RNRM759
A debut from Vivienne Page and happy birthday, Ian Astbury!
The Ledge #665: New Releases Pt. 1
Once again, The Ledge new release series travels the globe for the latest in quality rock and roll. From Rapid City, SD (Friends of Cesar Romero) to Sydney, Australia (Game Set Match), with various stops all over the US and Europe. There’s solo …
RNRM754
New stuff from Ravagers and Professional Againsters.
RNRM751
Some tracks from the upcoming Rum Bar Records compilation, “Swagger: Second Shot,” plus some requests. Thanks to the Fantastic Four (Flyin’, Manny, Ryan and Sara) for the musical support.
RNRM750: Oh, Canada!
Music from our friends up north. Thanks to Fly, Manny, Ryan and Sara for their inspiration and help with this one.
RNRM746
New stuff from the States and Real Sickies, plus a digital giveaway of the new Prostitutes LP!
RNRM745: NOT Valentine’s Day
The annual Not Valentine’s Day episode.
RNRM742
More of the January Blues.
RNRM741: The Fucking List
It’s the Fucking List!
RNRM740
The first show of 2025 kicks off with some classics and a few new tracks.
RNRM737
I did a thing. Here it is.
RNRM736
Another new Miscalculations single! What more do you need?
RNRM735
A world premiere from Miscalculations!?!?!?!
RNRM734
A sneak peek at the upcoming Prostitutes LP on Sahlugg Records and a roller coaster ride of music styles.
RNRM733
A debut from Cherry Shakes, new Peacocks and more.
RNRM732
From angry political punk rock and hardcore to power pop and new releases from Street Sweeper and Manchild, plus a chance to win the new Mesa Lanes LP, “Chainsaw Lullabies,” and more.
RNRM730
RIP Paul Di’Anno, new Intrusive Thoughts, Hotter Than Hell turns 50 and more.
RNRM724
New stuff from the Peawees, Crime Line, the Okmoniks, the BellRays and much more.
RNRM722
New stuff from Crime Line and Guerrilla Teens!
RNRM721
Rockin’ out as always.
The Ledge #632: More From The Hudson Compound
Last week’s look at my personal home plays was so much that I carried it on this week. Once again, there were almost 60 years of rock and roll represented, from The Troggs and Small Faces to my favorite record of 2023, Scratch ‘N̵…
RNRM720
New stuff from the Scoffs and Reckless Rhythms.
RNRM719
The Howlin’ Hot Dog returns!
RNRM712 (Sort of)
Had some issues tonight. Still found a way to include all the songs for you folks. More rock less talk.
RNRM711
Classic punk, Juneteenth and much more.
RNRM705
A tribute to the late Gary Floyd and much more.
RNRM704
Celebrating workers on May Day and talking about the very real threat of fascism.
RNRM703
New stuff from Killer Kin, Digital Malaria and Trenchkoat.
RNRM702
New stuff from the Reflectors and tons of killer punk, R&B, Rock & Roll and more.
RNRM701
Episode 701 went an hour long. My website and RSS feed is back! Did you get all the back episodes?
RNRM698
Some classics, some debuts from Total Massacre and more.
RNRM694
New stuff from the Hamiltones and much more! Long show.
RNRM693: NOT Valentine’s Day
The continuing saga of NOT Valentine’s Day episodes.
The Ledge #606: New Releases Pt. 2
This may be the second part of this month’s new release series, but there is no letdown in quality. Once again, there’s an intriguing mix of styles, ages, and even home locations. There are brand new acclaimed artists such as Liquid Mike and Sprints. There’s the returns of veterans such as Paul Collins Beat, J. Robbins, and Sham 69. There’s also the usual trademark of quality from our friends at Slovenly Records and Rum Bar Records. Most intriguing to me, is the story behind “Get the Experience” by The Ex-Bombers. Band members Keri Cousins and Scott Walus are “rasslin’” fans, just as I am. Many of their late night drives after gigs have found them listening to legendary wrestling manager Jim Cornette’s podcast, Jim Cornette Experience. Hearing that he was looking for a new theme song, the band quickly put together “Get the Experience”, and just this week they were informed that the song is now the official theme song of the show! Thanks to the band for not only sending me a copy of the song to air, but including a little interview segment telling the story. And once again, even thought the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” series […]
The Ledge #604: Odds & Ends Again
The “odds and ends” series is an opportunity for me to mix all kinds of material. This week’s version mixes a bunch of new releases with a ton of material I’ve been playing around the house in recent weeks. There’s also a…
RNRM691
Brand new Total fucking Massacre!
RNRM690
Request shows never disappoint, at least not for me. I always learn something cool. Thanks again to all the folks who requested songs, you know who you are.
RNRM688
Goodbye to another year.
The Ledge #599: Annual Christmas Extravaganza!
Every year I spend the last few weeks of the year searching for new holiday songs for The Ledge’s annual Chirstmas special. Inevitably, every year I find more than enough songs to fill over two hours of broadcast time. This is the perfect soundt…
The Ledge #597: More Replacements Tributes
Two weeks ago, I put together a show centered around seven different tribute records celebrating The Replacements. A couple of days after that episode was released I was contacted by a fan who noted that I had missed a couple of these sorts of records. After a bit of scrambing, I discovered that indeed I forgot all about some great fan-based compilatons. Yes, that’s the beauty of tonight’s selections. These three records were unofficial collections of musicians that had come together via online fan boards. The first such set, Cover Me Impressed – Alt.Music.Replacements Tribute, is pretty self-explanatory collection of tunes compiled by a popular usenet group in 2002. The other two tributes, Bring Your Own Lampshade (2005) and Dead Man Fake: Bring Your Own Lampshade 2 (2009), came together through contributors on the wonderful Man Without Ties message board, and include both solo and band tracks written by Paul Westerberg. Highlighting both of those compilatons are tracks by our old friend Jeremy Porter. Besides a handful of recently acquired tunes, the rest of tonight’s show features tracks from two fabulous new Cherry Red Records box sets, Looking For The Magic: American Power Pop In The Seventies and Into Tomorrow: The Spirit Of Mod 1983-2000. Cherry Red always […]
Tommy Unit LIVE!! #594
December 6th, 2023. Tommy Unit LIVE!! #594 – TONIGHT…..Dion Lunadon stops by to promote his new rekkid and NYC release show at TV Eye! We go LIVE!! every Wednesday night at 10pm ET/7:00pm PT on REAL PUNK RADIO – Radio Done Right! https://realpunkradio.com/podcast/tommyunitlive/tommyunitlive594.mp3 Dion Lunadon – Diamond Sea Motorbike – Throttle Motorbike – Off I … Continue reading Tommy Unit LIVE!! #594
RNRM683
The usual helping of ass-kicking tracks, plus an extra long show.
RNRM681
Brand new Manikins, requests and more. Extra long show!
Tommy Unit LIVE!! #593
November 8th, 2023. Tommy Unit LIVE!! #593 – TONIGHT…..TONS of two-fers! New Los Pepes, Smooch, The Why Oh Whys, Gina Volpe, and even a three-fer of the new Dwarves!!! We go LIVE!! every Wednesday night at 10pm ET/7:00pm PT on REAL PUNK RADIO – Radio Done Right! https://realpunkradio.com/podcast/tommyunitlive/tommyunitlive593.mp3 The Hellacopters – American Ruse The Dwarves … Continue reading Tommy Unit LIVE!! #593
The Ledge #590: S.W. Lauden Takeover!
A few days ago, power pop expert S.W. Lauden reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in helping promote his new book, Remember The Lightning – A Guitar Pop Journal, Vol. 2. Duh, of course as a big fan of Lauden’s writing I was honored at the request. But I had a better idea. I asked him if he’d like to take over the show for a couple of sets. So tonight’s episode includes eight tunes from bands covered in this fabulous book, along with Lauden’s commentary.But obviously that’s not tonight’s entire show, and honestly I had to do a quick change after news came out earlier this week that power pop legend Dwight Twilley had passed away. A big fan of is first hit, “I’m On Fire”, along with his comeback albums of the early 80s, I quickly put together some originals and covers to help tell the story of a man who deserved a better fate in the record business.It’s also story time on this week’s Ledge, as I recently attended the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not only was I honored to be a part of the induction of the publication I […]
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!
