Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

Climb aboard the mothership...because we wants to funk YOU up!

This week, we celebrate the music of the P-Funk universe - revolving around the nucleus of the George Clinton-led Rock & Roll Hame of Fame bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. Joining us as our Third Lad is none other than "Kidd Funkadelic" himself, P-Funk guitar hero Michael Hampton!

Led by visionary bandleader George Clinton, the wildly influential collective known as Parliament and Funkadelic — together dubbed “P-Funk” — revolutionized funk music in the 1970s by blending deep grooves, psychedelic rock, outrageous sci-fi mythology, and fearless social commentary into a universe all their own. Featuring an ever-evolving cast of legendary musicians including Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Eddie Hazel, Michael Hampton, and Maceo Parker, P-Funk produced a staggering run of groundbreaking albums and hits that helped shape funk, hip-hop, R&B, rock, and electronic music for generations to come. Equal parts musical movement, cosmic philosophy, and extravagant stage spectacle, P-Funk remains one of the most creative and influential forces in popular music history.

After receiving his first guitar at age 10, a determined Michael became self-taught with the help of his bedroom radio, spending days on end playing along with Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery and B.B. King records. After studying jazz guitar in high school, an impromptu backstage audition for George Clinton in 1974 earned 17-year-old Michael a seat on the Parliament mothership alongside the immortal Eddie Hazel, under the name “Kidd Funkadelic”. 

Hampton has spent the past half-century playing nearly 400 shows with the band, in 25 countries across 6 continents.

Among Hampton’s Funkadelic writing credits are group staples like “Who Says a Funk Band Can’t Play Rock?!” and “Funk Gets Stronger”, both released during the group’s late-’70s/early-’80s hit run. His lead guitar is also embedded in the DNA of 90s hip-hop’s G-Funk movement—Dr. Dre’s “Let Me Ride” samples Parliament’s “Mothership Connection”, Ice Cube’s “Bop Gun” borrows elements of Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove”, while De La Soul’s “Me Myself and I”, Digital Underground’s “Kiss You Back”, and Snoop Dogg’s “What’s My Name?” all draw from Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep”.

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Choo-chooooo! All abooooooooard! This train may not run on time, but it does run off the rails...and fast.

This week, the Lads complete their "Metal MAY-hem" trifecta by covering the heaviest metal of 'em all: trains. Joining in on the fun is Wallace Dietz and Dan-O Deckelman, who make up the creative engine of the Richmond, VA post-punk locomotive The Melody Chamber. Their self-titled debut (HHBTM Records/Too Good to Be True) landed not only in Brett's Top 5 Albums of 2025, but some of you in the O3L Community also named it as your favorite release of the past year. All of the accolades are very well deserved too - the record sounds like some great lost ‘80s album that was discovered in the dusty racks of a defunct college radio station. It contains 10 songs of post-punk and southern gothic jangle pop that not only evoke bands like The Psychedelic Furs, R.E.M., The Smiths, and The Chameleons, but are of such substantial quality that they stack up favorably against those bands.

Although this is The Melody Chamber's first record, Dan-O and Wallace are both veteran musicians who have spent decades in indie bands such as The Silent Boys, The Grain Hoppers, Mudd Helmet, and Rocket 69.

Grab your ticket and find a seat to hear:

The band's unlikely origin story.

Based off Uncle Gregg's off-color remark about our new recording platform, Brett picks an unfortunate new moniker.

Silent applause.

Train conceptions.

Jumping trains.

Stickin' it to Sisters of Mercy.

New O3L t-shirt ideas (hint: our inspirations are Manowar and the "My Pillow" guy).

Pilfering poetry.

"Decide, don't hesitate"...to do a classic, no-holds-barred Uncle Gregg rant.

Thanks to Mike Turner from HHBTM for introduction!

So, whaddya waiting for? Come on, ride the train (woo-woo)!

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We've got another six pack of fresh tunes for you in our "show within the show" bonus! This week, Brett chats with composer/keyboardist Johnny Iguana from Chicago band The Claudettes, as they prepare to release their 7th album, Garage Glamour, due June 5th from Pravda Records.
“Garage glamour” is about as apt a term as you can get to describe a band who has defied neat categorization over the years - mixing gritty blues, passionate soul, rabid rock n’ roll, cabaret jazz, cinematic drama, slinky funk, and a DIY punk spirit into a sound that’s all theirs.  Outside of the band, Johnny has made an international name for himself as the co-composer of the score for the hit TV show The Bear, as well as playing with legendary musicians like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Junior Wells, and Johnny Winter. We bookend the six pack with two tracks from The Claudettes (including a duet between Claudettes chanteuse Rachel Williams and Chicago blues legend John Primer), plus four other songs that we think you will dig as much as we do!

During this six pack, you will hear:

1) The Claudettes (with John Primer) - "(You Are My) Whole World" (from the upcoming LP Garage Glamour, Pravda Records)

2) Grey Disco - "Vigil" (from the LP Shades)

3) J. Mau & The Kiss Off - "Poison" (single)

4) The Rallies - "I Believe" (from the LP No Better Time)

5) The Get Alongs - "Sunday Afternoon" (from the forthcoming LP Second To None, Having Fun/We Are Busy Bodies)

6) The Claudettes - "That Could Be Arranged" (from the LP Garage Glamour, Pravda Records)

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O3L's Metal MAY-hem continues, but this week we're talking about a different kind of heavy metal: the kind you drive.

From “Rocket 88” to “Little Red Corvette”, the automobile has long been a popular subject in song, representing freedom, escape, prosperity, power, control, solitude, safety, danger, or passion.  Some artists simply sing about cars because cars are cool.

Much like a classic ‘57 Chevy or ‘69 Rambler, our Third Lad this week is an American treasure.  Ben Vaughn is a singer/songwriter who has built an eclectic catalogue of wry, literate songs, from the roots rock of The Ben Vaughn Combo in the ‘80s to power pop, garage rock, folk, easy listening, country, Tex Mex, surf, TV (3rd Rock from the Sun), and movies (Psycho Beach Party)…you name it and he’s probably done it.  Healso hosts the weekly syndicated radio show The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn and performs regularly in the U.S. and Europe. Vaughn is known for producing artists such as Ween, Arthur Alexander, and Charlie Feathers, and for collaborations with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton. As the leader of The Ben Vaughn Combo and through his solo albums—including the cult classic Rambler ’65, recorded entirely in his car—he has built a devoted following in his native Philadelphia, his adopted home of L.A. and beyond. His songs have also been recorded by artists including Marshall Crenshaw, The Morells, and Deer Tick.

Get revved up and ready to go!

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It's Metal MAY-hem over here at O3L! This week, we're talking about some of the metal albums that we would recommend to alt-rock fans, whether it be the thundering classics whose influence crossed stylistic boundaries or the albums that could serve as a gateway into the genre for the uninitiated. And, when we say "uninitiated", we might as well be talking about Brett.

Fortunately, not only has Uncle Gregg been a connoisseur of metal for many years, but our Third Lad is the singer/songwriter/guitarist V of alt-metal band Buried Beneath Me. Fusing the raw aggression of post-hardcore with the cinematic weight of progressive metalcore, the band delivers a sonic assault of towering riffs, crushing breakdowns, and lyrics drenched in introspection and despair.

With a reputation for dark, immersive storytelling and a sound that balances brutality and melody, Buried Beneath Me's 2025 concept album The House of Ash creates an atmosphere that pulls listeners into its abyss. Each track is a journey—a descent into struggle, self-destruction, and the fight to rise from the ashes.

Sounds pretty dark and heavy, right? Well, then, it seems like the perfect guest to rope into a rousing O3L game - "METAL LORDS", in which contestants decipher lyrics to decide whether they are from a metal song...or a Christian song. It's a fine line, y'know.

Whether you're a seasoned headbanger or a newbie growing out a sweet mullet, you are invited into our lair of doom...if you dare!

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