Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

It's time for another in our series of label spotlights, as this week we turn our focus to Hoboken indie Bar/None Records, celebrating its 40th anniversary. Joining us is no better authority than the most omni-present figure in the label's history, Glenn Morrow! In 1986, Glenn's band Rage to Live became the first act signed to startup label Bar/None. Later that year, Glenn would become a partner with the label's founder Tom Prendergast and eventually sole proprietor - a post he held until earlier this year.

Even though he stepped away from his role at the label, his third opus with his current outfit Glenn Morrow's Cry For Help, Our Final Album - Vol. 1, is out now on (what else??) Bar/None Records. The album features 11 new songs and finds the band exploring a number of styles and moods that are sure to please long-time fans as well as newcomers.

During Bar/None's influential history, they have released pivotal records by They Might Be Giants, The Front Bottoms, Yo La Tengo, Freedy Johnston, Edwyn Collins, 10,000 Maniacs, Alex Chilton, The dB's, Ben Vaughn, The Feelies, of Montreal, Richard Hawley, and over 100 other arists. During this episode, we chat about our Top 5 albums from the Bar/None catalogue, catch a history lesson on the label, and get a glimpse of future releases.

Thanks to Howard Wuelfing from Howlin' Wuelf Media for the introduction and coordination.
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Hear ye, hear ye! We hereby declare this month SKEPTEMBER at O3L! That's right, the releases of the UK fiercely independent label Skep Wax Records have been so uniformly excellent this year that we thought it was high time to dedicate an entire episode to them.

Skep Wax is run by indie legends Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey, whose long history runs through seminal bands like Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Catenary Wires, and Swansea Sound. The label carries forward the DIY spirit that drove labels like Sarah Records and K Records, with the simple premise of releasing terrific music on their own terms, driven by the belief that NOTHING beats a great pop record. During this episode, you will hear this delectable six pack of tracks:

1) Swansea Sound - "Mean To Be Mean" (from the forthcoming LP Pre-Post Truth)

2) British Birds - "Scary Movies" (from the upcoming album Oscillate, Murmurate)

3) Jetstream Pony - "Grimalkin Tom" (from the compilation Pets Sounds)

4) The Would-Be-Goods - "Witch Hazel" (from the marvelous record Tears Before Bedtime)

5) Railcard - "Flannelette" (from the brand new long player Two Steps At A Time)

6) Foglights - "A Brighter Kind of Almost" (from the debut EP Nous Deux)

Bonus Track!

Gay Skeleton Club - "2 Cats" (also from Pets Sounds)

Thanks to Amelia, Rob, and the brilliant Skep Wax roster. Get these releases and more at https://skepwax.bandcamp.com. Have a splendid weekend!
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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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