• The Ledge #531: New Releases (Pt. 2)

    I may have called part one of this month’s new release series the “friends of the show” episode, but that mentality continues in part two as we have a nice set of tracks from our friends at Big Stir Records. We also have brand new tracks from a new collaboration between Rum Bar Records artists Natalie Sweet and Brad Marino which I’m sure every Ledge listener will love.

    There’s also two sets of great Who covers from a new Jem Records compilation, Jem Records Celebrates Pete Townshend, along with new tunes by Lee Bains & The Glory Fires, Titus Andronicus, Pavement founder Spiral Stairs, and new supergroup Beach Rats. Plus much more!

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion! 

    For more information, including setlists head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #530: New Releases (Pt. 1)

    Once again, the wealth of new material being released each and every month “forces” me to expand my new release episode into a two part series. Tonight’s episode focuses primarily on “friends” of the show. Bands that have so nicely regularly sent their new projects to The Ledge. Great labels such as Rum Bar Records, Dirtnap Records, and Stardumb Records. Fabulous Minneapolis artists such as The Right Here, Night Jobs, and UltraBomb. The latest covers project by Geoff Palmer. Plus some of the other great new tunes by longtime faves Ty Segall, Osees, and The Sadies, mixed with some new band discoveries (Gentleman Rogues, The Sparklers).

    One note, however. At the very end of the show I introduce a track by Dust Star. Unfortunately, my broadcast machine decided to air The Rubs. Still, a quality selection but I’ll have to save Dust Star for next week.

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion!

    For setlists and other information, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #529: Summer Songs

    We may be entering the last month of the summer, but it’s never too late to put together a show of songs about the hottest months of the year. Rock and roll has always had a fondness for the sun, and everything else that goes with the season. So tonight you get nothing but songs about not only the season, but girls, bikes, surfing, and the beach.

    It’s also almost a complete set of recently released material. The vast majority of these songs have been put out in the last six months, although there’s always room for some old tracks that have caught my attention. This is why there’s some great oldies by The Hold Steady, The Scientists, The Muffs, and M.I.A. And you really can’t have a summer show without the greatness of 50’s visen (and South Dakota raised) Mamie Van Doren! By the way, if you haven’t seen the cult classic, Untamed Youth, you should rent it tonight!

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion! 

    For more information and setlists head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #528: New Replacements & Other Treats

    A few weeks ago, fans of The Replacements noticed that a new live record was starting to appear on vinyl distribution lists. Most at first assumed this was a bootleg, but it turns out tht the Live At Riot Fest Toronto was in fact a legitimate live album. Or sort of, as many rumors starting floating around. Tommy Stinson had reportedly made a deal with a distributor to release it, but some have said that Paul Westerberg had actually vetoed the deal. In a series of DM’s with the distributor, it was verified that Stinson had set up the deal to put it out but there was no word on the Westerberg rumor. It’s also the first in a series of three live releases, as the other two Riot Fest shows in Chicago and Denver are currently being pressed.

    The record itself is quite great. The source is a soundboard recording, although it’s not a remixed multi-track. Tonight’s show features a few songs from this record, along with a number of other albums that have been played in the Hudson household these last few weeks. I’ve also included a handful of songs that Frank Turner performed at Total Drag on July 12 as part of his “50 States in 50 Days” tour.

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion! 

    For setlists and other information, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #527: New Releases

    Yes, the new release episode was delayed a week this month, but it’s pretty much the same show you would have heard if it was aired in its normal time slot. And, as always, it’s a mix of old and new bands from all over the world. In fact, this one may be a bit more worldly than ever. A twangy Kraftwerk cover from Japan? Yep, that’s The Routes. An Italian Ramone-ish band covering 60s pop music? That’s The Beatersband (and apologies for saying you were Spanish during the show). England, Tunisia, Australia, and many other countries are represented in tonight’s show.

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion! 

    For more information, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #526: Low Rats

    When the news broke that swaggering rock and rollers Low Rats were hitting my little city of Sioux Falls I immediately began begging the band to make a stop at my house before the show for a Ledge interview. Although final plans were up in the air until the last minute, lead singer Michael Meyer promised me that he would definitely show up in time for my Friday night broadcast.

    Unfortunately, I had some technical issues throughout the day, and they were not completely fixed by the time Meyer arrived just before my Realpunkradio shift. So instead of a mix of chat and music, we could only broadcast the conversation. The two of us spent an hour talking about his Sioux Falls childhood, along with the various bands he had not only in this little town but in other cities, including his time a few years ago leading Narco States.

    In a case of perfect timing, the rest of the band (guitarist Rob Sells, bassist Joe Holland, and drummer Ben Crunk) arrived just when I was going to begin asking Meyer questions about Low Rats. Although I now had more people than microphones, we carried on with the entire band discussing the group’s history, their various releases, and a few thoughts on the thriving Twin Cities theme.

    I could have tidied up this show a lot more than I did, but I’m presenting the entire interview, audio flaws and all. You will hear the minute the rest of the band arrives, along a point later on where Meyer has to leave for another appointment. I have inserted Low Rats tunes at the beginning and end of the show, and have also edited in the two songs each band member picked that, as Meyer wrote earlier in the week, “directly influenced the style of playing that we have incorporated into Low Rats.”

    By the way, the show later that night at Vishnu Bunny Tattoo was nothing sort of amazing, and their selected tunes for this show were clearly representative. Meyer is a mad man that’s part Iggy, part Stiv, and part every other frenetic frontman in rock history. Nothing within his reach is safe, including ketchup and garbage cans. Crunk keeps everything from spiraling out of control from behind his drunk kit, Holland thumps out the sort of low end that certainly represents the heavier side of the band, while Sells spits out the kind of guitar that you’d expect from a person who would pick the Cramps and X as influences. 

    Many thanks must go to not only the band but Vishnu Bunny Tattoo for booking them, and to super fan Dan Michener for delivering 3/4 of the band members to my front door!

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #525: 60 Years of Rock n Roll

    This show ended up being quite different than originally planned. The initial idea was another “odds and ends” show where I aired tracks from some records that I had been playing around the house. I suddenly realized, however, that I’ve been listening to quite a few compilations in the past few weeks. And that I’ve been digging into the archives quite often for some of my oldest records.

    So tonight actually is an odds and ends show that features 60 years of great rock and roll, from the standard bearer Chuck Berry to the current sounds of Low Rats, a band that bodes well for the future of the genre. Four compilations have feature spots in the show – Louie’s Limbo Lounge (Las Vegas Grind, Vol. 2) gathers togehter raw 50’s stompers, Back From the Grave Vol. 5 highlights 60s garage bands, Punk 45: There is No Such Thing As Society, Vol. 2 is centered around late 70’s UK punk and post-punk, and Du Huskers: The Twin Cities Replay Zen Arcade is a 1993 tribute to the classic Husker Du album.

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion!

    For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #524: Birthday Covers

    When I read that the 35th anniversary date of the release of the fifth Replacements full-length album, Pleased to Meet Me, fell on a “Ledge” night, it obviously became the focal point for a theme. I decided to celebrate the birthday by recreating the album’s track listing with covers of each and every song.

    This became a bit of an issue, however, as some songs were missing from my initial search through my archives. And while I inevitably found some of the missing pieces, I still was short two songs just days before tonight’s show. Luckily, I was alerted to a message board compilation of Replacements covers that included a track donated by our friend Jeremy Porter. Since this comp also included a version of “Red Red Wine”, I quickly contacted him to see if he had the whole release! Well, not only did he have the needed track, he actually played on it! The Regulars were his high school band, and on this cover he played guitar and provided backing vocals! Yes, I was set!

    Unfortunately, a few minutes in my show I was informed that June 17, 1987 was not the actual release date for the album. “Trouble Boys” author Bob Mehr tweeted, “Every June 17, I try not to be a killjoy to those celebrating the release of The Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me on this date. But, once again, I must point out that the album actually came out April 27, 1987.” 

    Well, I decided to carry on with the celebration anyway, and also included a set devoted to the demos and outtakes that Tommy Stinson recorded during the album’s sessions. If you love his later solo band, Bash and Pop, you’ll really dig these rare tracks.

    To fill up the rest of the show, I included covers of two other albums that recently saw their 50th birthdays. David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars” came out June 16, 1972, and my favorite record of all time, Exile On Main Street by the Rolling Stones, came out on May 26, 1972. It’s a fun, varied show that should appeal to fans of all three of these legendary records.

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion!

    For more information, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #523: New Releases

    Once again, the monthly new release episode of The Ledge features some great new tunes from a variety of genres – Americana (Wilco, Drive-By Truckers, John Doe), power pop (Nick Piunti, The Sweet Things), indie rock (Dehd, Savak), and punk (Malta Vista, Screeching Weasel), among others.

    There’s also great new releases from our friends at Rum Bar RecordsBig Stir Records, and Spaghetty Town Records. What I’m most excited about, however, is the premiere of the new single featuring one of our Real Punk Radio DJ legends. Greg Lonesome, host of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Manifesto, has a new supergroup which also features Preacher Boy, Olsen Twin, and El Flyin’. Their two track single, which can be found here, is released tomorrow, and both smoking tracks can be heard on this week’s episode!

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion!

    For setlists and other information head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #522: Covers

    As I’ve stated before, I have a special folder where I toss in various great cover tunes as I come across them. It was pretty much perfect timing that my folder became “show-length” just in time for this holiday weekend. What better way to begin the summer with revved-up remakes of some of our favorite tunes?

    Plus, I’ll take any opportunity to give more airplay to my pal Dave Scarbrough, especially when the one remake on his brand new album, Happy Ever After, is a Paul Westerberg tune! You all should check this album out!

    Also included in this broadcast are tracks from Steve Earle’s new tribute to his friend and mentor, Jerry Jeff Walker, Eric Ambel and Greg Hoy’s remakes of Neil Young tunes, The William Loveday Intention’s teardown of Bob Dylan tunes, and a few of our friends (The Short Fuses, New Rocket Union) from Minneapolis! Oh, and we have the exclusive covers by the Hoodoo Gurus that are only found on the vinyl version of their new Chariot of the Gods album.

    Speaking of Minneapolis, Cindy Lawson’s fabulous new record on Rum Bar Records, New Tricks, includes a tune written by the recently-deceased Lori Wray. I’m not real familiar with Wray, but she made her recording debut as a member of The Von Bulows (aka the Pedaljets), and has worked with 27 Various, Todd Newman (The Leatherwoods), and many other Minneapolis greats. I know I’m going to look into more of Wray’s work.

    I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion!

    For more information, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here