E330 - The Melody Chamber - Top 5 Songs About Trains
Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music PodcastShow Notes
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)!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Only Three Lads - Classic Alternative Music Podcast
This week's Third Lad Wesley Stace (aka singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding) had dinner reservations to get to, which meant that we didn't get to play this absurdly fun O3L game with him - "The Dylan Dylemma".
With over 1,500 covers of 350+ compositions by over 600 artists, Bob Dylanis is clearly one of the most frequently covered songwriters in music history. His material has been covered at some point by a wide range of rock, pop, folk, soul, blues, country, and jazz artists. For a folkie from Minnesota inspired by songs learned from Woody Guthrie to a rock legend, he has built a songbook that will surely be passed down as long as there are voices to sing and ears to listen.
Explore the past, present, and future as we welcome the return of one of the most pivotal figures of alternative music, Robyn Hitchcock!
Go ahead. Laugh and point as Brett struggles through pronunciations...because this week, we're taking on the Top 5 German Albums. Diese Alben sind sehr gut!
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.