Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast

This week, we grab the reins on a discussion of self-produced albums; that is, records on which the artist takes control over their own vision and not only performs the music, but takes responsibility for the final production as well.

Joining us on this an exploration is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and pop craftsman who has been a vital part of the New York City music scene, George Usher.   George was a member of Beat Rodeo on their second and final album from 1986, Home in the Heart of the Beat, he’s written with Richard Barone from The Bongos, and has led or played in bands like The Decoys, The Schramms, and House of Usher during the ‘80s & ‘90s.  It only takes one listen to his two disc anthology, The End and The Beginning 1990-2009, to recognize that George Usher has amassed a jaw-droppingly great catalogue of Byrdsy folk-rock jangle, melodic power pop, and brilliant chamber pop over the years.  After a couple of gorgeous records with singer/songwriter Lisa Burns over the past decade, George is back with Stevensonville, a multi-media project that’s a long time in the making - a 12-part illustrated song-cycle moving through a fictional town and its residents.  But don’t go looking for Stevensonville on streaming services right now - this is an experience to be enjoyed on vinyl LP and its accompanying 28 page booklet through georgeusher.bandcamp.com. 

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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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