• Tag Archives tommy stinson
  • The Ledge #600: Hudson’s Best of 2023

    Choosing my favorite records of the year is always a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it’s great fun for a music nerd like me to revisit the hundreds of releases I’ve checked out the last twelve months. But it’s also frustrating trying to thin down those picks into a list that truly represents the past year. Many records that initially seemed a lock are suddenly eclipsed by new records that I simply can’t ignore. Other albums that I had prematurely set aside have revealed themselves to be chock full of fabulous tunes that I can’t imagine living without. 

    Overall, this is another great year for music. I’ll never understand the mindset of people, especially those around my age, that complain how there’s no great bands or records these days. Sure, the pop charts are primarily filled with garbage, and one does have to spend more time than ever finding new artists. But the search has always been a great part of the fun of being a collector, and my main reason I’ve now put together 600 episodes of this show is to share my findings with others. I’m always thrilled when I hear that someone has bought a record due to my recommendation. So please let me know your thoughts on this countdown of my picks for the 40 best records of the year!

    Please head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com to read the countdown of these albums.

     

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  • The Ledge #585: Hudson Compound Playlist

    This week’s show is another of those broadcasts where I simply air some of the records I’ve been playing around the house the last few weeks. There’s no real format outside of that, but you do get to enjoy almost 60 years of fabulous rock and roll. What more can I say about it?

    As for the “52 weeks of Teenage Kicks” series, I actually have yet another new vesrion. This is a brand new cover by a band called The Flying Waves, and it’s on an album called Rainbow that came out a week ago. Unfortunately, that’s all I know about this cover as google was no help at all. If anybody out there is familar with this artist, please contact me!

    And like 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 info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #575: Second Quarter Report

    With tonight’s show being the last broadcast of June, and especially as it is also the last day of the month, it’s pretty clear that it needed to be a second quarter recap. There’s over two hours of great music that has come out in the last three months, similar to the first quarter recap show of March 31.

    The material ranges from the fantastic power pop of Paint Fumes and Jagger Holly to veteran rockers such as Ian Hunter and The Waco Brothers. There’s some rootsy rock and roll from Tommy Stinson, Deer Tick and The Baseball Project. The music comes from not only the usual US, UK, and Canadian artists but also from Australia, Austria, France, and Germany. 

    As for this week’s “52 weeks of Teenage Kicks” series, I have a very special cover by German punkers Die Toten Hosen. Way back in the early 90s they had a fantastic covers record called Learning English, Lesson One, where they invited members of the original bands to assist them with their remakes. 2017 saw the relese of Learning English, Lesson Two that continued that format. For their version of “Teenage Kicks”, they featured original Undertones guitarist Damian O’Neill! I also included the two brand new covers I had previously played over the last quarter by Jeremy Porter & The Tucos and The Waco Brothers.

    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, please head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

     

    Download MP3 here


  • The Ledge #573: Even More Miscellany

    This week’s episode is another show consisting of material I’ve been a bit obsessed with around the Hudson compound. The first half is primarily new or new-ish material. The tribute to Justine Covault continues with tracks off the brand new Justine and the Unclean album, The Signal Light, along with new tunes by Lydi Loveless, Kate Redgate, Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire, and a great Alice Cooper cover by veteran rockers Zero Boys.

    The second half of the show is dominated by older records that I’ve recently picked up. Many were originally owned by my buddy Phil who had his semi-annual record sale last weekend. But I also have included a couple of reissues of records that I’ve been trying to acquire for years. The Lyres On Fyre, for example, was the very first truly independant record I’ve ever owned, and I desperately needed a copy to replace the one I lost decades ago. And then there’s Double Nickels On the Dime, the classic double album by Minutemen. Going for big bucks on the used market, SST finally pressed some more copies, and I just could not resist! 

    Of course, there’s also this week’s installment in the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” series. Sahara Hotnights is a fantastic all-female rock band from Sweden who put out some great albums in the late 90s and early 00s. The expanded version of their second album, Jennie Bomb, included the hot version that kickstarts this week’s episode. 

    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


  • The Ledge #571: New Releases

    The first Friday of June means we have nothing but new releases on The Ledge, and it’s quite the lineup tonight. There are artists from all over the world, ranging from just a mile or so from my home (Thought Patrol) to Germany (Hamburg Ramones, Berlin Blackouts), with additional stops in Italy, Norway, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries). There’s the return of a ton of veteran artists, including Rancid, Graham Parker, The Aquadolls, and Joan Jett. 

    Most importantly, at least for me, is the brand new project by Tommy Stinson. Over the last few years he’s been touring with his pal Chip Roberts under the Cowboys in the Campfire moniker, and today sees the release of their debut album, Wronger. While a bit quieter than we’re used to from the former Replacements bass player, it’s still quite a record from the hardest working member of the legendary band. 

    Of course, we begin with the latest in the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” series, and this time it is nt a new release. This version is from the French band Nouvelle Vague, an act that was created to remake classic punk and new wave songs in bossa nova versions. Yes, it’s a little bit of a departure from the normal covers of the song you’ve heard over the last five months, but it is definitely worthy of includsion.

    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


  • 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


  • Live Ledge #393: PW & Friends

    This week’s show came about partly thanks to a Juliana Hatfield tweet of an old article about The I Don’t Cares, her 2016 collaboration with Paul Westerberg. Remembering how much I was charmed by that record, I spent the afternoon reacquaintancing myself to that release.

    Then it suddenly hit me. If I went through all the various names that Paul and the rest of the Replacements had used for their various projects I should be able to fill a full Live Ledge episode. It was actually much easier than I expected. In fact, we even went a few minutes over our usual two hour timeslot.

    I also tried to shy away from the obvious tracks. For the Replacements and even the solo Westerberg material I picked mainly some somewhat rare live tracks. Tommy Stinson’s set includes a little known Clash cover he did for Uncut Magazine. This show is meant to just be fun and not a representation of the musician’s greatest moments, together or solo.

     

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  • Live Ledge #380: Tommy & Evan

    Host Scott Hudson chats about his weekend at the Tommy Stinson/Lemonheads show, along with lots of great garage rock.

     

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  • Live Ledge #379: Garage Pop Power Rock

    A great set of power pop and garage rock, including a lengthy set of new Rumbar Records releases.

     

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