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The Ledge #591: Halloween

The Ledge #591: Halloween

It’s become a Halloween tradition for this show to celebrate the holiday with over two hours of spooky music. As it is the ultimate rock and roll holiday, it’s never hard to find enough new tunes to fill a show, and this year is no excepti…

The Ledge #587: Third Quarter Report

The end of every quarter is a time to take a little look back at the last three months of new music. Tonight I present a little over two hours of the records that caught my attention during that period. There are returning legends (Graham Parker, Lucinda Williams, The Pretenders) who are sort of shockingly as great as ever. There are workhorses (Guided By Voices, The William Loveday Intention) that seem to have new tunes in every quarterly recap. There’s an archive project that is clearly a label of love for the family of Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkhouse. And, of course, there are sets devoted to our friends at Big Stir Records and Rum Bar Records, along with a nice heaping of new bands (or new to me, at least) that caught my attention.  As for the “52 Weeks Of Teenage Kicks”, I have a fun live version that I recently found on Bandcamp. Guitarist Davey Lane is in the current lineup of Australian greats You Am I, and he apparently got the gig after recording and touring with You Am I leader Tim Rogers in the late 90’s. Since it is the third quarter recap, I’m also giving another spin […]

The Ledge #542: New Releases

The Ledge #542: New Releases

As always, first Friday means nothing but new releases, and tonight it’s an extended show featuring almost 2 1/2 hours of fabulous new rock and roll. And like always, it’s a wide mix of styles. There are bands that were formed just a few m…

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

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 tr…

The Ledge #523: New Releases

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 Records, Big 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! […]

The Ledge #519: New Releases (Pt. 1)

The Ledge #519: New Releases (Pt. 1)

Once again, I have so much new music that the monthly new release episode has to be a two part extravaganza. Part one is dedicated to “friends” of the show. There’s new releases from friendly labels such as Big Stir Records and Rum Bar Records. There’s tunes from quite a few artists that routinely submit their tracks for inclusion. And there’s material from a couple of actual friends, most notably the long-awaited return of power pop maestro Dave Scarbrough. I’ve known Dave for pretty much my entire live music life, and nobody in my little city can turn a melodic phrase like Dave. I’m so happy to see that he’s got a great new album (“Happily Ever After”), and obviously I’m even more pleased that he included a Paul Westerberg cover (“As Far As I Know”). Do yourself a favor and grab it from his bandcamp. 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 […]

The Ledge #510: New Release (Pt. 1)

The Ledge #510: New Release (Pt. 1)

It became apparent a couple of weeks ago that this month’s new release series would have to be a two part extravaganza. Not only were the quantity of new songs piling up, but there were also quite a few albums that deserved more than a track or two of airtime. So the decision was easy, but then how does one split the shows? There’s no real formua to what was aired tonight and what will be held back until next week. Tonight’s show probably features more of the types of artists who are easily found on Bandcamp, which is fitting since March 4 was another of the great bandcamp days where the artist gets 100% of the proceeds of their sales. But otherwise the quality between both sets of tunes is pretty similar, as you’ll see during next week’s second part.  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 […]

The Ledge #503: New Releases

The Ledge #503: New Releases

It’s a new year, so let’s start it right with nothing but new music over the course of the two hour broadcast. As always, it’s the latest indie, punk, power pop, and garage rock from all over the world. There’s bound to be somet…

The Ledge #484: New Releases (Pt. 1)

The Ledge #484: New Releases (Pt. 1)

This is another of thsoe months where the new release episode is so easy to compile that it just has to be split into two seperate shows. So tonight is part one, and what is especially gratifying is that so much of the broadcast consists of “friends” of the show. Yes, there’s the usual contributions from our friends at Rum Bar Records, Red On Red Records, and Big Stir Records. But there’s also newer friends such as Old Town Crier and Dan Israel, who emailed new tunes to check out. And then there’s The Ex-Bombers, the fabulous “psychedelic jazz noir blues explosion” due that I recently discovered on Instagram. After an exchange of DM’s, they actually sent me a vinyl version of their fabulous new “New Love Is Easy” album. Besides those picks, there’s brand new tunes by longtime Ledge favorites Son Volt, CTMF, Ty Segall, Wavves, and so many otheres. There are new discoveries such as The Pokes, Cosmic Psychos, and The Bug Club. Plus, there are a handful of tracks from Rum Bar’s brand new “XOXOXO Volume One ‘the nice price’” compilation. I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either […]

The Ledge #480: What Would Paul Westerberg Do? (New Releases)

The Ledge #480: What Would Paul Westerberg Do? (New Releases)

It’s a question I ask myself multiple times a day. What would Mr. Westerberg do?  The answers guide my day to day life, which explains quite a bit about the status of Mr. Hudson these days. But Geoff Palmer understands, and his great track that gives thsi episode its title is just one of the many incredible songs on his upcoming record, Charts and Graphs. (BTW, somebody please count the Westy song references on this track. I just may have a prize for the person who comes closest.) As always, this isn’t the only great record coming out soon on Rum Bar Records, and the last 20 minutes consist of nothing but great tracks from that label. There are also sets devoted to wonderful new music from Red On Red Records and Big Stir Records. These are all great records that really would appreciate some support from Ledge listeners. Go check them out. And that’s not all. I mentioned last month the mystery of a band called The Revenants. They have released over 30 records so far this year, and they’re all free! Please, if somebody out there has any info on this prolific act give me the deets! There’s also the return of the […]

The Ledge #461: New Releases (Pt. 1)

The Ledge #461: New Releases (Pt. 1)

Few things make a music critic/internet DJ happier than a package of new music, and I’m blessed to have the support of so many bands and labels. Whenever I receive an email that includes a link to a single or album, or find a packet in my mailbox, I immediately put it in the front of my pile of music to check out. As I was putting together this month’s new release episode, I suddenly noticed just how many great records I’ve received in the past few weeks. So why not do an entire show bassed on artist/label submissions? That’s what we have here this week. Some are from individual artists (Dan Israel, Jeremy Porter, Indonesian Junk, New Rocket Union, etc.) that want me to check out their new tunes. Others are because I’ve found myself on a label’s mailing list. I definitely need to thank Big Stir Records, Red on Red Records, and Rum Bar Records, who really knocked it out of the park with not one but two free samplers of current and upcoming new releases! After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every […]

The Ledge #414: New Releases

The Ledge #414: New Releases

I consider the February new release episode of The Ledge to be the first real episode of the year. Sure, the January show had quite a few 2020 releases but it was dominated by 2019 leftovers. This episode, with a few exceptions, are the fruits of the n…

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