Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

Crack open a six pack! That is to say that we're stepping out of the O3L era once again for six more songs that you should hear this weekend.As many listeners know, Brett's son is currently attending UC Berkeley, which means that he's been spending a lot more time up in the Bay Area...which, in turn, means that he's been paying close attention to what's become arguably the best local indie music scene in the country. So, this week, we turn our focus to bands from that area. Our Six Pack:1) Chime School - 'Coming To Your Town' (https://chimeschool.bandcamp.com)2) The Umbrellas - 'She Buys Herself Flowers' (https://theumbrellas.bandcamp.com)3) The 1981 - 'Easy (It's Not)' (https://the1981band.bandcamp.com)4) Cindy - 'The Price Is Right' (https://cindytheband.bandcamp.com)5) The Reds, Pinks & Purples - 'Unloveable Losers' (https://theredspinksandpurples.bandcamp.com)6) Seablite - 'Melancholy Molly' (https://seablite.bandcamp.com)What do YOU think is the best local music scene right now? Let us know on social media or at onlythreelads@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Needless to say, we have fun every week here on O3L, but this one will have ya dancing in the streets guaranteed! We just can't help ourselves when it comes to talking about music influenced by "The Sound of Young America," Motown Records...especially when Heaven must have sent us this week's guest from above. What's going on, you ask? We guess you say, what can make us feel this way? Well, by now, you've probably heard it through the grapevine that it's the marvelous Arthur Alexander!(Oh, was that subtle enough?)Arthur has a very powerful story of rock n' roll salvation. Growing up in communist Poland in the '60s, Arthur discovered the power of rock through records pressed on postcards and through scratchy radio signals that the government attempted to silence, deeming this new musical form of freedom as a threat to society. It was the sound that united and invigorated legions of youth, inspired kids to form bands, and, for Arthur, paved the way for a new life in America. In the mid-70s, his band The Poppees were a part of the burgeoning New York scene, playing venues like CBGB and Max's Kansas City alongside The Heartbreakers, Ramones, and Blondie, despite eschewing straight ahead punk rock for the sounds of Merseybeat. After The Poppees, Arthur formed rockin' power pop group Sorrows, fulfilling his vision of crossing ABBA with The Sex Pistols. Sorrows issued two albums for CBS, 1980's Teenage Heartbreak (the sessions from that era also captured on the Bad Times, Good Times album) and 1981's Love Too Late. The latter was so badly botched by the record label that it prompted Sorrows to reform four decades later to put things right, to record the album that it should have been all along: Love Too Late...The Real Album. Arthur has also issued two marvelous solo albums in recent years, 2018's One Bar Left, and the brand new 2023 LP Steppin' Out on Big Stir Records. https://www.bigstirrecords.com.Signed, sealed and delivered,Your friends at O3LAnd we're stickin' to it.(Ain't Too) Proud (To Beg) members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the O3L Weekend Six Pack, where we curate six recent songs to kick off your weekend! Your six-pack this weekend consists of:1) The Radio Field - 'Other One' (from Don'ts and Dos, Subjangle) https://theradiofield.bandcamp.com2) Graham Parker & The Goldtops - 'It Mattered To Me' (from Last Chance To Learn The Twist, Big Stir) https://www.bigstirrecords.com3) The Che Men - 'Mill Hill' (The Beautiful Music) https://thebeautifulmusic.com4) Swansea Sound - 'Twentieth Century' (from Twentieth Century, Skep Wax) https://swanseasound.bandcamp.com5) The Lost Ships - 'Brittle Heart Foundation' (from Atoms Collide Forever, Subjangle) https://lostships.bandcamp.com6) The New Fools - 'It's Just Not Enough' (from Seashells) https://thenewfools.bandcamp.comLet us know what you think...should we make this a semi-regular feature? Hit us up on our social media pages or email us at onlythreelads@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we taste the proverbial rainbow with our Top 5 Colourful Songs...that is, songs with colours in the title. And what an incredible thrill it is to have Tracy Tracy and Paul Court from one of the greatest indie pop bands of the O3L era, The Primitives, join us!The Primitives are an English indie pop band who formed in Coventry in 1984, disbanded in 1992, and reformed in 2009 for one of the best "second acts" in music. After a string of classic Top 10 indie singles on the band's Lazy Records imprint, they signed with RCA for three albums: Lovely (1988, which spawned the #5 hit 'Crash'), Pure (1989), and Galore (1992). Since reforming, The Primitives have released a handful of EPs and singles, including 2022's 'Don't Know Where To Start' and this year's 'I Won't Care' (both of which you'll hear on this very episode!), and two full length albums, Echoes and Rhymes (2012) and Spin-O-Rama (2014).This one is a lot of fun, and as real as it gets - we talk about dogs, sweets, friendship, travel and...uh, Iron Maiden, as well as The Primitives' roots (both musically and hair), return and future.Also, as a technical note: You will notice some audio imperfections in this episode. Brett was recording in Berkeley in his son's mostly empty studio apartment, with a cheap mic and very boomy room ambience. And, for some unknown reason, Tracy's local track stopped recording after about 20 minutes, so we had to grab the rest from a lower resolution combined conference audio track. It made for some very tricky editing and moments of inconsistent volume so we could capture as much of this fabulous conversation as possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oops...we did it again?Yep, we tend to get lost in our passion sometimes, especially when we have an AMAZING Third Lad who's a subject matter expert at the topic at hand. So lace up your boots and join us in the mosh pit for an extended journey through the sounds, sights, and smells of the Southern California punk scene. With so many great songs, how do we narrow it down to five apiece?!?While the London and New York scenes understandably take up a lot of space in the punk rock annals, SoCal also had a vital and very distinctive brand of punk - often faster, more aggressive, and more violent than their peers. While Los Angeles was the epicentre, Orange County and San Diego both notably contributed plenty of classics of the genre. One of the first wave of San Diego punk bands to make a splash was The Executives, who released an impossibly rare EP in 1980 and played with just about every legendary band both in and out of the area. Our Third Lad this week is Executives' singer Michael Jenks, who gives us a thrilling first hand account of the rise of punk in Southern California, the chaotic San Diego scene, their recordings and their reformation.Plus: Michael and Brett share some "bro time!" Uncle Gregg whiffs with the ladies (and ruins everything)! Solid parenting advice! The downside of being a Britpop fan! Thanks to Executives' current guitarist Jeremy Spencer, who the O3L "street team" met at a Hoodoo Gurus show in May, ultimately leading to this enriching and entertaining couple of hours!Speaking of great SoCal punk, we have found it alive, well, and living in the Mojave Desert with Joshua Tree's Ingrates. Brett recently saw Ingrates open up for Terry Six (The Exploding Hearts) in Los Angeles, and was so impressed with their class of '77 punk energy-meets-power pop hooks that he reached out to the guys about thrusting them into the O3L Spotlight. This week, we play their latest single, the infectious "Don't Be A Stranger." You can find Ingrates music at: https://ingrates.bandcamp.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the Summer of Love...Tractor, that is. That's because our friends in seminal Athens band Love Tractor return to O3L for an epic two parter as we discuss our Top 5 Summer Albums!It's time for the epic conclusion, where Love Tractor guitarists Mark Cline & Mike Richmond and bassist Armistead Wellford recount more wild, hilarious tales of the Athens scene in the '80s and the making of their second album, 1983's Around The Bend. We'll also divulge our #2 & #1 Summer Albums. If you didn't get enough sex, drugs & rock n' roll (or country rock, if a certain record label had their druthers) during part 1...well, you're in luck. Party at Little Richard's house!About Love Tractor:It is no act of misguided hyperbole to declare the genre-bending, art rock pioneers, Love Tractor one of the most influential bands of the past 43 years. As one of the inadvertent architects of the Athens, Georgia scene and sound, Love Tractor along with Pylon, The B-52’s, and R.E.M. were essential in staking out the jangly and disco-driven rock that would have — and still has—a huge influence on subsequent generations. Of those bands, Love Tractor always stood out as the most artistically brave and willing to fail in order to succeed.In 1983, Love Tractor released their second album, Around the Bend, which was accompanied by a popular MTV video for the song "Spin Your Partner." The album showcased the band's growth and evolution, incorporating vocals and other experimentations to enhance their sound. The record was well-received critically and commercially— topping the college charts, and solidifying Love Tractor's place in the alternative music landscape.Around The Bend (40th Anniversary Remastered Edition) is due out September 1, 2023, on Propeller Sound Recordings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surprise! We're back for a second episode this week, and it's the most uncharacteristic episode we've ever done. Don't change the dial on your podcast app...and this is not an April Fool's joke. Yes, we are covering our Top 5 Metallica Songs.If you're wondering what's gotten into the Lads, it's because we are celebrating the official Metallica podcast, The Metallica Report, joining the Pantheon Podcasts family!Here's the thing: If you've listened to O3L for any length of time, you probably know that Brett is about the furthest thing away from a "metal guy" as you can get. In fact, aside from a few songs from the radio and MTV, he never listened to a Metallica record before this week. But before you Metallica heads come at him with pitchforks, he has given it the ol' college try this week! And fortunately he has Uncle Gregg, who is a little more versed in the topic.So what do you say, huh? Let's get Metal AF!Music from today's episode can be found on our playlist "O3L - E173 - Top 5 Metallica Songs on:Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/o3l-e173-top-5-metallica-songs/pl.u-RRbVNdDT1e6YDmSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5YqDInPHwEoJAMCek5EvIe?si=494cbd73f6fe4654About The Metallica Report:Keep up with all things Metallica by going straight to the source for your news. This weekly report is hosted by Steffan Chirazi, long-time rock scribe and editor of the band’s online mag, So What!, and Renée Richardson, a well-known Bay Area radio personality who now oversees the band’s foundation, All Within My Hands. Steffan and Renée will keep you in the loop each week with updates, features, and interviews. They’ll also get YOUR questions answered by those in the know. It’s your quick, weekly fix covering our most relevant topics of the day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the Summer of Love...Tractor, that is. That's because our friends in seminal Athens band Love Tractor return to O3L for an epic two parter as we discuss our Top 5 Summer Albums!During this first part, guitarists Mark Cline & Mike Richmond and bassist Armistead Wellford recount some wild, hilarious tales of the Athens scene in the '80s and the making of their second album, 1983's Around The Bend. We'll also divulge our #5 through #3 Summer Albums. And, no, you didn't accidentally stumble upon the High Times podcast.About Love Tractor:It is no act of misguided hyperbole to declare the genre-bending, art rock pioneers, Love Tractor one of the most influential bands of the past 43 years. As one of the inadvertent architects of the Athens, Georgia scene and sound, Love Tractor along with Pylon, The B-52’s, and R.E.M. were essential in staking out the jangly and disco-driven rock that would have — and still has—a huge influence on subsequent generations. Of those bands, Love Tractor always stood out as the most artistically brave and willing to fail in order to succeed.In 1983, Love Tractor released their second album, Around the Bend, which was accompanied by a popular MTV video for the song "Spin Your Partner." The album showcased the band's growth and evolution, incorporating vocals and other experimentations to enhance their sound. The record was well-received critically and commercially— topping the college charts, and solidifying Love Tractor's place in the alternative music landscape.Around The Bend (40th Anniversary Remastered Edition) is due out September 1, 2023, on Propeller Sound Recordings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I wanted to be with you alone/And talk about the weather." Well put, Rollie & Curt. You could even say that we're head over heels about talking about songs about talking about the weather (or something like that).And this week's supersized episode is a whole lotta talk about the weather. It's a whole lotta sunshine. A whole lotta rainbows. A whole lotta fun. A whole lotta laughs. A whole lotta (electric) mayhem. A whole lotta Van. A whole lotta Yoko. A whole lotta Studs Turkel. And, most importantly, a whole lotta Rob.That's because our Third Lad this week is a kindred spirit, Rob Kassees, one of the hosts of the awesome podcast 1001 Album Complaints. Each week, Rob and his friends dissect a different album from Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. They approach each record with humor and an infectious mix of respect and irreverence, share stories and facts behind its creation, and ultimately vote whether you do truly need to hear the selected album before you die. It's a great show that gets a seal of approval from us! https://linktr.ee/thechopunlimitedAlso: A brand new O3L game to commemorate Rob's appearance with us, Kill or Die! Plus, new music by Sheffield shoegazers The Suncharms ('Telescope') and Power Pop Hall of Famers Flashcubes (a cover of The Motors' 'Forget About You').The Suncharms: Music | Sunday Records (bandcamp.com)Flashcubes: Big Stir Records - The Flashcubes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1987: The year of the mega-album (Bad...Faith...The Joshua Tree...Appetite For Destruction...The Zit Remedy...) big, booming, glossy pop singles, hair metal, mall pop and hip-hop. But, lurking beneath that "high '80s" sheen were some of the finest alternative songs of the O3L era. That, dear listener, is where we come in.In 1987's indie world, it didn't get much bigger than The Wedding Present, led by singer/songwriter/guitarist AND this week's Third Lad, David Gedge. The Weddoes, as they are affectionately known by fans, scored a #1 indie LP with their debut full-length, George Best, and occupied five spots (including four in the Top 10) on the legendary John Peel's year end Festive Fifty list. Over the next decade, The Wedding Present would remain a vital fixture on the scene, racking up 16 UK Top 40 hits. In 1992 alone, they tied a record set by Elvis Presley by releasing twelve Top 30 singles within a twelve-month period. Since then, the ever-prolific self-professed "workaholic" Gedge has released a consistent string of records both under The Wedding Present and Cinerama monikers, right up to the brand new Weddoes triple album 24 Songs. 24 Songs collects the twelve 7" singles (once every month) that Gedge and band released during 2022. This remarkable set is now available from Happy Happy Birthday To Me in the US and Clue Records in the UK. https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com.Come on in to the deep end...just remember that we're never gonna give you up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices