• Tag Archives indie

  • The Ledge #616: Records

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    Tomorrow (April 20) is a sort of unofficial holiday for those of us who are obsessed with music. It’s Record Store Day! To prime myself, and hopefully you fellow music nerds, tonight’s episode is devoted to songs about records, record stores, and the people like us who collect them!

    It’s another wide range of material, from classic beat sounds of the 60s (Tweeds) to late 70s power pop (The Mumbles, Milk ‘n’ Cookies) to self-reverential 80s alternative rockers (The Jesus & Mary Chain) and current garage and punk along with plenty of singer/songwriters of all eras! 

    I’m hoping this fires you all up to get out there and find your wishlist tomorrow! What are y’all looking for? Let me know what treats you discover!

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

     

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  • The Ledge #612: Once Again Some Odds And Ends

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    This is another of those shows inspired primarily by what I’ve been listening to around the house. But it’s not just records this time, as the inspiration is coming from all sorts of media forms. The first main set, for instance, was inspired by the “Great Plains” section of Steven H. Gardner’s excellent Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In the Seventies, Volume 5, The American Beat West. In late 70s Kansas City, there was a shortlived but extremely influential label called Titan Records. Gardner profiles the label, the principal owners, and the artists whose records were released in their short lifespan. 

    Also represented in tonight’s show is music from the legendary label, Good Vibrations. No, it’s not Beach Boys-related. Good Vibrations was a Belfast record store and label that existed in the late 70s, and is most known for discovering and releasing the first Undertones single, “Teenage Kicks”. I suggest that all music fans head right away to Freevee and watch the wonderful film, Good Vibrations. If you love the tunes of that era, you’ll enjoy this film as much as I did

    The rest of the show consists of records I’ve thrown on my turntable the last couple of weeks, from 1968’s Disposable album by The Deviants to last fall’s latest record by The Dwarves, Concept Album. There’s also some late 70’s punk (The Vibrators, Suicide Commandos) and “new wave” (Boomtown Rats, Graham Parker), lots of 80s college rock (The Feelies, Del Fuegos, The Cult), and some fabulous recently-reissued garage rock from Subsonics. There’s a little something for anyone with good taste!

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

     

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  • The Ledge #604: Odds & Ends Again

    Posted on by theledge Comment

    The “odds and ends” series is an opportunity for me to mix all kinds of material. This week’s version mixes a bunch of new releases with a ton of material I’ve been playing around the house in recent weeks. There’s also a tribute to Mary Weiss, the leader of The Shangri-Las who passed away a few days ago. Otherwise, there’s classics by The Clash, X, The Birthday Party, and The Long Ryders, along with a new discovery of The Deviants, a great old band that for whatever reason I had never checked out.

    As for that little sound sample at the beginning of the show, I must thank my buddy Kevin for alerting me to a show called The Listener. I just can’t help but include oddly-placed discussions on The Replacements. 

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

     

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  • The Ledge #583: New Releases

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    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

     

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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

     

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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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