #C86 #synthpop #powerpop #britpop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 13, 2023 • 27min
O3L Presents: Weekend Six Pack, Vol. 5 - Duck and Cover
Cool...crisp...refreshing...a little nutty. Yep, you guessed it - it's time for another Weekend Six Pack!This week, we bring you six more of the coolest songs grabbing our attention right now. You'll hear:
The Jasmine Minks - 'She Knows'
Kurt Baker - 'She Don't Wanna Be Alone'
The Happy Somethings & Slovenly Boy - 'I Don't Smoke Dope'
Liz Borden - 'Sweet Pain'
Royal Ottawa - 'Three Seven Zero'
Goliath - 'Duck And Cover'
Enjoy your weekend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


