Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

We are saddened to learn of the passing of our friend Terry Draper from Klaatu. We remember Terry, his musical legacy, his sense of humor, and zeal for life. This is a repost of an episode from November 9, 2021. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Featuring over 30 minutes of material from our extended conversation with Terry Draper that did not appear in the main episode! We were very fortunate this week to have Third Lad Terry Draper from Klaatu join us this week.  In 1976, Klaatu let their music do the talking, with a blend of whimsical psychedelia, spacy progressive rock and melodic power pop...so much so that masses of people believed that they could be The Beatles under a pseudonym!  The brilliant, essential debut album 3:47 EST and single "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" became hits on FM radio, with "Occupants" covered by none other than '70s pop icons The Carpenters.   But the Terry Draper story doesn't end with the demise of Klaatu in 1982.  Since returning to the record bins in 1997, he has remained incredibly prolific with new music.  Following 2020's Lost comes the ambitious new album The Other Side.  If you are a fan of adventurous yet always tuneful music (and we know you are), pick up his latest releases at ⁠www.terrydraper.com.⁠ Terry shares fascinating stories from his rock n' roll life, from his beginnings in the mid-60s to encounters with Mick Jagger, Ozzy and Boy George, shares his recipe for a "songwriting cake", and how he continues to make progress after over 50 years of music.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for another label spotlight, as we count down some of the best singles from the legendary New Zealand indie Flying Nun Records. Joining us for this discussion is a musician who, despite being on the other side of the world in Los Angeles, has felt the impact of Flying Nun very profoundly - Sharif Dumani from Exploding Flowers. Flying Nun was formed in Christchurch in 1981 by music store manager Roger Shepherd.  Described by The Guardian as "one of the world's great independent labels", Flying Nun is notable for bringing global attention to the "Dunedin Sound", often characterized by jangly guitars and a lo-fi, DIY production. Pivotal bands on the Flying Nun in the '80s and '90s include The Clean, The Chills, The Bats, Tall Dwarfs, Sneaky Feelings, Straitjacket Fits, 3Ds, Look Blue Go Purple, The Verlaines, and Jean-Paul Sartre Experience. The label continues to flourish, with a crop of 21st century artists like Betchadupa, Aldous Harding, Fazerdaze, The Courtneys, and Vera Allen. Exploding Flowers are a Los Angeles quartet who have crafted their own universe of guitar-based pop, with its flourishes of piano, organ, synthesizers, vibraphone and glockenspiel on top of a foundational rhythm section. Led by Sharif Dumani, who has worked with a variety of artists from '60s underground heroes Nick Garrie and Silver Apples; punk and post-punk pioneers such as Alice Bag (The Bags), Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture), Jowe Head (Swell Maps, Television Personalities), and Nikki Sudden (Swell Maps); and artists and bands like Cody Chesnutt, Sex Stains, the Moon Upstairs, Classics Of Love, and many more. Watermelon/Peacock is Exploding Flowers' third release packed with analog production, poetic lyricism, and the same strong melodies and hooks we’ve now come to expect from a band that prioritizes its songwriting with smart left turns. Both economic and expansive, they utilize all measures to craft something both beautiful, grand, and driving. Link: https://explodingflowers.bandcamp.com/ Plus: play along with a brand new O3L game, "Who Needs Wings to Fly?!?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready for the most unintentionally sexist O3L yet! We tried very hard to steer away from the phrase "one man band" during this episode...only to pick albums almost exclusively by one man bands (except for a bonus nod to Enya). We tried. Dang you, unintentional sexism!! Anyway, the focus this week is albums where one man...er, human...mostly did it all. All the vocals. All the instruments. In many cases, all of the writing and production. The albums recorded in this fashion during the O3L era have been wildly influential for DIY musicians today, including today'sThird Lad, Minorcan's Ryan Anderson. With a career stretching back over 20 years, including three full-band records, Ryan Anderson's latest self-released Minorcan album, the appropriately titled Rock Alone, is a basement arena rock tour-de-force. Featuring eight musically rich and lyrically insightful songs from the pen of the Asheville, NC-based artist, Rock Alone will appeal to fans of roots rock, punk, and classic singer-songwriters alike. Rock Alone is now available on vinyl, CD, and digital: https://minorcan.bandcamp.com Thanks to Mike Turner from Crashing Through Publicity for the connection! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's double your O3L pleasure this week with our 4th Annual Cruel World Special! It’s that time of year again - on May 17, 2025, the masses will descend upon Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, for the 4th installment of what has become a destination, a cultural touchstone for fans of classic alternative, new wave, punk, synth-pop, goth, and dark wave - the Cruel World festival.  Goldenvoice has once again put together a fantastic lineup of legends, younger bands who are carrying the torch, and a couple of surprises thrown in.  This year’s lineup includes New Order, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Go-Go's, Devo, OMD, Death Cult, Garbage, Madness, the first appearance of the original ‘Til Tuesday lineup in 35 years, Midge Ure, Clan of Xymox, Buzzcocks, Stereo MC’s, Blancmange, Alison Moyet, and "next generation" acts like Nation of Language and She Wants Revenge. As has become O3L tradition, we celebrate this annual event with an episode where we each pick the five acts that we are, or at least would be, most excited to see at this year’s festival.  This year, we’ve got a special guest Third Lad joining us, a gentleman who can rightfully be called Gen X’s DJ - someone who grew up, like us, under the spell of this music and continues to keep it alive to not only our generation, but subsequent generations.  Jake Rudh has hosted Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current for 15 years, the weekly Transmission club night in Minneapolis for nearly 25 years, he has been a resident DJ at the famous First Avenue (yes, where a lot of Purple Rain took place) for 15 years, as well as the annual ‘80s music festival '80s in the Sands in Mexico, which is hosted by Richard Blade and many of the classic MTV VJs.  We also have Jake to thank for the amazing content on the Slicing Up Eyeballs Facebook page - album anniversaries, artist birthdays, tour announcements and other news.  Plus, the world can partake in Transmission on Twitch, featuring 5+ hours of classic videos every week.  Jake Rudh Website: https://transmission-music.com/djs/jake-rudh/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JakeRudh/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blackpool, Lancashire lies on the Irish Sea on the northwest coast of England, situated roughly 50-some miles north of Liverpool and 50-some miles west of Manchester. This seaside destination may conjure up visions of tourists, the Promenade, Pleasure Beach, or Blackpool Tower, but this week we focus on Blackpool as a crucial stop on the musical map. Joining us for this engaging discussion is one of Blackpool's favourite musical sons, John Robb! John was outside enjoying a lovely sunny day in Manchester, and we were lucky to get nearly an hour of his time before his phone connection went kaput. John has been at the centre of Blackpool post-punk legends the Membranes from their original 1977-1990 run to their post-hiatus return since 2009. Their initial era (including their three UK Top 20 indie albums and three Top 20 indie singles) is covered on Cherry Red's comprehensive 5 CD box set, Everyone's Going Triple Bad Acid, Yeah! They added to their already impressive body of work in the 21st century with two of their finest and most ambitious albums yet: 2015's Dark Matter/Dark Energy and 2019's What Nature Gives...Nature Takes Away. But wait, there's far more to this multi-faceted artist. Aside from also leading the punk band Goldblade, Robb has also produced bands like Therapy? and Cornershop; been a TV presenter and pundit; a journalist; best-selling author (including The Art of Darkness - The History of Goth, Punk Rock: An Oral History, Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop, The North Will Rise Again, and an upcoming Oasis biography); creator of the essential Louder Than War website and magazine; festival boss; green revolutionary; vegan behemoth...a true renaissance man. Thanks to Paul Richison for the suggestion and introduction! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 2022 documentary The Elephant 6 Recording Co., they waste no time in addressing a very valid question: What exactly is Elephant 6? Is it a record label? (Yes, but not always.) Is it a collective of likeminded visionaries? (Yes.) Is the epicenter of E6 Athens, GA? Denver? Ruston, LA? (Yes. Yes. Yes.) It started with four high school friends in Ruston, Louisiana - Robert Schneider, Jeff Mangum, Will Cullen Hart, and Bill Doss - who shared a love of home recording and '60s psych pop and needed an imaginary label for their self-circulated tapes. Soon, the foursome of friends would form the three seminal bands of the collective - Schneider would relocate to Denver and put together the Apples in Stereo, with the other three heading to Athens. Hart and Doss would become the driving force behind Olivia Tremor Control and Mangum would establish his primary focus Neutral Milk Hotel. From there, it's a long and winding family tree with a lineage of interconnected bands sharing members in common and/or an aesthetic. For more than 30 years, E6 has represented a trademark of quality for lovers of intelligent, imaginative, blissful, beautifully strange pop music. According to the E6 website, there are a mere 51 bands who can lay claim to being an "official" part of the collective, and we are fortunate to have one of them joining us for this discussion of some of our favorite E6 songs. The Rishis are centered around the married duo of songwriters/vocalists Ranjan Avasthi and Sofie Lute, with keyboardist Marcel Sletten also joining us. Their transcendent self-titled second album (out now on Cloud Recordings) features the band's stunning combination of rootsy folk-pop, cosmic washes of hazy psychedelia, and the mystical power of Indian music. They bring the same energy and positivity that their music possesses to O3L. Word up! Dedicated to the memory of Bill Doss (1968-2012) and Will Cullen Hart (1971-2024). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Pearl E. Gates (aka Pearl Harbour) from Bay Area new wave faves Pearl Harbor & The Explosions gives us a glimpse of some of the artists of the era who had the biggest impact on her. Along the way, Pearl shares her fascinating story: a military brat growing up in Germany who makes her way to San Francisco with a plane ticket and $75, joins The Tubes as a backup singer and dancer, which led to joining Leila and the Snakes before spinning off to form Pearl Harbor & The Explosions. After the moderate success of their single "Drivin'" for indie label 415 Records, the band was signed to Warner Bros. Records for their self-titled debut album, released in January 1980. It's a dynamic record that mixes new wave energy with pop, R&B, rockabilly, and jazz. They shared stages with the likes of Talking Heads, The Police, The Clash, and The B-52's. Differences in opinion regarding the Explosions' musical direction led to Pearl departing for England, where she recorded her rootsy, rockin' 1980 solo album Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too, with a dream band including Wilko Johnson from Dr. Feelgood and members of the Blockheads and the Clash. In fact, in the '80s, Pearl was married to Clash bassist Paul Simonon. She also takes us through her rare mid-'80s album that never saw a U.S. release (Pearls Galore), her blazing '90s set Here Comes Trouble, and how her countrified return was sidelined by a lung cancer diagnosis. Now thankfully in remission, we are blessed to have this living icon of new wave history share her story. Oh, and in a head-turning twist, Uncle Gregg tackles the one question that nobody else has dared to ask! Liberation Hall has just released an expanded edition of Pearl Harbor & The Explosions on opaque sky-blue vinyl, CD and digital, containing bonus tracks and the original UK album cover design. https://pearlharbortheexplosions.bandcamp.com/album/pearl-harbor-the-explosions Special thanks to Randy Haecker from Prime Mover Media for the introduction and coordination! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2008, they came down with a case of Party Fever!!! In 2024, they contracted Afterparty Fever!!! Now, in 2025, they have O3L Fever...and the only cure is more garage rock party records! (Well, that and an over-the-counter ointment.)Guitarist Sammy and vocalist/organist Helene 33 from "San Francisco's Last and Only Rock n' Roll Band" The Okmoniks join us for a rip-roarin', hip-shakin', foot-stompin', lip-smackin' garage rock party where we've each brought five of our favorite records. The best part is that you're all invited!Thank you to Chad Cornies from No Rules PR for the introduction to possibly the coolest couple on the planet!We are elated to be listed at #2 on Feedspot's list of the "10 Best Alternative Music Podcasts in 2025." This is our fifth year on this list, and we are very grateful! https://podcast.feedspot.com/alternative_music_podcasts/O3L PodPerk of the Month: Save 15% off the slip-resistant cloudlike comfort of Stand Shoes. Enter promo code O3L at https://standshoes.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Britpop to Beanie Babies, 1995 was da bomb! So much so, in fact, that we thought it would be pretty phat if we revisited the albums of the year in a Volume 2 episode. As if!This week's Third Lad, singer/songwriter/guitarist Josh Caterer had a pretty memorable 1995 as well. His Chicago pop-punk band Smoking Popes signed a major label deal with Capitol Records, who re-released their second indie album, Born To Quit. The album featured the alternative smash "Need You Around," which received radio and MTV airplay, as well as a prominent placement in the hit film Clueless. Fast forward 30 years and things are once again heating up for Smoking Popes. They've just released a triumphant new album, Lovely Stuff, and are celebrating three decades of Born To Quit by playing the record live in its entirety this spring. This summer, they will embark on a tour with Bayside. https://smokingpopesmusic.comJosh joined us from a random rest stop somewhere in Florida to chat about '95 albums, the Popes' past, present, and future, hangin' out in Billie Joe Armstrong's basement, getting Morrissey's seal of approval, the pros and cons of sudden fame, faith, Wisconsin, and much more. We're Audi! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s not Record Store Day without a special bonus episode from your friends at Only Three Lads.  OK, so it is actually still is Record Store Day regardless on Saturday, April 12th…but hopefully we can help in some way as you get ready for the big day.  Join O3L's Brett Vargo on a guided journey through this year's list, spotlighting the many releases from artists that we talk about on the show.  This year could be one of the best we’ve ever had.  Let us know where you’ll be this Record Store Day and what’s on your shopping list! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices