Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

It's the darkest, most spiteful O3L yet! Thanks to an expected guest standing us up at the last minute, after 322 episodes of musical positivity, this week it's all about pushing each other's musical hot buttons. We each curate a list of five songs that we believe the other will loathe. Detest. Hate. Which means you get more scorn. More disgust. More Uncle Gregg rants. More annoying Brett "grunge voice" imitations. Lucky...you!?!? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The merit in action lies in finishing it to the end." - Genghis Khan Well, you'll definitely want to finish this six pack to the end, because this week it's all about Meritorio in action. That is, Meritorio Records, the splendid Madrid-based record label founded by Álvaro Lissón that has been connecting some of the finest indie pop/rock artists with worldwide audiences for nearly a decade. During this six pack, you'll hear the following recent tracks by a selection of Meritorio artists: 1) Prism Shores - "I Didn't Mean To Change My Mind" (from the upcoming LP Softest Attack) 2) Dancer - "Always Running" (from the LP More or Less) 3) The Maureens - "Me & My Friend" (from the forthcoming LP Don't Give Up) 4) The Kitchenettes - "Sunday Best" (single) 5) Rural France - "Lonely Heart Pyramid Scheme" (from the forthcoming LP Sloths) 6) Fort Not - "Careless Love" (from the LP You On Repeat) Support this great label and its roster at https://meritoriorec.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What the world needs now...is O3L, sweet O3L! The lads are joined by guitarist/vocalist duo Eric McFadden and Kate Vargas — collectively known as Sgt. Splendor — to count down the top five songs this messed-up world needs right now. The conversation explores how music can heal, empower, and unite in difficult times. Guest Bios: Eric McFadden — A spellbinding guitarist with a catalog stretching back to the mid-'80s punk band Angry Babies. He's played with George Clinton & P-Funk All Stars, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Jackson Browne, Joe Strummer, Anders Osborne, Fishbone's Angelo Moore, among many others. Kate believes that Eric is one of the greatest guitarists of all time...and who are we to disagree? Kate Vargas — A singer-songwriter with five acclaimed solo albums, including Golden Hour in the House of Lugosi (2025). Known for her gritty voice and evocative storytelling. Eric believes that Kate belongs in an elite group of songwriters that include Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen...and who are we to disagree? About Sgt. Splendor: Eric and Kate met at Pat McDonald's (of Timbuk 3 fame) Steel Bridge Song Fest at the Holiday Music Motel in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Their collaboration blends hard rock, riff blues, junkyard folk, desert psychedelia, alternative funk, and carnival-esque vibes. Their third album, Isotopia, is out now on Mother West. Other Topics Discussed: The Soil Dove immersive circus/dinner show featuring Joan Baez Eric's personal encounters with Joe Strummer The origin story of Sgt. Splendor at Steel Bridge Song Fest The making of Isotopia Their cover of Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta" Uh...Lou Bega. Music Featured: Sergeant Splendor — "Brave, Rough, and Ready to Go" Sergeant Splendor — "Play On" Connect: sgtsplendor.com facebook.com/onlythreelads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BIFF! This week, we're focusing on Album 1-2 punches...that is, albums where the first two songs knock you out. BANG! Our Third Lad is Ben Crum from long-running Elephant 6 band Great Lakes. POW! More than 25 years and eight records on from Great Lakes' classic debut, Ben Crum returns with a fantastic new Great Lakes album, Don't Swim Too Close (HHBTM Records). The immediately accessible record draws from classic rock tradition, echoing both the Americana spirit of The Band and Neil Young and the proto-indie rock of Television and the Velvet Underground. Crum's dry humor bubbles up throughout, tempering heavy, earnest moments with wit. WHAMMO! This is very likely to be the only music podcast you listen to today that incorporates both boxing and Scuffy the Tugboat references. KO!! Thanks for Mike Turner from HHBTM Records for the introduction and coordination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the first full weekend of Daylight Savings Time here in (most parts of the) U.S. You bring the sunshine, and we'll supply the tunes! Brett Vargo chats with electropunk pioneer Peter Pepper about his journey from a "dirtbag punk kid" growing up in Florida to becoming an underground cult hero of a genre he accidentally helped to create. He is currently a renowned multimedia creator, world-traveling storyteller, and founder of the AdventurePunk movement - a philosophy centered on curiosity, reinvention, and crafting meaning through exploration and doing something rather than nothing...even if it's hard. Featured in our most eclectic six pack yet: 1) Peter Pepper - "Monday Night Electropunk" (single) 2) Mekons - "Mudcrawlers (Version)" feat. Benji Webbe (from the forthcoming LP Horrorble, Fire Records) 3) The Sweetest Ache - "Briaris" 4) Heavenly - "Robas Escenas" (original version from the LP Highway To Heavenly, Skep Wax Records) 5) Special Friend - "Isolation" (from the LP Clipping, Skep Wax Records) 6) Boiled In Lead - "King of the Dogwoods" (from the LP King of the Dogwoods, Omnium Records) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re covering bands who released one…and only one…proper album in their career. Sometimes they say everything they need to say in one album long statement. Sometimes, they attempt to chase the same feeling of the first album and can’t quite repeat the magic. Sometimes they’re not given a chance. Our Third Lad knows a little something about being in a "one and done" band. Frank Boscoe’s great ‘90s indiepop band Wimp Factor 14 released exactly one proper album for Little Teddy Records, 1993’s Ankle Deep. Fortunately, more music followed with his mid-to-late ‘90s band Vehicle Flips, 2000s group The Gazetteers, and this decade, The Ekphrastics. Fortunately, The Ekphrastics were NOT "one and done," as they released their marvelous third album, All of a Sudden, Pow!, on Harriet Records in September 2025. Like the two albums that preceded it, it contains the kind of songwriting prowess that makes you marvel at how the songs can be so clever, so novel, so well researched, and yet so infectious and accessible. For example, how about a song called “I’m Going to Read You the Riot Act” where he then ponders where the term came from, and then actually READS you the Riot Act as it was written in 1715 England? Or how about the wind chill factor? Or journeyman first baseman John Jaso?. Experience short stories about aging marching bands, bee stings, COVID testing vans, money-laundering art galleries, rampageous hockey fans, who’s in the obituaries today, and unwritten pop songs. You can get another glimpse into the mind of Mr. Boscoe in his sixth book of poetry, Tiny Delivery Robots All Over Campus. Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Croon•er (n) ['kru:nər]: a singer, particularly a male one, who sings sentimental songs in a soft, low voice. Decades before Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, or Uncle Gregg captured the hearts, imaginations, and undergarments of a swooning audience, crooners ruled the earth. The term typically conjures up golden throated singers like Bing Crosby, Nat "King" Cole, Tony Bennett, and Mel Torme interpreting the timeless songs of Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. But one crooner reigned supreme: Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra. He was "The Voice," possessing an instrument of rare, pure, crystalline perfection, with a phrasing, tone, and ability to charge every word with such emotion that you can palpably sense his audience getting weak in the knees. Never has Sinatra's legendary 1940s performing career sounded as immaculately and pristinely alive as it does on the SING label's recent archival projects: At the Hollywood Bowl 1943-48; Christmas on the Air; and the 5-LP box set Long Ago, Far Away, all lovingly restored and mastered by an award winning team and featuring exquisitely detailed liner notes by no greater authority than record producer, historian, archivist, author of the acclaimed Sessions with Sinatra, and host of the weekly radio show Sinatra Standard Time, Chuck Granata. We are fortunate to have Chuck join us this week to chat about all things Sinatra: the innovative new sets, his important role in pop music's breakthrough, his classic and most underrated albums, and the use of AI for good. And, of course, because O3L is focused on classic alternative music, our lists cover some of our favorite singers who carried on crooning into the '70s, '80s & '90s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we celebrate the life and music of Elliott Smith, tracing his journey from noisy indie rocker to lo-fi DIY troubadour to the reluctant voice of a generation. Elliott released three records with his band Heatmiser and five solo classics before his untimely passing at the age of 34 in 2003 (with two posthumous collections that followed), leaving a rich, beautiful, emotionally wrought catalogue of music that continues to influence artists today. We explore the complex, brilliant, funny, but ultimately tragic figure that was Elliott Smith, and we are fortunate to have a Third Lad who had a front row seat to his musical development - Lucas Ward from The Silver Snails. Lucas was a close friend of Elliott's (née Steven) in high school and college and shares an intimate portrait of the artist as a young man. But this episode has a dual purpose, as we also celebrate the release of the second Silver Snails album, Speed of Light. The Silver Snails are a glam rock space pop family band based in the wine country of Italy, consisting of Lucas, his wife Elisa Fantini, and aided and abetted by their three children. It's a cosmic delight of an album - a string of ten pearls lovingly crafted to uplift, inspire, and open the hearts of listeners. It draws from a stylistically diverse, spiritually enriched, globally connected palette. Oh, it also rocks and is a lot of fun! And if their cover and video of "Video Killed The Radio Star" doesn't have you smiling from ear to ear, consult a doctor immediately. Learn about Lucas's journey from Portland-raised Wall Street titan to Italian-dwelling psych-pop craftsman. Get a primer on Italian pop music. Laugh. Cry. Feel. Get reaffirmation that you are pretty. Be the faro d'amore. All this and more...only on O3L. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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