realpunkradio

The Ledge #477: Summer Means Fun (Plus Recovered Bonus Show)

The Ledge #477: Summer Means Fun (Plus Recovered Bonus Show)

On last week’s new release broadcast I had attempted to right a wrong. I definitely missed the boat on the fabulous Minneapolis band Low Rats blend of “proto-punk meets ’90s garage rock style”, as reviewer Carolyn Keddy recently wrote. Their full-length debut, Year of the Rat MMXX came out late last year, and last week they debuted a brand new “double-dose” single, “Taxi Driver/Brand New Cadillac”. I was so pleased to finally give some of their tunes a little airplay. And then guess what happened? I had an issue with the file, and I couldn’t upload the episode. Ugh!!! So this week I tried again, and I actually played a couple more songs than I did the week before. And, as an added bonus, I’ve also included a couple of tracks from vocalist Michael Myers’ previous band, Narco States, who I interviewed wasy back in 2015. The rest of this week’s show consists of music I’ve been playing around the house the last fw weeks. There are well over 60 years of tunes on this broadcast, including some stories I’ve picked up from a couple of books I’ve recently acquired. And you fine people also get as a bonus the […]

The Ledge #475: New Releases (Pt. 2)

The Ledge #475: New Releases (Pt. 2)

This week’s show may be a sequel to last week’s new release episode, but there’s no letdown in quality. Here are two hours of some of the best new music from all over the world – not only the U.S. but Canada, England, Sweden, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Spain. There’s some pure punk, along with power pop, heavy rock, indie rock, and much more. There are longtime veterans with five decades of rocking, along with some brand new bands with their first releases. One of the many highlights is the opening set that includes a handful of newly-discovered tracks by an obscure band called The Jacks. Originating in Oklahoma, one member of the band found himself living in Minneapolis. Working in a record store allowed him to befriend members of The Replacements, Husker Du, and The Suicide Commandos. Recordings featuring these amazing musicians have now been released on the album “Make ‘Em Cry”. We also have the premiere of three tracks from Geoff Palmer’s upcoming album, “Charts & Graphs”. Due out on July 23, this fantastic collection of power poppish punk should be a highlight of the summer. There’s also new tunes by Dropkick Murphys, The Dictators, Juliana Hatfield, […]

The Ledge #472: Songs About Records

The Ledge #472: Songs About Records

There are times where a potential theme for a show pops up out of nowhere. This week’s episode of The Ledge is a perfect example. This past Wednesday afternoon I was on my way to a local record store, accompanied by a great power pop playlist on Spotify. Suddenly, a song came on that I hadn’t heard in many years. The tune was “I Need That Record” by Tweeds, a great under-appreciated 70’s power pop band  Besides the fact that this title was exactly why I was in my car at the time, it lit up a little light bulb in my head about a show devoted to songs about my favorite objects, records. It didn’t take long to put together the playlist. Wilco’s “Boxful of Letters” was an obvious pick. As were tunes by Todd Snider, Supersuckers, Nick Lowe, and Elvis Costello. iTunes searches came up with a vast majority of the rest of the tracks. But it was the discovery of an old Wreckless Eric track that secured the idea of this show. “33s + 45s” deals with the aftermath of a breakup, and the inevitable splitting of the music library. These lines hit me hard: “My dismantled […]

The Ledge #471: 1981 US Punk Faves

The Ledge #471: 1981 US Punk Faves

1981 was a very special year for your favorite podcast host. I graduated from high school, and immediately started at the local radio station when I entered college. While the 2 – 6 am shift may seem like a nightmare to most people, it was the perfect opportunity for me to investigate the floor to ceiling record racks in the cramped studio. This week’s show represents the US-originated records from that era that mean the most to me today. Most of them I discovered during these late night shifts, but a few of them I must admit they weren’t faves until years later. Of course, I have to highlight the first releases from my two favorite Minneapolis bands of all time, and longtime faves the Ramones put out their sixth album that year. There’s also a couple of new indie labels, IRS and SST, that would greatly influence me throughout the rest of the decade. After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! 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 […]

The Ledge #470: Playing Catch Up

The Ledge #470: Playing Catch Up

It’s always rewarding when a confluence of ideas results in a show that has a perfect flow. That’s what happened this week. This show began with a slight nudging from a couple of acts that had submitted tracks earlier this year that had just not yet found a place in a show. Add to that a couple of great records featuring Dirty Truckers drummer John Lynch that he sent when we were putting together the Rum Bar Records episode. Then a section of super sweet, relatively new records were discovered at a local record store. I’m talking about mint 2020 releases that I had missed out on when they were first put out. Adding to that secton of the show are a few other 2019 and 2020 albums that I was late in discovering, along with a couple of fabulous archive releases and suddenly I have two hours of great music for tonight! After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! 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 […]

The Ledge #468: First Quarter Report

The Ledge #468: First Quarter Report

Since we are just a few days away from April, it makes sense that the last episode of the month is a look back at the first quarter of 2021. What albums, EP’s and singles have caught my attention? Has it been a great year?
The answer is the same …

The Ledge #465: New Releases

The Ledge #465: New Releases

It’s the first Friday of the month, so you know what this means. Yes, once again I have over two hours of the best new indie, garage, power pop, punk, and Americana releases. Plenty of veteran acts, and even more brand new artists. If you care ab…

The Ledge #464: Ramones’ Album Tributes

The Ledge #464: Ramones’ Album Tributes

After last week’s show featuring songs about The Ramones, it was pretty much a no-brainer to pair it with a show based around covers of the same band. But I’ve done that theme before, so how can I put a new spin on it. Well, the answer came with today’s release of K7s’ remake of the entire Mondo Bizarro album, along with last year’s Subterranean Jungle rerecording by Brad Marino. How about a whole show of album-length covers? If you think about it, that is the ultimate show of respect for a band and/or a record. Anybody can do an individual cover, but to remake an entire album is a huge demand for an artist. Even the best albums have a song or two that’s not up to the standard of the rest of the record, so giving those songs the same attention as the feature tracks is a major accomplishment. So with that all in mind, with the exception of covers by Tommy and the Rockets that bookend the show, this entire episode is “Side A” of these types of releases. Along with the already mentioned new records, the second half of the show dates back from a series […]

The Ledge #463: Songs About The Ramones

The Ledge #463: Songs About The Ramones

As I state at the beginning of the show, the initial idea for this theme came from the plethora of recent songs that mention The Ramones in the title, both individually and as a group. Add to that a few faves from the past, along with some great sugges…

The Ledge #460: Covers

The Ledge #460: Covers

As I stated on tonight’s all-covers episode, I have a folder on my hard drive where I toss in any cool remakes that I accumulate. When that folder is filled then it’s time to do another show of that type.
Well, the folder is full, and was a…

The Ledge #459: UK Punk 1981

The Ledge #459: UK Punk 1981

Since it’s a new year I have a whole list of new “anniversaries” to celebrate this year. You can expect many upcoming episodes devoted to years such as 1986, 1991…and, obviously, 1981. Tonight’s broadcast is the first of a…

The Ledge #458: The Ledge Awards

The Ledge #458: The Ledge Awards

A few weeks ago, I put together a countdown show of my 40 favorite albums of 2020. Now for this annual Ledge Awards I go through various other categories for the past year – Best Reissue, Best Live Album, Best Compilaton, Best Covers Album, Best …

The Ledge #457: New Releases

The Ledge #457: New Releases

It’s the first show of the new year, which means it’s the first new release episode of the year! Generally, there isn’t much for new material this time of year, but this year seems to be an exception. You’ll find plenty of great…

The Ledge #456: Lockdown Christmas

The Ledge #456: Lockdown Christmas

Everybody’s favorite holiday tradition is back as once again The Ledge annual Christmas show brings you the best rockin’ holiday tunes in this supersized show! What’s great about this show is that it’s not a show relying on tun…

The Ledge #455: Best Albums of 2020

The Ledge #455: Best Albums of 2020

So let’s get this out of the way. 2020 was a dumpster fire of a year. A worldwide pandemic shut everything down. A contentious Presidential election tore apart friends and families. Race and sexual identity issues became online litmus tests. Everybody …

The Ledge #454: New Releases

The Ledge #454: New Releases

It’s the last new release show of 2020, and it may just be the best one of the year. There’s a ton of new music that’s come out the past few weeks, including a few great items discovered shortly before the show commenced. And how can …

The Ledge #453: Under Consideration

The Ledge #453: Under Consideration

This is the time of year where I’m going through my music library making notes on what albums should be considered for my year-end rankings. With the volume of great music released every year, however, there are records that I honestly sort of fo…

The Ledge #452: 1985

The Ledge #452: 1985

The Ledge #451: 1990

The Ledge #451: 1990

It may be a cliche, especially compared to the dumpster fire of this year, but it was definitely a simpler time for me in 1990. It was a year that I sort of became an adult. Sort of are the key words here. It was also a year of musical transition for me, as it was the year of the last Replacements album and the year of Uncle Tupelo’s debut album. For the next few years, “Americana” became my leading musical force. With a few exceptions, of course. (Both of these recors, The Replacements’ “All Shook Down” and Uncle Tupelo’s “No Depression”, get an extended look during tonight’s show.) This week’s show takes a look at much of what was in my gigantic portable CD carrier during that year. Yes, I had one of those 64 disc cases that went with me wherever I went. One has to be prepared, you know. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy this nostalgic look at my personal music taste from that era. After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! 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 […]

The Ledge #449: Halloween

The Ledge #449: Halloween

The Halloween episode has been an important part of The Ledge calendar year for over a decade. Outside of maybe one or two years, there has always been a show during the week before the great holiday featuring fantastic Hallowen-themed punk, garage, indie, power pop, and almost every other rock and roll sub-genre. Why is this such a big show? It’s simple, and I’ve said it before. Halloween is a rock and roll holiday. The very themes of the big day have been a part of rock and roll since the early days. The sound of an electric guitar itself fits the day, as does the pounding, basic rhythms of the real rock and roll. It also helps that every year sees the release of a ton of tracks that can be shoehorned into the theme. In fact, the overwhelming majority of songs on this year’s edition were released in the last ten months, which obviously adds to the freshness of this show every single year! After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! 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 […]

The Ledge #448: Reissues

The Ledge #448: Reissues

The Ledge isn’t all about new music, obviously. And with the record companies constantly repackaging old material with bonus demos, outtakes, and live takes my collection just continues to grow.
Tonight’s show is a look at some of these spe…

The Ledge #445: Gorman Bechard

The Ledge #445: Gorman Bechard

It’s always a lot of fun when Gorman Bechard appears on The Ledge, and this week was no exception. He’s got two brand new documentaries that were released this past Tuesday, and both are pretty fantastic. Pizza: A Love Story is all about the legendary New Haven pizza, and the award-winning trio of family businesses that created the edible delights that I’ve personally heard Gorman ramble on and on about for well over a decade. New Haven historian Colin M. Caplan sits in on this portion of the show to talk about the research that went into the creation of this film. The other film, Seniors: A Dogumentary is as perfect of a feel-good story as one can possibly make. How can you not love a film that collects a number of tales involving such amazing elderly dogs? Much of the film centers around the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, an organization that houses and fosters elderly dogs, but there’s other fabulous dog tales such as the heartwarming tale of Chaser, who proves why he is generally considered the smartest dog in the world. Dean Falcone, who created the music on both films, also chats about his innovative idea to […]

The Ledge #444: Compilations

The Ledge #444: Compilations

The last few months have seen a ton of great compilation records come out. Some have been all covers. Many have been label or genre samplers. Others have been benefits for great causes. What unites them all is that so many of them have been full of gre…

The Ledge #442: New Releases

The Ledge #442: New Releases

It’s another great month of new releases. I know I say that every month but we are living in a time where somehow artists are still creating fabulous, vital music. Just take a listen to this two hours of rock, folk, punk, surf, indie, and a few o…

The Ledge #441: Fave Records of Summer 2020

The Ledge #441: Fave Records of Summer 2020

The calendar may have a different definition, but summer to me has always been the months of June, July, and August. With that in mind, since tonight was my last show for August I decided to put together a show of nothing but my favorite new records fr…

The Ledge #440: New Releases (Pt. 2)

The Ledge #440: New Releases (Pt. 2)

This may be a second part of a new release series, but there’s certainly no drop in quality. How could it be when the beginning of the show features a sneak peak of the upcoming Replacements’ “Pleased to Meet Me Deluxe Edition” …

The Ledge #438: Power Pop

The Ledge #438: Power Pop

What is power pop? According to the dictionary, it’s “a style of pop music characterized by a strong melody line, heavy use of guitars, and simple rhythm”. Yeah, that works. I prefer to just call it “revved up pop music”.

The Ledge #437: 1980 American Punk

The Ledge #437: 1980 American Punk

Earlier this year I featured a show that focused on British punk rock from 1980. Tonight, I do the same thing but featuring nothing but tunes from American punk bands from that same year.
It’s kind of interesting how the focus of the punk scene (…

The Ledge #436: Double Albums

The Ledge #436: Double Albums

It was a few weeks ago when Sonic Youth’s “Teenage Riot” came up in a Spotify playlist, and it spurred my feeble mind into this week’s show format. This week is a countdown of my 15 favorite double albums of all time. As always,…

The Ledge #434: New Releases

The Ledge #434: New Releases

This is another of those new release episodes that featured some last minute additions. Thanks to another Bandcamp day where 100% of all proceeds go to the artists, a number of artists surprised fans with new music. There was a new Cloud Nothings album…

The Ledge #433: Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)

The Ledge #433: Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)

The world may be ending but great music lives forever. Despite everything that has gone on this year there has still been a steady stream of fabulous albums released. Tonight’s show is a look at the 40 best albums released in the first half of 20…

The Ledge #432: Covers

The Ledge #432: Covers

Once a year or so, I like to put together a show of nothing but covers. Partly due to COVID-19 this year has already seen more of these sorts of tracks than ever before. Bands have put out full albums or EP’s of covers; labels have upped the ante…

The Ledge #431: New Releases, Pt. 2

The Ledge #431: New Releases, Pt. 2

As I said last week, there have been so many great releases in the last few weeks that this month’s new release episode was forced to expand to two episodes. Quality-wise, there’s no difference between the two episodes. In fact, it could be…

The Ledge #429: More Minneapolis

The Ledge #429: More Minneapolis

After last week’s Minneapolis edition of my favorite songs of all time I was contacted by a ton of listeners with their own favorites of the great city. With that sort of response I coudn’t help but doing a sequel consisting of nothing but …

The Ledge #428: Scott’s Fave Songs Vol. 4 – Minneapolis

The Ledge #428: Scott’s Fave Songs Vol. 4 – Minneapolis

It’s safe to say that a Minneapolis-themed show would come out of the series of my favorite songs of all time. It was actually the easiest of the shows to put together. No, it’s not two hours of Replacements and Husker Du songs. Certainly both of those bands are well-represented but so many other bands from that great city had a huge impact on my life. Many of these are extremely popular (Soul Asylum, Jayhawks, Suburbs) but there are also a lesser-known ton of records that were just as important in my life. For example, I saw The Phones as many times over the years as I saw any of these other bands. And I may not know much about the history of artists such as The Ticks or Crash Street Kids but I played those records to death over the years. Now here’s a bit of a disclaimer. I did switch away from Minneapolis for a long set of Sioux Falls bands, and other artists from places such as Austin, Minnesota and Cedar Falls, Iowa are represented. And technically The Hold Steady are a Brooklyn band. But Minneapolis certainly influenced all of the Sioux Falls bands I included, and […]

The Ledge #427: Quarantunes

The Ledge #427: Quarantunes

When this awful pandemic first hit the U.S. and we started hearing about “stay at home” orders and “social distancing” I commented on twitter how I hoped this down time would inspire artists to spend their forced down time writi…

The Ledge #426: New Releases

The Ledge #426: New Releases

Another month, another collection of great new music. Unlike previous editions, though, this month’s show features a ton of one-off single releases of tracks recorded under quarantine. In fact, just minutes before The Ledge went to air on Realpun…

The Ledge #424: Scott’s Faves Vol. 3 – College Rock

The Ledge #424: Scott’s Faves Vol. 3 – College Rock

In this weird time we’re currently living it’s natural to take a nostalgic look back at some old faves. That’s exactly what I set out to do with this week’s episode of The Ledge. A few weeks ago I started a series of shows dedicated to my favorite songs of all time, and I decided this was the perfect week to take a look at some of my highlights from my old college radio days in the 80’s. As you may expect, there’s a combination of the famous and not so famous. Bands that hit the top of the charts, and others that were unknown outside of their little area (or the network of college stations). Included are many tunes that rank up against anything that has come out in the 70 year history of rock and roll. Some may be surprised to note the lack of Replacements, Husker Du, and the Suburbs (among others). That’s because a future “Scott’s Favorites” episode will be devoted to nothing but music from Minneapolis (and other upper Midwest locations)! After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely […]

The Ledge #423: New Releases Pt 2

The Ledge #423: New Releases Pt 2

This week’s show may be a sequel to last week’s new release episode but it’s certainly not a drop in quality. Just like last week, there are plenty of new bands (Cherry Chrome, Rookie, Green/Blue), lots of surprising reunions (The Boo…

The Ledge #421: Don’t Stand So Close To Me

The Ledge #421: Don’t Stand So Close To Me

I understood pretty early on this week that it was going to be impossible to come up with a new theme this week. The pandemic is the only thing any of us are thinking about these days, especially with the situation being more grim every day.
Since last…

The Ledge #420: Isolation

The Ledge #420: Isolation

Earlier this week when the hysteria over the current world health situation was starting to gain some steam I was listening to my vinyl copy of Paul Westerberg’s Mono/Stereo. As “Let The Bad Times Roll” was playing a little light bulb…

The Ledge #419: Live Albums, Vol. 2

The Ledge #419: Live Albums, Vol. 2

Part one of The Ledge Live Albums series featured my picks (with a little agreement from my friends). Tonight’s belongs to those who responded to a Facebook post from last month (plus a couple of emails and tweets). It’s quite a bit fun, st…

The Ledge #418: New Releases

The Ledge #418: New Releases

The monthly new release shows are easily my favorite episodes, and this month’s is no exception. As always, it’s a great mix of brand new bands, returning veterans, and some great recent discoveries. There’s so much great new music th…

The Ledge #417: Live Albums, Vol. 1

The Ledge #417: Live Albums, Vol. 1

A few days ago I started a thread on my Facebook page asking for favorite live albums. The response I received was amazing, as close to 150 people responded with a wide range of suggestions. Obviously the question was raised in order to put together a Ledge episode, and the response was so overwhelming that tonight’s show is the first of two dedicated to the topic. This week’s broadcast consists of the choices I would have picked anyway but I still give credit to those who are so likeminded. It’s a collection of legendary classic recordings (Jerry Lee Lewis, Rolling Stones, Sam Cooke, etc.), recordings that were initially bootlegged before getting an official release (Iggy & The Stooges, Elvis Costello, The Beatles, The Replacements), and quite a few others that have had a place in my collection for decades. Part two, which will be broadcast in two weeks, will focus more on material that others have picked. Some of them are records I’ve forgotten about, others come from my youth, but quite a few are releases you probably would never expect to hear on The Ledge. And, of course, I have to thank everybody for their picks. It’s been a […]

The Ledge #416: Scott’s Faves, Vol. 2

The Ledge #416: Scott’s Faves, Vol. 2

A few weeks ago I debuted a new series documenting my favorite songs of all time. What began as a quest for one tight 30-song set turned into a folder filled with close to 200 songs. The first show primarily featured aggressive tracks from the 60&#8217…

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…

The Ledge #413: Scott’s Faves Vol. 1

The Ledge #413: Scott’s Faves Vol. 1

A few days ago I came up with the idea of putting together a show of nothing but my favorite songs of all time. A few hours later, however, I ended up with a folder of almost 200 songs. Hmmmm. So here is the introduction of a new series of shows devoted to the great tracks that have made me who I am today. Of course, a lunatic like myself has to come up with unnecessary rules. So the main rule I’m abiding by in this new Ledge series is that I’m going to ignore most of the obvious bands. Everybody knows I love Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, David Bowie, and other similar giants. And how would one just pick a single song by acts like these? So for the most part we’re going with artists that should be bigger. Artists that should be on every so-called “classic rock” playlsit. Of course, The Kinks are one of those kind of bands, but how can I ignore “I’m Not Like Everybody Else”? So it’s a part of tonight’s show dedicated to tracks primarily from the 60’s and 70’s. I’m excited to exhaust the folder of tunes […]

The Ledge #412: From The Archives

The Ledge #412: From The Archives

It used to be that part of the monthly new release episode included new “archive” albums, but there’s been so much great music put out in recent years that I’ve had to ignore these kinds of records.
But obviously that doesn&#821…

The Ledge #409: New Releases

The Ledge #409: New Releases

The first show of the new year is also the first Friday of the month, which obviously means it’s a new release episode. This month’s edition features previews of upcoming 2020 records along with quite a few releases that snuck out in the last few weeks of 2019. There’s also a handful of items I missed out on when they originally came out earlier in the year. It’s never too late to be added. This month’s edition is highlighted by the returns of some classic bands that haven’t issued new music in quite some time. The Hoodoo Gurus have their first single in a few years, The Zeros just released their first new tunes in over two decades, and the four original members of X have not put out new tracks since the mid-80’s! Beyond that, it’s a typical mix of brand new bands and returning vets. There’s a fabulous Rum Bar Records set. There’s power pop, punk, garage, and even an extended covers set. One track doesn’t fit the “new release” criteria, obviously, but I just couldn’t resist playing a track by the power pop band 20/20. If they have any smarts this is the year for this band […]

Live Ledge #406: Best Albums of 2019

Live Ledge #406: Best Albums of 2019

Once again we wrap up a great year in music with our annual countdown of the 40 best albums of 2019.

Live Ledge #403: Under Consideration Pt. 1

Live Ledge #403: Under Consideration Pt. 1

It’s that time of the year where my mind becomes overly-obsessed with my end of the year list of the best albums of the year. Seriously, I clearly have issues. But that’s what I do all day. Besides listening to my most recent acquisitions, I’m constantly searching for things I may have missed. I also begin a deep dive into my library. It’s inevitable that over the course of the year there are records that get buried for various reasons. It could be that it came out at the same time as something better. Or it just didn’t hit me as hard as it should have. Or it’s simply that I can at times be a space cadet. So that leads us to this week’s Live Ledge. I’ve gone through my library and selected a ton of records that I need to give a further listening. They all have the potential of making that final list which will be unveiled in mid-December. After a couple of hours I ended up with enough material for not one but two shows. So tune in next week for another two hours of the same type of material. This week I also set aside […]

Live Ledge #401: UK Punk Oct – Dec 1979 Plus More

Live Ledge #401: UK Punk Oct – Dec 1979 Plus More

Through the course 2019 there has been a series of shows devoted to looking back at the great music released 40 years ago. Tonight’s latest in that series documents the punk singles and albums released in the UK from October to December of that year. These tracks include veteran acts such as The Stranglers, The Damned, and others, along with early releases by The Vapors, Joy Division, Killing Joke and others. But the centerpiece of this anniversary special celebrates one of the greatest albums of all time. December 14, 1979 saw the release of The Clash’s third album, London Calling. There’s no denying it’s greatness from beginning to end. In fact, it’s my second favorite record of all time! Besides these fabulous UK tunes, the last half hour of the show jumps over the border to some 1979 highlights from Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France. Ok, maybe one of these selections isn’t technically from 1979 but I’ll take any opportunity to play “Teenage Kicks”. Tonight may end our look at the 1979 UK punk scene, but it’s not the end of our series of shows devoted to that great year. Next week’s show will feature tunes from all over […]

Live Ledge #398: Nick Lowe

Live Ledge #398: Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe has sort of quietly put together one of the best resumes in rock and roll history. He’s got tons of fantastic recordings, solo and with bands such as Brinsley Scwarz, Rockpile, and his recent collaborations with Los Straitjackets. He’s also one of the greatest producers of all times, helming some of the best albums or singles by the likes of Graham Parker & The Rumour, The Damned, Dr. Feelgood, Wreckless Eric, and, of course, Elvis Costello. Not to mention he was once married to Carlene Carter, which made him Johnny and June Carter Cash’s son-in-law! (Oh to be in the studio when Johnny recorded Nick’s “Without Love” accompanied by Elvis Costello, Dave Edmunds, and many others.) Inspired by the recent release of “Cruel To Be Kind: The Life and Music of Nick Lowe” by Will Birch, tonight’s show is a snapshot of just a few of those great moments. If you’re intersted at all in Lowe’s life, go buy this book. It’s informative and at times pretty hilarious. After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy!

Live Ledge #397: New Releases

Live Ledge #397: New Releases

Tonight’s new release show is the broadcast that was planned for last week. In fact, it’s the exact set of songs that were put together before the shocking news about Kim Shattuck caused me to quickly put together a tribute to the fabulous Muffs leader. So this month’s new release show includes a lengthy set of Americana-ish veterans (Charlie Parr, Pernice Brothers, The Figgs, Wilco), Suicide-esque atmospheric punks (Atom, Rocket 808), female rockers (Baby Shakes, Paranoyds, Sweet Knives), covers (Dirty Nil, The Pretty Flowers, Das Clamps), and lots of good ol’ rock and roll from new and veteran artists. I also talk a little bit about the great show I saw earlier this week. The Cowboys made a stop at Total Drag Records, and as I’m known to do at these types of shows I purchased their entire discography. Or at least what they had with them. Great band and a fun show. After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy!

Live Ledge #396: RIP Kim Shattuck

Live Ledge #396: RIP Kim Shattuck

When news came out this past Wednesday that Kim Shattuck had passed away after a two year battle with ALS it was immediately clear that the planned “new release” episode for this week needed to be postponed. Kim Shattuck has always been one of my favorites. She had the greatest scream in all of rock and roll, whether it was with The Pandoras, The Muffs, The Beards, or The Coolies. From all accounts she was also one of the good people in rock and roll. A badass for sure, but the nicest badass you could find. Tonight’s show celebrates her entire career, from early recordings as bassist in The Pandoras up to a track from a brand new Muffs album, No Holiday, that Omnivore is releasing in two weeks. There’s also segments dedicated to her work in The Beards and The Coolies, collaborations with other artists, covers of her favorites that she recorded, and a few Muffs songs covered by other artists. After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy!

Live Ledge #395: Dead Man’s Pop

Live Ledge #395: Dead Man’s Pop

I’m sure it’s to nobody’s surprise that the new Replacements box set, Dead Man’s Pop, is the featured release on tonight’s show. Obviously this would be the case no matter what the quality of the music on said box, but in this case a close look is definitely warranted. It’s everything a Replacements fan could desire. This week’s show features set focused on each of the four discs of the box. Disc one is the new mix of Don’t Tell a Soul, and it’s such a sonic upgrade. It actually sounds like a Replacements album after all the studio gimmicky that cluttered the initial album is given the heave ho. To contrast the original with the new versions, I’ve included snippets of the Don’t Tell a Soul versions before each track. I’ve also utilized Color Me Obsessed director Gorman Bechard’s full-length interview with producer (and new mixer) Matt Wallace to get even more in-depth in the what he and the band originally wanted with this record. But that’s not all. Other bands released box sets this week, and a few other records of “vault” material has seen its way to the stores. A little band from Liverpool is celebrating the […]

Live Ledge #394: New Releases

Live Ledge #394: New Releases

I’m here tonight to officially designate September of 2019 “Dead Man’s Pop” month. Even though the box set containing four discs of previously unreleased Replacements material won’t be out until the end of the month it’s certainly going to be the focus of my life. Unfortunately, not much has leaked out so far to air on the new release episode, but just today the live version of “Alex Chilton” showed up on various music sites. Yep, I’m ready for the whole package. But that’s only the first five minutes of this month’s collection of new tunes. There are tracks from longtime faves such as Matthew Ryan, The Hold Steady, Jesse Malin, Redd Kross and so much more. There’s the return of 80’s faves Dogmatics. There’s new bands such as Les Grys-Grys, The Gotham Rockets, and so many others. There’s something here for every fan of garage rock, power pop, or punk-influenced rock and roll! After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy!

Live Ledge #393: PW & Friends

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.

Live Ledge #392: Covers

Live Ledge #392: Covers

Not long after the last time I did a show of nothing but cover tunes, I started a folder just to collect these kinds of tracks as I discovered them. The plan was that as soon as I acquired enough it was time for a show of these types of tracks. Well, this is the week that the folder came close to overflowing, thanks to a couple of emails from two of my favorite labels, Slovenly Recordsings and Spaghetty Town Records. So tonight I present to you two hours of revved up tunes originally recorded by the likes of Tom Petty, The Clash, The Replacements, Material Issue, Pretenders, Rockpile, and so much more! After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! It’s that simple.

Live Ledge #391: Songs About The Ramones

Live Ledge #391: Songs About The Ramones

Earlier this week I noticed that over the last few weeks I’ve acquired a handful of brand new releases with songs about The Ramones. Knowing that I had quite a few more on my master library, this became the quest for the week. Then I discovered a site that in 2014 had compiled 400 different songs about this fabulous band. Ok, that filled a few holes in the playlist! This is obviously a fun show that takes a few surprising twists and turns. Who would have guessed that singer/songwriters such as Leeroy Stagger and Jesse Malin had songs about “da boys”? Or that a band like Latte+ has had such tributes on more than one record?

Live Ledge #390: RIP David Berman

Live Ledge #390: RIP David Berman

The bad news came just a few minutes before I was going to once again put the needle on the record. David Berman, former leader of Silver Jews who had just reemerged after ten years with the excellent Purple Mountains, had died. One of rock and roll’s most unique songwriters, it was an obvious decision to make the first half of tonight’s show a tribute to him. Thanks to Dan Nissen of Total Drag for a few song selections to help tell the story of this gifted artist. After that there’s an hour of some great recent used record finds, including old favorites by The Undertones, X, Old 97’s, and many others.

Live Ledge #388: From The Archives

Live Ledge #388: From The Archives

Despite what you may believe, archive releases come out throughout the year. It’s not just for the Christmas holidays or Record Store Days. During the year there are tons of compilations, live records, remasters, and other odds and ends. Tonight’s show collects a number of these. Acoustic versions of classic Graham Parker and Superchunk albums. A collection of acoustic covers recorded by Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz. Live albums by Johnny Thunders, Die Toten Hosen, Paul Kelly, and so much more. A riveting triple-disc compilation of Billy Childish’s 40 year careeer. All these and more! Listen and then please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! It’s that simple.  

The Last Backlog Dump Before We Get Our Shit Together!

The Last Backlog Dump Before We Get Our Shit Together!

Morning Show 4.2.19 Radio Show 4.2.19 Morning Show 4.23.19 Radio Show 4.23.19 Morning Show 4.30.19 Radio Show 4.30.19 Morning Show 5.7.19 Radio Show 5.7.19 Morning Show 5.21.19 Radio Show 5.21.19 Radio Show 5.28.19 Morning Show 6.3.19 Radio Show 6.3.19 Radio Show 6.18.19 Radio Show 6.25.19 Morning Show 7.2.19 Radio Show 7.2.19 That is everything we […]

Live Ledge #386: 2nd Quarter Report

Live Ledge #386: 2nd Quarter Report

As I’ve stated almost every week this week, this has been a fabulous year for new music. Tonight’s show is proof of that fact. It’s the last show of June, which means we’ve hit the halfway mark of the year. Tonight’s show is the “2nd Quarter Report”; a presentation of some of the great releases from April, May, and June.

Live Ledge #385: UK Punk Summer 1979

Live Ledge #385: UK Punk Summer 1979

A celebration of the punk the UK was listening to in the summer of 1979!

Live Ledge #383: New Releases Pt. 1

Live Ledge #383: New Releases Pt. 1

It’s a supersized episode of great new tunes, including releases from Rum Bar and Spaghetty Town Records. Part one of a two part series.  

Live Ledge #381: 1989

Live Ledge #381: 1989

No, this show is not about Taylor Swift. It’s the first part of a look at the final year of the 80’s. Was it as dismal as we’ve been led to believe?

Live Ledge #380: Tommy & Evan

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.

Live Ledge #378: New Releases

Live Ledge #378: New Releases

Another two hour sampling of some of the best new releases.

Live Ledge #377: Arbor Day

Live Ledge #377: Arbor Day

The perfect soundtrack for planting trees or other Arbor Day celebrations.

Live Ledge #376: 1984 American College Rock

Live Ledge #376: 1984 American College Rock

A look back at quite possibly the greatest year in independent college rock and roll.

Live Ledge #375: New Releases (Pt. 2)

Live Ledge #375: New Releases (Pt. 2)

A continuation of last week’s comprehensive look at recent releases that travels all over the world.

Live Ledge #374: New Releases (Pt. 1)

Live Ledge #374: New Releases (Pt. 1)

There’s so much great new music out there that this month’s new release episode has been expanded to two weeks. Part 1 is highlighted by a number of tracks from a great triple disc set designed to help pay off the medical bills of legendary rocker Sonny Vincent.

Live Ledge #373: First Quarter Report

Live Ledge #373: First Quarter Report

The first three months of 2019 has seen a ton of great new records. Tonight Scott Hudson plays tracks off those who have caught his ear.

Live Ledge #371: Partytime

Live Ledge #371: Partytime

Celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day weekend with these booze-oriented tracks.

Live Ledge #370: Boxes and Compilations

Live Ledge #370: Boxes and Compilations

Two hours of the best tracks from recent box sets and other sorts of compilations.

Live Ledge #369: New Releases

Live Ledge #369: New Releases

The first Friday of every month is devoted to new releases, and there’s a ton of great music to check out this month.

Live Ledge #368: Covers

Live Ledge #368: Covers

Scott’s folder of new cover songs was full so it’s time for a show of nothing but reworked songs.

Live Ledge #367:  New Releases

Live Ledge #367: New Releases

Two hours of great new music!

Live Ledge #365: British Punk January – May 1979

Live Ledge #365: British Punk January – May 1979

A look at British punk rock singles released in the first half of 1979.

Live Ledge #363: New Releases

Live Ledge #363: New Releases

The first show of 2019 is also the first new release episode of the year!

Live Ledge #360: New Releases/Rocking Christmas

Live Ledge #360: New Releases/Rocking Christmas

A continuation of last week’s new release episode, plus an hour of new rock and roll Christmas songs!  

Live Ledge #359: RIP Pete Shelley/New Releases

Live Ledge #359: RIP Pete Shelley/New Releases

Tonight’s supersized show features a tribute to the late, great Pete Shelley, along with tons of new releases.

Live Ledge #357: Europe 1978

Live Ledge #357: Europe 1978

The final chapter in the 1978 series focuses on mainland Europe.

Live Ledge #356: 1968

Live Ledge #356: 1968

An extended episode taking a look at some of the classic music celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Live Ledge #353: Halloween

Live Ledge #353: Halloween

It’s the annual Live Ledge Halloween rock and roll party!

Live Ledge #352: Covers

Live Ledge #352: Covers

Emptying the folder, so to speak, of cover tunes collected over the last few months.

Live Ledge #349: 2013

Live Ledge #349: 2013

It’s not the usual nostalgic look at the past as we only go back five years on this episode, but there was so much great rock and roll that year.

Live Ledge #348: Odds and Ends

Live Ledge #348: Odds and Ends

What has Scott been listening to lately? Tune into this episode to find out!

Live Ledge #347: New Releases

Live Ledge #347: New Releases

The first Friday of every month is devoted to nothing but new releases, and this month is no different!

Live Ledge #346: Food

Live Ledge #346: Food

Obviously, we all need food, and you now need to hear this collection of songs about food.

Live Ledge #345: More 1978 UK

Live Ledge #345: More 1978 UK

Continuing the series of shows looking at the great music of 1978, tonight’s episode focuses on more UK tracks from the year.

Live Ledge #344: The Revolution Starts Now

A look at political themes throughout the history of rock and roll.

Live Ledge #340: New Releases

Live Ledge #340: New Releases

Scott Hudson once again takes a look at the best new releases of the last few weeks.

Live Ledge #339: Best of 2018 (So Far)

Live Ledge #339: Best of 2018 (So Far)

A look at the state of music at the halfway mark of 2018.

Live Ledge #337: Hot Fun In the Summertime

Live Ledge #337: Hot Fun In the Summertime

Let’s celebrate summer with a Live Ledge beach party!

Live Ledge #335: New Releases

Live Ledge #335: New Releases

The first Friday of every month is always devoted to new releases, and this supersized June 1 edition is no different!

Live Ledge #316: Drunk on Sunday

Live Ledge #316: Drunk on Sunday

The final show of 2017 compiles drinking tunes perfect for New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Live Ledge #271: 1977

Live Ledge #271: 1977

It’s the first of two episodes that looks back 40 years to the magic year of 1977!

Live Ledge #260: Number Nine

Live Ledge #260: Number Nine

Like a few previous shows, this one is dedicated to an individual track of an album. In this case, it’s “number nine”.

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