• Tag Archives indie

  • The Ledge #583: New Releases

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    The Ledge has always been known to enjoy music from all over the world. This month’s new release episode, however, goes ever further than usual. Yes, we have new tunes from many of the usual suspects – Canada, Australia, England, Sweden, etc. But this month we expand that a little bit and have tunes from Indonesia and Japan! (Ok, Japanese rock and roll is not so unusual in these parts, but you get the picture.)

    There’s also the usual mix of long-awaited returns (Uni Boys, Wreckless Eric), and new (at least to me) artists such as Hurry, Young Francis Hi Fi, and Dennis Cometti. There’s a set devoted to a trio of solo artists who have shared the stage countless times over the years (Brad Marino, Geoff Palmer, and Kurt Baker), and who always seem to have new records right around the same time.

    We also have a sneak peak of the upcoming Replacements box set, Tim: Let It Bleed Edition. The “cello version” of “Can’t Hardly Wait” was actually a Paul Westerberg demo with Twin/Tone secretary Michelle Kinney on cello. The box set comes out on September 22, and as you may imagine, I…ok, I won’t go with the obvious wordplay

    Speaking of The Replacements, this week’s edition of “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” is a super rare version by Tommy Stinson, recorded at the Cactus Club in Milwaukee on August 28, 2003. Super rare, as in a fan recording. Don’t tell anyone!

    As I do every week, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. 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

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #578: Covers

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     Every few months, I like to put together an all-covers edition of the show. As I’ve stated before, I have a folder all set up to toss in whatever tracks I want to later air. This edition came a little bit sooner than usual due to a couple of fabulous tribute records.

    The first release I wanted to highlight is the brand new An International Tribute To The Muffs, which features 26 fabulous covers of Kim Shattuck tunes. Proceeds from this release goes to the Team Shattuck Foundation of Kim´s Sister, Kristen Shattuck.

    The other great tribute record is Drunk Dial Fakes, Vol. 2. This ingenious set features “real” bands covering songs that were written for fictional TV and film bands. How can you not love covers from The Rutles, CHiPs, and That Thing You Do?

    As for the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I’ve got a twofer for you this week. I recently discovered a couple of fabulous Undertones tribute records, and Teenage Hits – A Tribute To The Undertones features two wonderful remakes. And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. 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 info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #576: New Releases

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    It’s the first show of a new month, so it’s pretty obvious what’s going on this week. It’s over two hours of brand new music, ranging from Americana to punk to power pop to (lots of) garage rock. There are veteran acts and more than a few noobs. There’s something here for anybody who loves real rock and roll!

    As for this week’s edition of “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I have an archival live recording from one of my favorite Australian bands, The Scientists. You can find this version on Numero’s excellent live compilation, Not For Sale: Live 1978-79.

    And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. 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

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #566: Twofers

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    Tonight unveils a new sort of theme for a Ledge episode – Twofers! Everybody loves a twofer deal at the bar, so why not transfer the idea to rock and roll. (Yeah yeah yeah, I know radio stations have done this for decades. But it’s new to The Ledge!)

    The inspiration was a handful of great records that I’ve been paying a lot of attention to in the last few days. Last Saturday, for Record Store Day Sioux Falls (soon to be) legends Off Contact put out a few advance copies of their upcoming debut album, Pearls Before Swine. Of course I had to air some tracks off it!

    And then two days ago I received what may be my second-favorite power pop album of the year. Paint Fumes new record, Real Romancer, is chock full of great hooks accompanied by the sort of noisy guitars that everyone knows I love so much. Of course, I couldn’t resist airing tracks from the brand new albums of original punkers The Damned and former Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock.

    But it’s not all twofers on the show. There’s a “four-fer” of selections from the Record Store Day release of previously unreleased live Husker Du tracks, Tonite Longhorn. There’s five tracks from the infamous C86 compilation, picked due to my love of the new Whatever Happened to the C86 Kids? An Indie Odyssey by Nige Tassell. And there’s a lengthy set of one-off tunes by Justine & The Unclean, The Darts, The Morning Line, The Scarlet Goodbye, and Single Mothers.

    Even the latest in the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” series is a twofer. When I saw that both Thee Headcoats and their all-girl cohorts Thee Headcoatees had covered the classic it just made sense to play them as a pair. Of course, I also have to remind everybody that I’m still looking for new versions of The Undertones classic. Please, please, please send them my way!

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

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #565: Some More Home Plays

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    This week is another show devoted primarily to music I’ve been listening to around the house. The first half is dominated by new tracks recently sent to me by various labels, and sometimes the artists themselves. There’s a new tune from Sioux Falls’ own Thought Patrol. There’s Big Stir’s latest projects featuring former Standells leader Tony Valentino. There’s the usual handful of Rum Bar Records releases, including the return of The Short Fuses.

    The second half of the show are highlighted by recent box set releases of The Velvet Underground, Dead Moon, and the legendary live 2Tone Dance Craze soundtrack, along with favorites by the New York Dolls, The Mummies, The Creation, The Pretty Things, and Paul Revere & The Raiders. There’s almost 60 years of fabulous rock and roll!

    As for this week’s edition of “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I don’t have a lot of background information regarding the version by a band called Funeral Service. All I’ve managed to find out is that they were a French band that put their cover out in 1986 as the b-side to a version of the classic “Pills”. If you have any info on this band, please let me know.

    And please, please, please pass the word on that I’m still looking for brand new covers of The Undertones classic tune. If you have the capability to record your own version, or know some great musician friends, get on it and send the recording to paulisded @ gmail dot com.

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

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #564: 1988

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    Was 1988 a good year? Well…it wasn’t if you followed mainstream culture. But that’s a given in each and every year. If you didn’t participate in that sort of nonsense, 1988 was a fabulous year. The great years in music is always the year or two before the mainstream discovers a new trend, and 1988 is that sort of year. Alternative, punk, and indie were creeping up the charts a bit higher than usual, but it was not yet time for the “normals” to latch on. It was still our little secret, and for the most part untainted by the corporate morons. Tonight’s show is two hours of my favorite music from that year. 

    As for this week’s “52 weeks of Teenage Kicks” subtheme, I found a rare live recording of Soul Asylum performing the show at a 1988 show in Charlottesville, VA. I did receive word earlier today that in two weeks I will be world premiering a brand new cover from a fabulous band that is regularly heard on The Ledge. Of course, I’m always looking for even more covers, so please get the word out to anybody who has the capability to record a cover of the fabulous Undertones classic. If you have any questions, please shoot me an email at paulisded @ gmail dot com.

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

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #562: First Quarter Report

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    As this is the last show of the first quarter of 2023, and even airing on the last day of the month, it’s only natural that we take a look back at some of the stunning new records released so far thsi year. It has been quite a year, especialy if you are a fan of guitar-driven music. Power pop, in particular, has made a great comeback this year, highlighted by the likes of The Whiffs, Local Drags, and Ryan Allen And His Extra Arms.

    But it’s also a great year for returning legends. Yo La Tengo, The Long Ryders, The Church, and Iggy Pop released their best albums in years. Billy Childish reunited the legendary Thee Headcoats for their first album in 22 years, and it’s a smoker!

    For this show, obviously, the main highlight comes from the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” subtheme, and we received thrilling news earlier this week. The very first person I contacted when I came up with this idea was Malibu Lou from Rum Bar Records. Obviously, I was hoping that he could convince some of his bands to participate (and I still hope they do). What I wasn’t expecting was for Lou to make the very first new submission. Weeks later, Lou uploaded his cover as a free Bandcamp single, and it’s now in rotation on SiriusXM’s Underground Garage!

    As a thank you, I’m again airing Lou’s cover, but this week’s opening spot goes to The Dollyrots’ cover that was found on last year’s Down the Rabbit Hole compilation. Once again, though, I’m pleading with all listeners, musicians, labels and/or anybody else to please record their own version of the Undertones’ classic. I’d love for some more new submissions to air, and maybe it can lead to bigger things just like what happened with Malibu Lou!!! If you have any questions, please send an email to paulisded@gmail.com

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

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #557: 1998

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    It’s always shocking when you stumble upon tweets or articles noting the anniversary of beloved albums. You can’t help but wonder how something that seems like it came out yesterday is actually…well, old!

    That’s the case with tonight’s show. Every single song you hear is 25 years old. It’s just insane to me that some of my favorite Americana (Son Volt, Golden Smog, Drive-By Truckers), power pop (Sloan, Tommy Keene, Nada Surf), singer/songwriter (Elliott Smith, Silver Jews), and punk (Fugazi, Screeching Weasel, Bad Religion) records have hit this milestone. It just doesn’t feel like nostalgia

    As for the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” entry, I’ve got a fabulous rarity. 1998 saw the release of Scandal Controvery and Romance, the classic debut record by The Prissteens. To celebrate the 45th birthday of their A&R rep, Howard Thompson, the pressed up 45 copies of a tribute song called “Oh Howard!”. The b-side of this single was their Undertones cover that featured a few lyrical changes and retitled “Teenage Dicks”. (Both of these tracks were eventually reissued on 2020’s The Hound collection of rarities and demos.)

    Once again, I’m always actively looking for new covers of “Teenage Kicks”. Please don’t hesitate to create your own personal spin on one of the greatest songs of all time. Contact me at paulisded@gmail.com if you have a version to submit or if you have any questions regarding this project.

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

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #556: More Miscellany

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    This week’s show is once again a mix of old and new. There’s quite a few brand new releases highlighted, accompanied by quite a few records that I’ve found myself playing in my free time. 

    Which leads me to a question to my lovely listeners. For as long as I’ve done the show, the presence of “themes” has been a constant. Honestly, that’s how my brain works best for picking music. It gives me a reason to air a tune. Even the monthly new release episode is basically a theme that’s just like shows based on certain years or terms.

    Lately, I have sort of abandoned the theme and played these kinds of old/new mixes. Part of this is that due to the fact that I now report a top ten playlist every week to the Radio Indie Alliance. I know I can submit any ten tracks I play but I’ve been paying even more attention to new music than usual.

    So this is what I want to find out from you guys. Do you like these freeform type of broadcasts or should I revert back to having a weekly theme? The themes aren’t going away entirely, no matter what anybody says. But should they become a monthly occurrence just like the new release show? Let me know by commenting on this post, or contacting me on the various social media platforms. Oh, and I need ideas on what to title these shows!

    As for this week’s edition of the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I’ve got a nice little surprise from Rum Bar Records artist Jenny Dee & The Deelinquents. Jenny’s version came out in 2013 as the b-side to her single, “Getaway”, and the 50s pop/rock feel is a refreshing take on the punk classic. Thank you Jenny Dee!!!

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

     

    Download MP3 here


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  • The Ledge #553: Miscellany

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    Every now and then it’s nice to have a show without any real theme, and that’s what we have tonight. Instead, it’s really just a collection of records I’ve been listening to over the last few weeks, and interesting collection of various genres that represent over 50 years of great rock and roll. There’s a handful of recent releases side by side with all time classics. There are veteran bands that are brand new to me, and relatively new artists that I’ve been obsessed with over the last few months.

    Of course, there’s also this week’s selection for the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” subtheme. I’ve got a homegrown talent by the name of Link West, and his mainly acoustic version is a really nice change of pace. He also contributed a little piece of spoken word audio where he talks of his love of the song and his history of playing it in his original band in Columbus, Ohio. He describes the tune as “50% bubblegum, 50% booty call”. I can’t argue with that.

    Link West’s version marks a run of (at least) three straight weeks of listener contributions, but of course I always want more. Nothing would make me happier than an entire year of brand new versions of one of my favorite songs of all time. If you don’t have the capabilities to record your own cover, please reach out to any musician friends to contribute their version. If you have any questions, or if you have a version set to go, please contact me at paulisded@gmail.com

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

     

    Download MP3 here


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