The Three O'Clock
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The Three O'Clock is an American
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s
Paisley Underground Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owi ...
scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A. music scene which included bands such as the Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade,
Green on Red Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen p ...
, the Long Ryders and
the Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...
.


History


Formation and early years

The Three O'Clock originally formed under the name the Salvation Army in 1981. The original lineup included Quercio (lead vocals, bass), John Blazing (guitar), and Troy Howell (drums). They released a single ("Mind Gardens" b/w "Happen Happened") on the Minutemen's New Alliance label in November 1981. At this juncture, Quercio (then billed as "Ricky Start") was the band's sole songwriter, and the group played in a psychedelic
pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
style. By the end of the year, Blazing left and was replaced by Gregg Gutierrez, later known as Louis Gutierrez. Quercio reverted to his real name, and this lineup of the Salvation Army signed with LA independent label Frontier Records and released a self-titled debut LP in May 1982.


Early success

In the summer of 1982, legal problems with the actual
Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
forced the band to change their name. "The Three O'Clock" came from the time of day the band rehearsed. Almost exactly coincident with the August 1982 name change, Howell left the band and Mike Mariano (keyboards, ex- Great Buildings, ex-the Falcons) and Danny Benair (drums, ex- the Quick, ex- the Weirdos, ex- Choir Invisible, ex-the Falcons) joined. Frontier would later reissue the Salvation Army LP under the group name Befour Three O'Clock in 1986, and again in 1992. Still signed to Frontier, the band issued the ''Baroque Hoedown'' EP, their debut release as the Three O'Clock, in late 1982. The EP was followed by an LP in 1984 entitled '' Sixteen Tambourines''. Both Frontier releases were produced by Earle Mankey. The Three O'Clock had developed into a power-pop ensemble with 1960s
garage band Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
influences. Quercio and Gutierrez co-wrote almost all the band's material, with occasional assists from Mariano. They received airplay in Southern California, notably on influential LA station
KROQ-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The sta ...
. "Jet Fighter" from ''Sixteen Tambourines'' became a national college radio hit.


The I.R.S./Paisley Park years: 1984–88

The Three O'Clock signed to
I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...
for their next album, 1985's '' Arrive Without Travelling''. Producer
Mike Hedges Mike Hedges (born 1954) is a British audio producer/engineer best known for his work with the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Manic Street Preachers. During his career, Hedges has worked with an eclectic roster of artists ranging from rock ...
recorded the album in Germany. The band had a minor hit with "Her Head's Revolving", whose video received regular airplay on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. "Half the Way There" was also released as a 12-inch single, and featured a
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
style drumbeat and rich harmonies. In 1986, guitarist Steven Altenberg replaced Gutierrez for '' Ever After'', produced by Ian Broudie. Quercio once again was the band's chief songwriter. "Suzie's on the Ball Now" was the single, which gained minor airplay on stations like KROQ-FM in Los Angeles. In 1988, Altenberg departed the band's ranks, and Benair placed an advertisement in the Los Angeles magazine ''The Recycler'', in order to find a new guitar player for the Three O'Clock. Coincidentally, that ad – which read, "Three O'Clock looking for guitarist. No metal, no country, no flakes" – ran in the same issue as one placed by Jason Falkner, who was "looking for like minded people to start the best band in the world with me." Falkner, who had been playing Three O'Clock songs in his previous band, called the number in the ad, came in to audition, and according to Benair, "we hit it off right away. We auditioned two people. For one moment we considered becoming a five piece, but Jason got the gig." The new line-up of the Three O'Clock soon entered the studio to record the Ian Ritchie-produced '' Vermillion'', on Warner Bros. Records by way of
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
's Paisley Park Records imprint. "Prince was aware of us from ''Arrive Without Travelling'' and the "Her Head's Revolving" video," said Benair. "The Bangles told us he was a fan, and when we were off IRS, he sent a label person to see us live." Prince himself contributed a song, "Neon Telephone," to ''Vermillion'' under the pseudonym Joey Coco. The album was a critical and commercial failure, and did not dent the charts. It was the last Three O'Clock studio album.


Breakup and aftermath: 1989–2012

The Three O'Clock disbanded shortly after the release of ''Vermillion''. *Michael Quercio briefly joined
Game Theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions. It has applications in many fields of social science, and is used extensively in economics, logic, systems science and computer science. Initially, game theory addressed ...
in 1990. Thereafter, he founded Permanent Green Light, who released two albums, and, later, the Jupiter Affect. Quercio continues to play in L.A. pop bands. *Louis Gutierrez played with Louis and Clark and then became a principal member of Mary's Danish. *Danny Benair went to work for various record labels, later founding the Natural Energy Lab, a Los Angeles-based music marketing company, which specializes in film, television and commercial placement. *Jason Falkner joined
Jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...
, then the Grays, before launching a successful solo record career in the mid-1990s. *Troy Howell started the group the Eyes of Mind, who recorded on Bomp Records. He also played with Cee Farrow and the band OOSoul (double oh soul). ''Arrive Without Travelling'' and ''Ever After'' were released in 2002 on a single CD.


2013 revival

After 25 years of turning down reunion offers, the Three O'Clock reformed after being presented with a chance to play at the 2013 Coachella Festival. Three quarters of the "classic" line-up – Michael Quercio (vocals/bass), Louis Gutierrez (guitars) & Danny Benair (drums) – were joined by new recruit Adam Merrin (keyboards). The group played both weekends of the Coachella Festival, and also played on '' Conan'' on April 10, 2013. They later embarked on a mini-tour, and released several archival recordings that same year. The final show of the tour was at Fingerprints, a record store in
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, on June 24, 2013. In December 2013, the Three O'Clock played two nights with three other reunited
Paisley Underground Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owi ...
bands –
the Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...
, the Dream Syndicate, and Rain Parade – at The Fillmore in San Francisco (Dec. 5) and The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles (Dec. 6 benefit concert). The band played shows on widely scattered occasions over the next few years. Three new recordings by the Three O'Clock were released in November 2018 as part of a compilation album called ''3 × 4'', which also included the Dream Syndicate,
the Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...
, and Rain Parade, with each of the four bands covering songs by the other bands. Following the initial Record Store Day First release as a double album on "psychedelic swirl" purple
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
,
Yep Roc Records Yep Roc Records is an American independent record label based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, and owned by Redeye Distribution. Since 1997, the label has released albums from North Carolina and international artists, including Fountains of Wayne ...
released the album on LP, CD, and digital in February 2019. The reunited band remained sporadically active through early 2019, continuing to perform in and around
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. The Three O'Clock have not performed since May 2019, though there has been no announcement of a group break-up. In the interim, Quercio has been active as a member of the revived band Permanent Green Light, which has played live dates and released a single.


Discography


Albums

as the Salvation Army *''
The Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
'' (1982) Frontier Records as Befour Three O'Clock *''Befour Three O'Clock'' (1986) – reissue of ''Salvation Army'' LP *''Happen Happened'' (1992) – CD reissue of ''Salvation Army'' LP, plus 9 bonus tracks as the Three O'Clock *''Baroque Hoedown'' (1982 EP, Frontier Records) *'' Sixteen Tambourines'' (1983, Frontier Records) *'' Arrive Without Travelling'' (1985,
I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records was a major American record label founded by Miles Copeland III and Jay Boberg in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave and a ...
) *'' Ever After'' (1986, I.R.S. Records) *'' Vermillion'' (1988, Paisley Park Records) *''Live at the Old Waldorf'' (2013, Burger Records) *''The Hidden World Revealed'' (2013 compilation, Omnivore Recordings) *''3 × 4'' (2018 compilation, Yep Roc Records) #27 Billboard Independent Albums


Rarities

* " Regina Caeli" – 7-inch one-sided single (fan club release, Christmas 1986)


References


External links

*
Interview with The Three O'Clock
(2013) in ''Rocker'' magazine * The Three O'Clock on Allmusic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Three O'Clock, The Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1982 Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Musical groups reestablished in 2013 I.R.S. Records artists Paisley Park Records artists Alternative rock groups from California 1982 establishments in California American neo-psychedelia groups Frontier Records artists