Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

Travel with us down the snakehole into the magical world of Octoberland. In the first part of our two part autumnal extravaganza, Rex Broome and Christina Bulbenko, co-founders of Big Stir Records and singers/songwriters in pop powerhouse The Armoires, join us to discuss their brand new fall classic Octoberland.Octoberland is an invigorating eleven-track collection of amped-up, richly detailed pop gems, accessible but still retaining the quirky, slightly eerie mystique of their unique sonic signature. Along with Christina (vocals, keys) and Rex (vocals, guitar), The Armoires also feature the intricate instrumental interplay between Larysa Bulbenko (viola) and the empathetic rhythm section of Clifford Ulrich (bass) and renowned music journalist/power pop expert John M. Borack (drums). It's a bright, brash amalgam of expansive New Pornographers-inspired lit-rock, '90s twee pop and dream rock, the college rock heights of R.E.M. and Echo & The Bunnymen, and a bedrock of Byrds and Jefferson Airplane electric folk roots.Along with getting deep into the many wonders of Octoberland, this very entertaining discussion covers the formation and evolution of Big Stir Records, music and animals, and so, so much more.We absolutely mean it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you hear the term "singer-songwriter", what the first thing that comes to mind? Sensitive '70s long-haired hippies strolling through Laurel Canyon with an acoustic guitar? Us too. But, amidst the explosion of alternative rock, grunge, Britpop, electronic music, and hip-hop, the '90s were a fruitful decade for the singer-songwriter. This crop of artists drew from a stylistically varied palette, but played music with passion, heart, honesty, vulnerability, and a knack for poetic storytelling.One of the most promising singer-songwriters of the '90s was this week's Third Lad Milo Binder, the musical alter ego of Todd Lawrence. Milo Binder's self-titled debut album was released in 1991 to universal critical acclaim, featuring a respected roster of legendary musicians including Garth Hudson from The Band, Sneaky Pete from Flying Burrito Brothers, and Victoria Williams, as well as studio pros like the late David Vaught (Rosebud, Tom Waits, Roger McGuinn) and Duane Jarvis. Milo was profiled on NPR, received folk radio airplay, and shared the stage with a range of artists from the Indigo Girls to Soundgarden. Naturally, with that auspicious debut, Milo Binder went on to a long, fruitful musical career. Right?Well, a series of life changing events caused Milo Binder to hang up the guitar and transform back into mild-mannered Todd Lawrence for the better part of 33 years (the Superman analogy isn't all that hyperbolic...you'll find out that Todd is pretty much a super hero!). Other than the occasional live appearance and 2019's wonderfully whimsical psychedelic pop fable Paisley and the Firefly written and recorded with his longtime musical partner and best friend Willie Aron, a true follow up to the Milo Binder album never materialized. Until now.August 2024 heralded the return of Milo Binder with his (verrrrrry) long awaited second album, The Unspeakable Milo Binder, on Heyday Again (distributed by Real Gone Music). It finds our hero not only in fine form, but it's a record that equals or surpasses its predecessor.Listen to Milo's remarkable story, plus: What '90s singer-songwriter was a triple crossover...but with three different albums? Where did Uncle Gregg bomb doing stand up? Who was Milo's toughest audience? What group of people did Cher offend? (According to our official staff fact checker, aka Brett's wife, it's NOT who we said it was.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we head back to '82 (when we could throw a pigskin a quarter mile) with special guest Jackson Reed. With his band Jackson Reed and the Silverbirds, the 26-year old Calgary rocker is mixing an irresistible blend of earnest '80s classic rock with modern pop smarts. Following the success of tracks like 2021's "Dangerous Lover" (featuring legendary drummer Kenny Aronoff) and 2023's "In My Head," their latest single is a cover of Prince's iconic 1982 hit "Little Red Corvette", offering up a take on the classic that's both faithful and fresh. It's garnered radio airplay coast-to-coast in both the USA and Canada.Reed also hosts the wonderful podcast Guess That Record, where he has interviewed luminaries such as The Police's Andy Summers, Dweezil Zappa, and Billy Joel drummer Chuck Burgi. And, in tribute to Jackson's pod, we play a brand new O3L game called "Back in 82, I Could Guess That Song!"Like good honorary Canadians, we partake in conversations about hockey, Rush, the Tragically Hip, Degrassi, Corner Gas...plus little red corvettes, Brett's drag club appearance, and Uncle Gregg's oddly specific sensual fantasies. Hey, it was Saturday night, we guess that makes it alright... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unwind with a new six pack of tunes on this final weekend of September. This month's theme is "September Gurls" (what, too obvious?), as we spotlight recent tracks from a few of indie music's finest female-fronted or female-prominent bands. This week, you'll hear: Scary Pierre - 'Piece of Mind' (from Boys Club) Lightheaded - 'Bright Happy Girls' (from Combustible Gems, Slumberland Records) Shapes Like People - 'When The Radio Plays' (single, Jangleshop Records) Whitney's Playland - 'Corridor of Dreams' (from the Martin Newell/Cleaners from Venus tribute Tales of a Kitchen Porter, Dandy Boy Records) Cinema Lumiere - 'Wishing It Was Sunday' (from Wishing It Was Sunday, Subjangle) Circe Link & Christian Nesmith - 'The Magician' (from Arcana) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Holy O3L! No, that's not some sort of Batman-style exclamatory remark...it really is a Holy O3L. Or at least as close as we get. This week, we discuss spirituality in music, as we count down some of our favorite spiritual songs...which happens to run the gamut from Mahalia Jackson to Beastie Boys to the Grateful Dead, and many stops in between. Along the way, we talk about catfish Robert Plant, real Peter Frampton, Greeks in short shorts, F.A.'s, relationship advice, gators, and so, so much more with this week's Third Lad, Debra Cohen! This is Only Three Lads like you've never heard.Debra Cohen began her music career as a New Wave rocker in the early '80s. Her band opened up for Joan Jett & The Blackhearts at legendary Rathskeller ("The Rat") in Boston. They had a regional radio hit with their single "Boston Nights." Debra's song "Dreamin" was discussed to be covered by INXS. Everything seemed to be going her way, until the rock n' roll temptations of drugs and alcohol nearly cost Debra her life...and it was at her darkest moment that she found God. After a stint fronting a blues band in the '90s, she left the music business behind and studied Judaism. In recent years, Debra has rebranded herself as a spiritual pop/rock singer/songwriter. You can learn more about her musical journey at https://debracohenmusic.com.Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey ho, let's go! This week, we're all about one of the most influential, important, and let's not forget, fun , bands of the era - Ramones. Joining us for our discussion is Dana Bonn and Carl Cafarelli from This Is Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio, airing Sunday nights from 9:00 pm - midnight ET on Syracuse’s SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, featuring the "best three hours of radio on the whole friggin' planet".Carl is also an incredibly gifted music scribe, writing the must-read daily music blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) and in many fine publications. Relevant to today's topic, He has also published Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation with the Ramones, culled from his interviews with the band. His latest book, The Greatest Record Ever Made (Volume 1), features insightful, passionate, humorous essays on 145 of his favorite songs across all genres.The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often cited as the first true punk rock band. The Ramones ranked number 26 in Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time and number 17 in VH1's 2012 television series 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by Spin, trailing only the Beatles. On March 18, 2002, the original four members and Tommy's replacement on drums, Marky Ramone, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. In 2011, the group was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. (Thanks, Wikipedia.)Stream This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio at: https://ec3.yesstreaming.net:4280/api/links/?t=web&l=ne&c=1&fbclid=IwAR2sdklgIfqVCG1_E3I-bkPwbCFqbnFPJbQ95V4bveYs1g5o4jHEQjZNVx0, or on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO.Buy Carl Cafarelli's books at: Amazon.com : carl cafarelliBoppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do): Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) (carlcafarelli.blogspot.com) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Which male singers do you feel deserve more love and respect? That, dear friends, is the question we ponder this week with someone who knows - veteran circuit singer Dave Dawson.Dave's new book, Pop Idle: 30 Years on the Road as a Professional Singer, is an honest, humourous, insightful look at life on the bottom rung of the showbiz ladder. Like hordes of others, best-selling author Dave Dawson has spent decades crisscrossing the UK as a solo full-time professional musician. During his 30 years on the road, he has performed thousands of shows before tens of thousands of people, yet still remains one of the army of anonymous entertainers who literally sing for their supper, as part of the Never Ending UK Tour. From pubs to clubs, dives to luxury hotels, theatres to gardens, and hen nights to care homes, there’s hardly a live environment that he hasn’t encountered, enjoyed or endured.Along the way, he’s had brushes with fame and fandom, strippers and stalkers, crooks and colourful characters, pissed-up punters and prima donnas… and has banked a wealth of experience at the brunt of the live music circuit.You may also know Dave Dawson as Dave Philpott, who appeared with us last season to discuss his bestselling book series of bonkers letters to pop stars with real replies - Dear Mr. Kershaw, Dear Mr. Pop Star, Grammar Free in the UK, and Dear Catherine Wheel.Oh, and despite the tendency to poke a little fun at Hanson's ubiquitous 1997 earworm 'Mmm Bop', Taylor Hanson probably is underrated. Listen to the Tinted Windows album for proof of that! But we won't let that fact stand in the way of a bit.Proudly part of the Pantheon Podcasts family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**Part 2! Hear our Top 3 Albums of 1973. More music! More fun! More infectious Lisa laughs!We're havin' a party this week! Joining us for a lively, laugh-filled exploration of 1973 albums is the heart and soul of The BellRays, singer Lisa Kekaula and guitarist Bob Vennum, who have been gloriously blending high octane punk, powerful soul music, deep blues, gritty garage rock, and whatever else they want to throw into the stew, since 1990. This is a band that defies expectations or pre-conceived notions and transcends any one genre or scene. Their music is all about energy and feel, and that makes them authentic no matter what the style is. To quote their 2020 compilation, It’s Never To Late To Fall In Love With the Bell-Rays. For some of you, it may be this very day when you listen to this podcast. In fact, it’s actually the perfect time to fall in love with the BellRays, because they have a brand new album of blazing rock n' soul, Heavy Steady Go!, and are embarking on a tour on September 5, 2024 - playing some headlining dates on the west coast before heading out for a North American tour with Social Distortion.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**Part 1 of 2! The second half of our conversation comes out on September 5, 2024.**We're havin' a party this week! Joining us for a lively, laugh-filled exploration of 1973 albums is the heart and soul of The BellRays, singer Lisa Kekaula and guitarist Bob Vennum, who have been gloriously blending high octane punk, powerful soul music, deep blues, gritty garage rock, and whatever else they want to throw into the stew, since 1990. This is a band that defies expectations or pre-conceived notions and transcends any one genre or scene. Their music is all about energy and feel, and that makes them authentic no matter what the style is. To quote their 2020 compilation, It’s Never To Late To Fall In Love With the Bell-Rays. For some of you, it may be this very day when you listen to this podcast. In fact, it’s actually the perfect time to fall in love with the BellRays, because they have a brand new album of blazing rock n' soul, Heavy Steady Go!, and are embarking on a tour on September 5, 2024 - playing some headlining dates on the west coast before heading out for a North American tour with Social Distortion.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Head into your long weekend with six recent tracks that we think you will L-U-V! The Ekphrastics - ‘A Good Day For Sailing’ (Harriet Records) Wut - ‘Mingling with the Thorns’ (HHBTM Records) Eighteen Hundred and Froze To Death - ‘Old Painful’ (Resident Recordings) Greaser Phase - ‘Lonely Hearts Killers’ (Shambotic) Eljin Marbles - ‘Art Is Love Is God’ (Intellectual House of Pancakes) Sunset Rubdown - ‘Cliche Town’ (Pronounced Kroog) Thank you for helping us support new music! Show your love to these artists by buying physical media or merch, going to see some live shows...heck, social media follows and streams help as well!Americans, have a great Labor Day weekend...everyone else, have a great regular weekend!L-U-V,Brett & Uncle Gregg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices