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 […]
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 […]
The Ledge #592: New Releases (Pt. 1)
Once again, there’s so much great music being released each and every week that this month’s new release show is a two-part extravaganza! Part one is admittedly heavy on the power pop – Uni Boys, The Speedways, The Len Price 3, and m…
The Ledge #588: New Releases (Pt. 1)
Once again, the music gods have put out so much great music these last few weeks that this month’s new release show has to be split into two episodes! This week includes glorious returns from Lydia Loveless, The Exbats, Martin Zellar, Jim Jones All Stars, and many more. But we also have a wonderful, heartfelt tribute to the late Justine Covault. “Sister In Crime” by Jay Allen and The Archcriminals takes a look back at a fabulous artist and label owner who tragically passed away earlier this summer. “This song is dedicated to the memory and written for one of my dearest and closest friends of the last 40 years, Justine Covault”, Allen said in a statement. “She was an amazing woman, who meant a lot to so many people and we lost her way too soon. For me she was more than a friend, she was my most ardent supporter, not just in music, but in life, bandmate, roommate, and for the last 7 plus years my co-host along with Tom Baker in our monthly residency, The Mess-Around. Her impact on our little Rock ‘n’ Roll village here in Boston is immeasurable. Not just as an artist with her […]
The Ledge #572: New & Old
This week’s show was all set when some tragic news changed a good portion of the broadcast. Yes, there was still the mix of old and new tunes that had been originally planned. But I could not help but make room for a couple of remembrances of fabulous artists who had passed away in recent days. The first death was Jack Lee, who got his start in The Nerves, a band that also featured Paul Collins and Peter Case. A song he wrote for that band, “Hanging on the Telephone”, was later made famous, and he also wrote hits for Paul Young (“Come Back and Stay”) and Suzi Quatro (“You Are My Lover”). He passed away on May 26 of colon cancer. The other tragic passing hits hard. Throughout the past few years, Justine Covault’s music has been a regular feature of The Ledge. I first became aware of her with her Rum Bar Records releases as Justine and the Unclean and Justine’s Black Threads. She then moved on and started Red On Red Records, a lable that regularly put out some fabulous Boston-based rock and roll. Earler today, her daughter, Haley, announced on Facebook that Covault had passed away, […]
The Ledge #544: Power Pop, Pt. 2 (The Present)
Last week’s show featured classic power pop tracks from the past. This week, we take a look a the current state of the genre with 40 tracks of fabulous guitar-driven pop music. In fact, the vast majority of these tracks are from 2022, with a handful of tunes from 2021 and 2020. The oldest song of the bunch dates back to 2014, and that tune from The Cry! was selected to be paired with the brand new single by lead singer Tommy Ray. It should be to nobody’s surprise that a good portion of the show compiles highlights from Big Stir Records as they are the without a doubt the gold standard of new music of this type. Author S. W. Lauden’s influence also extends beyond the books he compiled with co-author Paul Myers. Not only does he appear on a couple of the Big Stir tunes broadcast in this episode, his suggestions resulted in quite possibly the most exciting set of the show. 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 […]
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 #488: New Releases
This is the type of new release show that should appeal to all veteran Ledge listeners. New music by Lydia Loveless! A Stones cover by Brad Marino. A set of nothing but great power pop from Big Stir Records. Always great tunes from Rum Bar Records. Wil…
The Ledge #486: Odds and Ends
The “odds and ends” format seems to have worked the last few times I’ve done it, so why not do another show of this type? For those new to The Ledge, the show consists of material I’ve been listening to in my home over the last few days. Some selections are faves from a few years ago that I haen’t pulled out in a while (Sarah Shook, Lydia Loveless). Others are recent purchases that don’t quite fit the new release shows (live Bob Mould, Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows). Add to that my recent fascination over everything involving Ncio, thanks to the new book, You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone by Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, and you get a handful of tracks featuring her beautiful, haunted vocals. Of course, news of a new box set including previously unreleased tracks by The Replacements takes priority over everything. This October, a 40th anniversary reissue of their first album, Sorry Ma Forgot to Take Out the Trash will hit the stores, and features 100 tracks, 67 of them previously unreleased. Expect to hear a lot from this in the next few months! I would love it if every listener bought at least one […]
The Ledge #478: Covers
The decision to do an all-covers show was decided sometime on Wednesday when my good friends High On Stress announced that they would be releasing a Tommy Keene cover on Friday. This was shortly followed by emails containing new cover tracks by Kid Gulliver and The Dirty Denims. Always having a folder full of such tracks ready for air, it was an easy decision that this was the week to do such a show. I also had an intriguing idea to put a new spin on such a show. Searching through my archives, I discovered that I had enough Replacements covers to recreate side one of the “Pleased To Meet Me” album. Although my broadcast program decided to suddenly play two tracks out of order, all of the songs from that group of tracks did make the air. There are also country-tinged coves of old alt-rock tracks by a fabulous British band called Independent Country (including a great ‘mats remake), Richard Thompson and Dead Moon tributes by Country Westerns, Brad Marino doing a lovely Ramones’ track, and many, many other similarly fantastic tunes. I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of […]
The Ledge #474: New Releases (Pt. 1)
I’m back! Yes, I had to take last week off due to some behind the scenes server issues that are too complicated to go into here. That means that this month’s new release episode is NOT the first Friday of the month…which is a fact tha…
The Ledge #473: This and That
A few weeks ago, I experimented with a show that didn’t really have a theme. It consisted of nothing but songs and/or albums I had been listening to around the house. Apparently plenty of listeners enjoyed this show, as I received a number of encouraging messages, so I guess it’s now sort of a “non-theme” that I’m going to try to do at least once a month. So that’s what you’re experiencing on this week’s show. These are all records I’ve been playing around the house the last couple of weeks. Included are excerpts from two giant box sets of important works by John Lennon and The Who that came out just last week. There’s an attempt to prove a theory that Gang of Four influenced Credit In Heaven, the third album of the Suburbs. There’s a few records I pulled out of the archives for the first time in years, along with some great new finds at the used store. And there’s also a set of two great new releases that came out today! Brad Marino’s latest, Looking For Trouble, is every bit as great as expected, and fellow Rum Bar Records artist The Nuclears put out a smoking […]
The Ledge #467: Rum Bar Records
Loyalty is an important word in my life. I try to be as loyal as possible to not only friends and family, but also the bands that I love. I’m even loyal to certain record labels. In the 80’s it was Twin/Tone and SST. Merge and a few others fit that category in the 90’s, and I’ve got a handful of current labels these days whose artists I will always check out. One of those is Rum Bar Records. No label has been more loyal to what I do with The Ledge than Rum Bar Records. Head honcho “Malibu” Lou Mansdorf has not only kept me in the loop with his constantly growing stable of releases, but he also routinely tosses a care package of physical releases to my mailbox. It’s because of people like Lou that this show has continued to prosper for over a decade. But it also turns out that loyalty is an important word to Mansdorf, as proven by the testimonials from his artists that pop up throughout this marathon all-Rum Bar broadcast. Most have been his friends for decades, but even recent signing have nothing but glowing words for him. Tonight’s show features tracks from the entire […]
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 #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 #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 #447: Covers
On one of my laptops I have a folder where I toss in any cover versions that I think could possibly include in a Ledge episode. Once that folder has a sufficient number of songs I know it’s time to do a covers show.
This is that time. The folder …
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 #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 #379: Garage Pop Power Rock
A great set of power pop and garage rock, including a lengthy set of new Rumbar Records releases.
