When I conceived the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” project late last year one of the first things I did was to contact artists that I considered friends of the show. I’ve been blessed over the years to have some wonderful musicians regularly send me their latest projects.
One of those friends was Jeremy Porter, leader of Jeremy Porter & The Tucos. For almost the entire time I’ve been producing The Ledge, Porter has provided me with fabulous music, and has also introduced my show to many of his fellow musician friends.
It was honestly no surprise when Porter responded that he was indeed interested in contributing a version of “Teenage Kicks”, but I was blown away by his overall plans with the tune. Tonight’s episode is the world premiere of his cover, which will be officially released next Friday (5/26) on his bandcamp page. While the track will be a “name your price”, proceeds from those who do the right thing and pay for the track will go to the Detroit-based charity, Hater Kitty Army, led by Sue Summers. “Hater Kitty Rescue Army is a neighborhood cat haven on Detroit’s Eastside,” Summers explains. “We have been serving abandoned cats for the past nine years by providing food, shelter, spay and neutering, and re-homing the ones we can.”
What is especially gratifying about this project is that Summers is not only a friend of Porter’s but a huge fan of The Undertones! “(They) were one of the first punk bands I saw in concert, at a tiny neighborhood theater that hosted all ages shows,” Summers recently recalled. “The song ‘Teenage Kicks’ has always been a favorite teenage anthem of mine and still remains timeless.”
Besides Porter’s fabulous cover, tonight’s show is a hodgepodge of new and old favorites. Included is a tribute of sorts to Big Stir Records, as earlier this week they had a big announcement of six new signing to their label. It seems like a pretty obvious idea to devote a set to these artists, which include Graham Parker, The Spongetones, The Cyrkle, Flashcubes, Arthur, Alexander, and Sparkle*Jets UK.
Sprinkled throughout the show are some of the other submitted versions of “Teenage Kicks” to remind everybody that I’m always looking for new covers. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!
For more information, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com