The Ledge #583: New Releases
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 […]
The Ledge #582: Big Stir Records
Earlier this week I was surprised to get a pretty large dropbox link from my friends at Big Stir Records. Taking a look at the contents, I noticed that there was not only a sampler compilation of many of their current artists, but there were almost two dozen station IDs recorded by those artists specifically for my show. To say I was pleased would be an understatement. I was seriously touched, even though I knew they were having their artists record these for stations all over the world. But for my little show? I had to show my appreciation, so tonight’s episode is (almost) all Big Stir artists. Besides a track or two from each of the artists who recorded a little something for me, there’s an extra hour of some of my favorite tunes from the label. If you’re not familiar with Big Stir, they are a Burbank, Clifornia label founded by two of the most lovely people in the music business, Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome of The Armoires (one of the artists featured in tonight’s show). Over the years they have released more than 70 albums on vinyl and CD, and they specialize in melodic power pop. […]
RNRM667: Grazza
Celebrating the life of Graham “Grazza” Bowditch through music.
The Ledge #576: New Releases
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…
RNRM662
Pulled out some bands from the archives, plus new stuff from the Oxys, Guerrilla Teens, Pat Todd and the Rankoutsiders and JJ & the Real Jerks.
The Ledge #569: Jeremy Porter’s Teenage Kicks
When I conceived the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” project late last year one of the first things I did was to contact artists that I considered friends of the show. I’ve been blessed over the years to have some wonderful musicians regularly send me their latest projects. One of those friends was Jeremy Porter, leader of Jeremy Porter & The Tucos. For almost the entire time I’ve been producing The Ledge, Porter has provided me with fabulous music, and has also introduced my show to many of his fellow musician friends. It was honestly no surprise when Porter responded that he was indeed interested in contributing a version of “Teenage Kicks”, but I was blown away by his overall plans with the tune. Tonight’s episode is the world premiere of his cover, which will be officially released next Friday (5/26) on his bandcamp page. While the track will be a “name your price”, proceeds from those who do the right thing and pay for the track will go to the Detroit-based charity, Hater Kitty Army, led by Sue Summers. “Hater Kitty Rescue Army is a neighborhood cat haven on Detroit’s Eastside,” Summers explains. “We have been serving abandoned cats for the past […]
Tommy Unit LIVE!! #577 – All New Zealand Punk Rock!
April 26th, 2023. Tommy Unit LIVE!! #577 – TONIGHT…..Sir Dion Lunadon stopped by the studio to talk about his upcoming tour and to drop a whole lotta New Zealand punk rock into your ear holes! Even turned me on to some bands I hadn’t heard before! I guess you can teach an old dog new … Continue reading Tommy Unit LIVE!! #577 – All New Zealand Punk Rock!
The Ledge #562: First Quarter Report
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 […]
The Ledge #561: More Home Plays
Just like last week, this episode is primarily based around what I’ve been listening to in the Ledge home base over the last few days. Some of it is brand new material. Much of it has been old faves that span almost 60 years of great rock and roll. Overall, though, this show is primarily a showcase for old and new power pop. In the new category, there are fabulous new tracks by The Whiffs, Sharp Pins, Uni Boys, and The Trouble Seekers, along with “excavated” recordings by The Bings and Popsicko. As for old faves, it’s a history lesson of sorts. There’s The Monkees and The Kinks from the 60s. The Jam, The Flamin’ Groovies, Nick Lowe, Graham Parker, and The Rubinoos from the 70s. The 80s are represented by the likes of The Barracudas, Dwight Twilley, The Bongos, and Camper Van Beethoven. Maybe the 90s aren’t as highly represented, but there is “Tayter Country” by The Cavedogs, quite possibly my favorite song of 1980. As for the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, this week’s version comes from The Mahones, the legendary Canadian/Irish punk band that always features a quality cover or two on each of their albums. Their […]
The Ledge #557: 1998
It’s always shocking when you stumble upon tweets or articles noting the anniversary of beloved albums. You can’t help but wonder how something that seems like it came out yesterday is actually…well, old! That’s the case with tonight’s show. Every single song you hear is 25 years old. It’s just insane to me that some of my favorite Americana (Son Volt, Golden Smog, Drive-By Truckers), power pop (Sloan, Tommy Keene, Nada Surf), singer/songwriter (Elliott Smith, Silver Jews), and punk (Fugazi, Screeching Weasel, Bad Religion) records have hit this milestone. It just doesn’t feel like nostalgia As for the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” entry, I’ve got a fabulous rarity. 1998 saw the release of Scandal Controvery and Romance, the classic debut record by The Prissteens. To celebrate the 45th birthday of their A&R rep, Howard Thompson, the pressed up 45 copies of a tribute song called “Oh Howard!”. The b-side of this single was their Undertones cover that featured a few lyrical changes and retitled “Teenage Dicks”. (Both of these tracks were eventually reissued on 2020’s The Hound collection of rarities and demos.) Once again, I’m always actively looking for new covers of “Teenage Kicks”. Please don’t hesitate to create your own personal […]
The Ledge #556: More Miscellany
This week’s show is once again a mix of old and new. There’s quite a few brand new releases highlighted, accompanied by quite a few records that I’ve found myself playing in my free time. Which leads me to a question to my lovely listeners. For as long as I’ve done the show, the presence of “themes” has been a constant. Honestly, that’s how my brain works best for picking music. It gives me a reason to air a tune. Even the monthly new release episode is basically a theme that’s just like shows based on certain years or terms. Lately, I have sort of abandoned the theme and played these kinds of old/new mixes. Part of this is that due to the fact that I now report a top ten playlist every week to the Radio Indie Alliance. I know I can submit any ten tracks I play but I’ve been paying even more attention to new music than usual. So this is what I want to find out from you guys. Do you like these freeform type of broadcasts or should I revert back to having a weekly theme? The themes aren’t going away entirely, no matter what […]
The Ledge #548: Annual Rock and Roll Christmas Party!
The annual Ledge holiday special is probably the easiest show of the year to put together…but not for the reasons you probably assume. Yes, it would be a breeze to just cull tracks from the same favorite Christmas albums year after year. Nobody would even notice if I ever repeated a song or two. But I’m thrilled that year after year there is a plethora of new holiday tunes to check out. More and more artists put out Christmas albums. More and more labels put out new compilations. And, most importantly, more and more artists are using their bandcamp pages to put out surprise individual tracks that are quite often free! So this year’s show is, with a handful of exceptions, brand new tunes! If you enjoy great punk, indie, Americana, and power pop there should be something here for you. There’s also no silly novelty songs (well, maybe one). There’s no maudlin weepers. Musically, each and every song would fit at home on a “normal” episode of The Ledge. So crank this at your family gathering! I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artists deserve […]
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 #543: Power Pop, Pt. 1 (The Past)
On a fairly regular basis I’m asked what type of music I most enjoy. It’s a pretty tough question to answer, to be honest. The standard answer I hear in return is “I love all kinds of music”, which to me is code for “I only like what’s popular”. Sorry, but having a playlist on Spotify that includes both Drake, Meghan Trainor, and Luke Bryan isn’t the proof of versatility most of these poeple believe it is. So what is the genre or sub-genre that is closest to my heart? “Punk” is a little too confining, and honestly there is a lot of shitty music under that moniker. “Alternative” doesn’t mean the same today as it did 30 years ago since maintstream rock radio has co-opted it. “Garage rock” is indeed getting closer but still doesn’t feel right. I think deep in my heart the term power pop, or at least my version of the term, best describes my music taste. I was, after all, born the day The Beatles recorded their first single, and the first two rock and roll albums I owned just out of my toddler phase was the first Monkees record and the A Hard Day’s Night soundtrack. My […]
RNRM629
New stuff from the Black Halos, the SUCK, Brad Marino, Newtown Neurotics, Erratix, Fear Gods., OC Rippers, Death Dumplings, the Oxys and more.
RNRM625
New stuff from the Black Halos, Critical Response, Vicious Blonde, the Rumperts, Guerrilla Teens and more.
RNRM624
Brand new Some Hearts, La Rabbia, Todd Killings and the Contracts, Short Fuses, the Suck, and More Kicks.
RNRM618
New stuff from the Chats, the Speedways, the Trouble Seekers and Evil Dick Industries and much more!
RNRM614
New stuff from Thee Saturday Knights, Brandy and the Butcher, Ex Parents, Smash the Granny, Tenement Rats, Mala Vista, Suzi Moon and more.
RNRM612
This is really the Howlin’ Hot Dog’s episode but I also had a debut from the Newtown Neurotics!!
RNRM605
The debut of Oi!L Change’s, “Unfinished,” from their upcoming album of the same name. Hear it here first!
RNRM603
New stuff from Torpedohead, the Dreanoughts, Fear the Lions, Brad Marino, Mesa Lanes and more.
RNRM601
Lots of new stuff from the likes of Baabes, Jonesy, Sweet Things, Killer Hearts, the Short Fuses, the Drowns, Nob Hill Mariners and more.
RNRM598
The debut of the Sonny Vincent track from RNRM 7″ Series Vol II, plus the pre-order is live and more!
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 […]
RNRM593
New stuff from Suede Razors, Low Rats, New Rocket Union, Fret Rattles, the Trouble Seekers, Violent Streaks, WODS, Dr. Gulag, Da Groins, Cyanide Pills and more.
RNRM584
Manifesto Award Nominees back to back. Who gets your vote?
RNRM584
Manifesto Award™ Nominees back to back. Who gets your vote? See the full list by clicking on the Manifesto Awards™ link above. Awards show is January 12th!
RNRM579
A tribute to Hank Von Hell, new Kevin Patrick Stevenson mixes, new Beaumonts, new Stolen Wheelchairs and more.
RNRM577
New stuff from Poison Boys, Bitch Queens, Ten-o-Sevens, Bad Secret, Dayglo Abortions, Lorrainas, Gutter Demons, the Monsters, Anger Boys and more.
RNRM574
New stuff from the Prostitutes, Dirty Flix, Mystery Girl, the Monsters, the Lorrainas, Cutthroat Brothers, Urban Voodoo Machine and more.
RMRN573
A mashup, a new Manifesto theme, more Halloween tunes, new stuff from Lorrainas and the Beatersband, the Muslims and more.
RNRM572
New stuff from the Muslims, Reflectors, Dirty Flix, Me-Thinks, Illegal Leather, Bitch Queens, Urban Voodoo Machine and lots more!
RNRM571
New stuff from the Me-Thinks, Dirty Flix, Die Fast and some tracks from the new Religious Records compilation and more.
The Ledge #485: New Releases (Pt. 2)
Part two of this month’s new release series carries on from the excellence of last week’s first show. There are great tribute records to John Prine and The Ramones, along with some other fabulous covers of the Flamin’ Groovies, T. Rex…
RNRM561: El Flyin’
El Flyin’ joined me in the studio tonight for a very special episode of the Manifesto.
RNRM556
Record store finds, In Covid We Trust Swiss punk and garage comp tracks, new stuff from the Scoffs, the Dinz, RMBLR, Killer Hearts, Cutthroat Brothers, Zuletzt, Illegal Leather and more.
RNRM555
Tune in for new stuff from Chubby and the Gang, Killer Hearts, Bridge City Sinners, the Gung Ho Rats, the Judex, Mel Machete and Real Sickies plus much more!
RNRM522
New stuff from Comino, Pogy et les Kefars, Irmans, KGB’s, Atomic Eater, Mononegatives, X-Intruder, the Owen Guns, Idolizers and more.
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 #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 […]
GRPM1
The inaugural episode of Guerrilla RPM! I want to thank everyone who tuned in live tonight and fed me requests to build off of. That’s what is going to make this show so fun, the interaction with the listeners in … Continue reading →
RNRM543
New stuff from Infamous Stiffs, the Suck, HITS, Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders, Headcheese and more.
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 […]
RNRM541
New stuff from Poison Boys, BBQT, the SUCK, Dead Meat, Lawmaker, Creem Circus, Foxycontin and lots more.
