Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

Anyone who have ever had any sort of aspirations of making it in the music business know this well - the chances of “making it” are so slim you might as well play the Lottery with the expectation of becoming a gazillionaire or stand motionless in the same spot waiting to be hit by lightning. All of the things they tell you to keep you motivated are important - having a dream, drive, determination, and, of course, talent…but that’s clearly not all there is to it. There are connections and industry politics, but, more than anything, it takes a world of luck. It’s like this constant series of sliding doors where you need to be at the right place at the right time, and any little tweaks to your timeline and decisions could be the difference maker between being a hopeful and being huge. Today, we’re going to be talking about the bands that should have been huge - but never quite crossed over to the massive audience they deserved.

Case in point is the band Freedom Quest, who built up a solid following in San Diego and Southern California in the early ‘70s, built off of the soulful, stirring songs of Craig Ingraham. It’s hard not to listen to this material (available on streaming services as the album Freedom Quest under Craig Ingraham’s name), and wonder how they didn’t become huge. All of the ingredients are there - beautiful tunes, expert musicianship, messages of peace, love, and unity that perfectly capture the zeitgeist of the era. So what happened to Freedom Quest? Well, a lot, it turns out and you can read the slightly fictionalized version of events in Debora Masterson’s debut novel Freedom Quest: A Love Story (Atmosphere Press), which winds through nearly 60 years in the lives of main characters Michael and Grace - from young star-crossed lovers to bandmates with a world of possibilities in front of them to facing life’s unique twists and turns separately to, ultimately, finding their way back to each other. It’s the kind of story that reminds you that fate and destiny are very real and powerful forces, and it doesn’t take you long to recognize that the love story of Michael and Grace is largely the love story of Craig and Debora. It’s a compelling read with a real life soundtrack, as you will learn as we welcome educator, producer, musician, dancer, and now author Debora Masterson!

Thanks to Philip Nakov from City PR for the introduction and coordination.

Proud members of the Pantheon Podcasts family.

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Hey you! Not so F.A.S.T.!** This week, we welcome one of the coolest people on the planet, Nicole Laurenne, to talk about one of the coolest instruments on the planet...the organ!

Nicole has been working double duty this year, constantly touring and turning in amazing albums with both of her projects. All-female garage punk band The Darts released the riotously fun, fiendishly campy rock n' roll blast of Halloween Love Songs, while Nicole's smoky, jazz-soaked project Black Viiolet weighed in with the velvety, soulful record Dark Blue. Both records wonderfully capture two sides of Nicole's musical personality.

Sure, you'll get a condensed history of the organ from aqueducts and pipes to modern electronics, but we, of course, focus on music that RAWKS! Plus, we also talk doorbells, body positivity, tofu, vegan cheese, life on the road, famous fans, movie ideas, pizza and more. Also, to celebrate Nicole's past life, we play a brand new world-famous O3L game "Here Comes the Judge!"

Y'know, just the kind of high-brow commentary you would expect from not just one, but TWO Phoenix New Times award winners!

**Farfisa All Silicon Transistor

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This week, Uncle Gregg, Brett, and Third Lad Stephen Hunking (guitarist/vocalist of cult '80s/'90s band Hypnolovewheel) dig into albums that critics raved about...but the record-buying public just didn't show up for.

Stephen joins the show to talk about Hypnolovewheel's history — from a hilarious and chaotically-worded "drummers wanted" flyer that started it all, to their new reissue campaign kicking off with the compilation Parallel Universe (out now on streaming and Bandcamp), to reclaiming their masters decades later, and their reunion performance at Dromfest in the Catskills over Labor Day weekend.

From the comic book store to the flower fields (and with plenty of Gregg bile), this is a fun-filled joyride that critics love...and you WON'T want to ignore!

Featured tracks: "Wow" and "Everywhere and Nowhere Girl" (both available on Parallel Universe.

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Surrender to the rhythm as we drink up the Pub Rock scene with author Mark Wilkerson!

U.K. , early 1970s: In response to the glitz of glam and the pomp of prog there emerged a DIY, back to basics scene known as pub rock: no-fuss, grass roots rock’n’roll bands playing in tight, sweaty rooms to packed throngs in the Victorian pubs of north London. Pub rock was a relative flash in the pan, lasting only a handful of years, but it produced a seismic shift, bridging the gap between rock’s Baroque period and the ensuing punk and new wave scene, and crucially, restoring the visceral connection between artist and audience.

Through trailblazing artists like Brinsley Schwarz, Dr. Feelgood and Kilburn and the High Roads, pub rock paved the way for countless acts of monumental stature including the Clash, Madness, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, and the Pretenders.

Mark Wilkerson's new book, Pub Rock (33 1/3 Genre series, Bloomsbury Academic) explores the genre’s hardscrabble evolution, and examines its significant and enduring legacy.

Mark is also the author of Who Are You: The Life of Pete Townshend, Tomas Young's War, and Hollywood Dream: The Thunderclap Newman Story, and the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Pearl Jam Twenty.

Do anything you wanna do...especially if that "anything" includes O3L!

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During last week's episode, Jon Langford from The Mekons joined us on the heels of Horror-ble, their newly released dub reimaging on their 2025 album Horror. While we’ve got dub on the mind, we were reminded that we have been sitting on a long lost interview with pioneering English producer, remixer, and label owner Adrian Sherwood. Throughout his career, Adrian has worked with reggae greats such as Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mikey Dread, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Blur, Primal Scream, Sinead O’Connor, KMFDM, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Einsturzende Neubauten, and so many others, formed the early ‘80s post-punk dub collective New Age Steppers with members of The Slits, The Pop Group, and Public Image Limited, as well as industrial hip-hop group Tackhead in the ‘90s. His record label On-U Sound System has been one of the most beloved and respected labels for dub, reggae, and experimental electronic music since 1979.

As a solo artist, the record we were focused on for our chat was his 9th album, 2025’s The Collapse of Everything. This meticulously
constructed record sees Adrian move beyond the mixing desk and take centre stage, pushing his ever adventurous sound into new frontiers.

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