The Three O'Clock were the quintessential L.A. Paisley Underground band. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio in fact coined the term to describe the set of bands, including
the Dream Syndicate,
Rain Parade,
Green On Red and the
Bangles, who incorporated the chiming guitars of
the Byrds and
the Beatles into their pop songs with a psychedelic bent, and the clothes to match.
Beginning as the Salvation Army in 1982 as a three-piece and forsaking the name due to a conflict with the actual organization,
the Three O'Clock originally included Quercio, and guitarist Louis (formerly Gregg) Gutierrez. The band plied a garagey sound on their self-titled debut in 1982. When ex-
Weirdos drummer Danny Benair and keyboardist Mickey Mariano joined for the follow-up EP Baroque Hoedown and the LP Sixteen Tambourines in 1983, the band found a more polished, perfect pop sound. In 1985 they released Arrive Without Travelling for IRS, followed by Ever After (IRS). Gutierrez departed in 1986. For their Warner Brothers/Paisley Park debut (
Prince was a fan), Vermillion,
Jason Falkner was added on guitar. Sadly, it proved to be their undoing, as they never really fulfilled the label's expectations and Quercio refused to be pigeonholed as a pretty-boy pop star or spokesperson for the premature retro revival. Quercio continues to play in L.A. pop bands, while Gutierrez became a principle member of
Mary's Danish, and
Falkner is a solo recording artist. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide
