Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

Summer's here and the time is right for...well, you know...This week, we spotlight tracks by: The Vanrays - 'Survivors' (from Hey! Alright Now, Bonerattle Records) L.A. Drugz - 'Outside Place' (from Outside Place, Hovercraft Records) The Anti-Queens - 'Overthinking' (from Disenchanted, Stomp Records) WolfWolf - 'Twenty One' (from Tolentanz, Ghost Highway / Lux Noise / Off Label Records) Mad Ones - 'Drone' (from What It Takes, Fortune Stellar Records) Theremin Man - 'Are You Receiving Me' (from Songs for the Future) Thank you for helping us support new music and the new artists making it.  Music gives us all so much pleasure, and being able to sustain yourself as a musician is tougher than ever now.  Whenever you can, get out and see some live music, buy physical product and merch, and the easiest and most cost effective way you can help is by sharing the new music you hear…and sharing this episode is a good place to start! Enjoy your weekend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey, guitarists (OK...and wannabe guitarists too)! What were the records that made/make YOU want to pick a guitar and learn to play? That's the burning question this week, as we welcome Third Lad Andy Golding from C86 legends The Wolfhounds to O3L!The Wolfhounds are an English noise pop band formed in Romford, Essex, in 1985 by Dave Callahan, Paul Clark, Andy Golding, Andy Bolton and Frank Stebbing, and originally active until 1990. The band reformed in 2005 and continues to write, record and play live, releasing new albums in 2014, 2016, and 2020. (Thanks, Wikipedia.)Andy's current project is called Dragon Welding (hmmm...what does that mean? Listen and find out!), whose latest single is "TADT (These Are Dangerous Times)."What the hip kids are saying about Dragon Welding:"..a pulsating beat with all sorts of strings being strummed and plucked, in all sorts of 60's/70's school holidays tv series soundtrack kind of ways." - Whisperin' & Hollerin' - 2023"Dragon Welding.. guitarist of Essex post-rock outliers The Wolfhounds, is a wondrous tapestry of ambient guitar instrumentals and sonic manipulations. This is music that channels the cosmic experimentations of 70s German avant-garde synth-rock with a dark Essex twist that somehow has glorious poptones. For fans of : Mouse On Mars, Plaid, Cluster." - Platekompaniet - 2023Plus, as an added bonus, hear some of Brett's teenage recordings, including the "legendary" 1990 Empty Glass concert! What the hip kids said: "Wow, he sounds like a neanderthal toddler who just discovered music for the first time!" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cccan't you see? This week, we're talking about Club Jams with the fantastic Brian Moss from Vicious Pink!Originating from a serendipitous encounter in a smoky Leeds nightclub back in 1979, Josephine Warden and Brian Moss embarked on a musical journey that would redefine the synth-pop landscape. Initially known as Vicious Pink Phenomena, they made their mark by providing distinctively off-kilter backing vocals for their friends in Soft Cell, a collaboration that unfolded organically and without rehearsal.Transitioning to the simplified moniker Vicious Pink, the duo continued to captivate audiences with their avant-garde sound, releasing a string of singles that defied conventional expectations and climbed the UK dance charts between 1982 and 1986. Despite their modest intentions, their music proved to be both artful and provocative, leaving an enduring legacy in the annals of electronic music history.Minimal Wave has just released a long-awaited LP showcasing previously unreleased gems from the influential UK duo, 'Unexpected'. The album offers listeners a glimpse into the duo's creative process, compiling pop experiments recorded spontaneously, some in collaboration with Soft Cell's Dave Ball.Order Unexpected: Unexpected | Vicious Pink (bandcamp.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're going back to the days when the geeks inherited the earth...specifically, the bands that were influenced by the monumental commercial and artistic triumph that was Weezer's 1994 self titled album (or, as it's affectionately known, The Blue Album). That's the subject of the new oral history and accompanying 11-track compilation album Generation Blue, out now from Big Stir Records and Spyderpop Records. Compiled and edited by this week's Third Lad, S.W. Lauden, Generation Blue is a fascinating celebration of the '90s Hollywood scene that included bands like Ozma, Nerf Herder, Baby Lemonade, Chopper One, and more.S.W. Lauden (aka Steve Coulter) was not only an active participant in the Geek Rock and Power Pop scenes, drumming for a series of LA bands like Ridel High, Tsar and The Brothers Steve, but is also accomplished writer. He is the editor of the essay collections Go All The Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop and Forbidden Beat: Perspectives on Punk Drumming. His power pop-themed crime fiction novellas include That'll Be The Day: A Power Pop Heist and Good Girls Don't. He is also the author of the Greg Salem punk rock PI trilogy, starting with Bad Citizen Corporation. Find more of Steve’s music writing on Substack at Remember The Lightning, including his semi-annual print/ebook Guitar Pop Journals.Generation Blue is also available as on Kindle: Generation Blue: An Oral History of The Hollywood Geek Rock Scene in the 1990s & 2000s - Kindle edition by Lauden, S.W., Koch, Karl, Fisher, Justin. Arts & Photography Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.Plus, if you're a fan of unhinged Uncle Gregg rants (and who isn't?!?), this one's for you!Proudly part of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1986 is undoubtedly one of the great years in music history, but one in which the chasm in alternative music grew. Especially for more established artists, 1986 represents the apex of the "BIG '80s" sound - glossy production, synth horns, Fairlights and DX-7s, gated snares, etc. Conversely, there was a new crop of guitar bands who eschewed these big budget sounds for concise, exuberant, noisy, scrappy pop music - brilliantly captured on NME's C86 cassette compilation.Discussing the songs of 1986 with us (and whose presence is certainly one of our biggest thrills to date) is Miki Berenyi from Lush, Piroshka, and The Miki Berenyi Trio! During their initial run from 1987 - 1996, Lush were one of the essential British bands of the era, releasing three seminal early EPs (collected on Gala) and three crucial albums that showcase the breadth of the band's formidable talents: 1992's Spooky, 1994's Split, and 1996's Lovelife (all on 4AD). Miki's recently released memoir, Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success, is one of the most compelling and searingly honest books we have read. Often traumatic, often hilarious, Fingers Crossed peels back the layers of the public figure you thought you knew from the British weeklies to reveal a complex and gifted storyteller.The Miki Berenyi Trio is currently on a short tour of the US. Catch her if you can! The new track "Vertigo" is available on all streaming/digital platforms.Plus, there's a lot of swearing in both Hungarian and English. This one is definitely NSFW, kids.Special thanks to Paul Richison for the suggestion and introduction!Proudly part of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here in the U.S., it's Memorial Day weekend...the unofficial start to summer. So what better time to grab a six pack of fresh new indie tunes? This week, we highlight: Venus Sugar High - 'The God And The Sun' Jim Basnight - 'Summertime Again' (Power Popaholic Productions) Steve Conte - 'Shoot Out The Stars' (Wicked Cool Records) Yea-Ming & The Rumours - 'Big Blue Sea' (Dandyboy Records) Ray Richardson - 'A Crack In The Sky' (Nanneroo Music) Even As We Speak - 'Beauty, You Will Break Us All' (Skep Wax Records) Have a great weekend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we crank the wayback machine to 1972, a year filled with political turmoil, social unrest, and a whole lotta groovy, life affirming, socially conscious, groundbreaking music that cut across multiple genres and geographic boundaries. With possibly our most eclectic batch of lists yet, we cover a good cross section of what 1972 had to offer.Joining us on this journey are guitarist/vocalist Henry Girard and drummer/vocalist Pablo Garcia from Montreal garage-pop provocateurs The Wesleys, who have just released their highly anticipated Self-Titled debut LP on Little Village Records. The debut album is a dynamic exploration that ventures into a sonic landscape that transcends conventional boundaries, blending elements of the rock, power pop, indie, and alternative genres. The Wesleys embrace their DIY ethos, channeling their creativity into music that feels authentic and natural, a reflection of their shared passion and unwavering dedication. The Wesleys craft melodic rock n' roll songs that resonate with both heart and adrenaline, and will surely appeal to fans of The Clean, The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, Pixies, The Shins, or Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever.Plus: Get the inside scoop on the awesome Montreal scene! Teletubbies on acid! Trouble at the border! Trudeau cuts off the band's wifi! Morgan Freeman! Hockey! Capes! Clam pizza!The Wesleys:Website: https://www.littlevillagerecords.com/the-wesleysFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewesleysmtl/Linktree: linktr.ee/thewesleysInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_wesleysSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7dNiuSl1RTkNZgYcioK8Z5?si=PccDtLU-RTa4Y_kSIst_IQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is your Tuesday grey? Does it break your heart? Give you a heart attack? Make you wanna stay in bed? We say pshaw, Robert Smith, PSHAW! He apparently doesn't know that Tuesday means brand new O3L episodes. Come to think of it, no matter what day you listen, you'll say "I'm in love." Or perhaps this our thinly veiled way of saying that, in this episode, we chat about songs with a day of the week in the title.Our Third Lad this week is Dan Cuddy, the bassist/singer/songwriter who has been leading Hoboken, New Jersey's The Special Pillow since 1995, and was previously in the late '80s/early '90s psych-tinged indie rockers Hypnolovewheel. The Special Pillow are esteemed purveyors of a full-spectrum, string-driven sound encompassing concise ’60s-flavored pop gems, dreamy hallucinogenic reveries, and pulse-pounding propulsion redolent of your favorite antipodean indie upstarts of the ’80s. The band specializes in catchy and confounding songcraft that has earned them notable fans such as Yo La Tengo, who have covered the group’s classic "Automatic Doom"The Special Pillow Meets the Space Monster is the latest in a series of acclaimed EPs, following in the wake of Mind Wipe (2022) and World’s Finest (2020). It is named in honor of the 1965 science-fiction potboiler, Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, the soundtrack of that cinematic milestone being the source of the featured cover song, "That’s the Way It’s Got to Be," originally performed by Scotland’s beat titans The Poets and an underground hit for The Special Pillow in the summer of 2023.SOCIALS:https://www.facebook.com/TheSpecialPillow/https://www.instagram.com/thespecialpillow/https://thespecialpillow.bandcamp.comSpecial thanks to Mike Turner from Crashing Through Publicity for the intro!Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Cruel World after all. Yes, the preeminent festival for lovers of new wave, darkwave, synth-pop, goth and post-punk music (new and old) is back for a third year. Whether you're going...or just wish you were...let your friends at O3L be a part of your pre-game celebration!We will be conspicuously absent from the fun this year. Brett's usually right there, but has something even more important to celebrate - his son's university graduation. But we won't let a little thing like that deter us from building our fantasy day at Cruel World.This year's roster includes Duran Duran, Tones On Tail, Interpol, Blondie, Simple Minds, Soft Cell, Adam Ant, Ministry, Jesus And Mary Chain, Gary Numan, Heaven 17, The Mission, The Stranglers, General Public, The Motels, Lol Tolhurst x Budgie, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silver Biplanes is the retro-futurist band led by a husband-and-wife duo of indie veterans - bassist/songwriter Tim Vass (formerly of early Creation Records heroes Razorcuts and '90s psych-pop combos Red Chair Fadeaway and Dandelion Wine) and singer Vanessa Vass (formerly of '90s indie poppers The Melons). Their upcoming second album, Traveling By Candlelight, will be out May 24th on Old Bad Habits/wiaiwya. As evidenced by the lead single "Radiogram," the LP is a heady mix of choruses, hooks and catchy tunes in which you’ll hear traces of psychedelia, post-punk, krautrock and more.Tim and Vanessa stop by to chat about the new record, their careers, their music, marriage and family, colouring books, why Vanessa can't touch Tim's record collection, and, of course, the topic on hand. This week, we're heading back to 1981 to discuss our favourite 7" singles of that incredible year. This is a fun one, kids!Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices