The Ledge #609: New Releases Pt. 1
Once again, the monthly new release show has to be expanded into a two-part extravaganza. 2023 is seriously shaping up to be a wonderful year for new music, as evidence not only by tonight’s show but all of our new release broadcasts so far this year. As always, we have some tracks by “friends” of the show (Rob Moss, Dave Strong, Robbie Quine, Friends of Cesar Romero and others), some longtime faves (The Hillbilly Moon Explosion, Laura Jane Grace, Keith Richards, etc.) and quite a few relative newcomers (Shadow Show, Mala Vista, Faz Waltz, and so much more). But this episode also includes a couple of tunes by a record that could quite possibly end up being my favorite record of the year, the self-titled debut album by The Sleeveens on Dirtnap Records. This is the dirty garage/punk record I’ve been crdaving for quite some time, and I hope you folks all love it as much as I do. And once again I have a late entry to the “Teenage Kicks” cover series, thanks to a fellow DJ who sent me a version set to be released in April by Canadian Music Hall of Famer Lee Aaron. The Undertones tune […]
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 #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. […]
The Ledge #575: Second Quarter Report
With tonight’s show being the last broadcast of June, and especially as it is also the last day of the month, it’s pretty clear that it needed to be a second quarter recap. There’s over two hours of great music that has come out in the last three months, similar to the first quarter recap show of March 31. The material ranges from the fantastic power pop of Paint Fumes and Jagger Holly to veteran rockers such as Ian Hunter and The Waco Brothers. There’s some rootsy rock and roll from Tommy Stinson, Deer Tick and The Baseball Project. The music comes from not only the usual US, UK, and Canadian artists but also from Australia, Austria, France, and Germany. As for this week’s “52 weeks of Teenage Kicks” series, I have a very special cover by German punkers Die Toten Hosen. Way back in the early 90s they had a fantastic covers record called Learning English, Lesson One, where they invited members of the original bands to assist them with their remakes. 2017 saw the relese of Learning English, Lesson Two that continued that format. For their version of “Teenage Kicks”, they featured original Undertones guitarist Damian O’Neill! I […]
The Ledge #528: New Releases (Pt. 2)
After last week’s special Record Store Day edition of the monthly “new release” show, we’re back this week with the more traditional type of broadcast devoted to brand new tunes. And, like usual, we’re all over the place when it comes to genres. There’s some great power pop. There’s a little bit of punk. A tad here and there of garage rock. And, yes, there’s some Americana. But it’s not just the varied genres of the show. It’s the fact that this music comes from all over the world. From Australia to Germany to Canada to even my little city of Sioux Falls, SD. Yes, the first set of the show is devoted to a trio of great local bands – The Rose Quarter, Thought Patrol, and Off Contact – all of whom have wonderful records that are eithier already out or about to be released. As for the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I have a cover that’s almost 40 years old but is still technically a new release. The version by Dawn Chorus & The Blue Tits initially came out on Stiff Records in 1985, but it has also now been included in a brand new collection of […]
The Ledge #559: New Releases (Pt. 2)
The second part of this month’s new release series sees no drop off from last week’s extravaganza. In fact, it makes the case that 2023 is shaping up to be yet another great year of music. There are long-awaited returns by The Reverend Hor…
The Ledge #558: New Release (Pt. 1)
Once again, there is so much great new music coming out that this month’s new release show is forced to be split into two separate episodes. Tonight’s first part not only features the usual great tunes from labels such as Rum Bar Records and Big Stir Records, but is highlighted by an extended set from a record that will undoubtedly end up towards the top of my best records list at the end of the year. That record is the latest by The Whiffs, Scrach ‘n’ Sniff. Simply put, this is everything that I love about power pop. The pop hooks are certainly there, but it’s the “power” portion of their sound that sets them apart from almost everyboyd else in that subgenre. They aren’t just a power pop band. They’re a solid rock and roll band. I hope you love them as much as I do. I’m also pleased to have a set of local music this month. Yes, Sioux Falls, South Dakota does have a music scene, and tonight’s show features new music by Winter Hell, Thought Patrol, and Merry Martial. Please check out their bandcamp sites! And, of course, there’s also this week’s edition of “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”. I have a great […]
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 #555: This And That
Once again we have a show devoted primarily to material I’ve been listening to around the house. Honestly, since it was announced that Television’s Tom Verlaine had passed away on January 28, 2023, I have wanted to do a little tribute to him on The Ledge. So tonight you can hear a handful of his classic Television and solo tunes. RIP. There’s also a wide variety of tunes that comprise almost 60 years of rock and roll. There’s a handful of garage rock classics from the acclaimed Pebbles series. There’s a track from one of Robert Gordon’s collaborations with guitarist Link Wray. There’s also a sort of tribute to Burt Bachrach in the form of a Stranglers cover that somehow caught my ear a day or so before the announcement of his death. And there’s also a couple of sets of new tunes, primarily songs that were cut from last week’s new release episode, along with more cuts from recent Rum Bar Records releases. I’ve also premiered the newly reissued single from Popsicko on Big Stir Records, which was officially released today. (Look for a full album later this spring). Don’t think that I’ve forgotten about my yearlong sub-theme, “52 […]
The Ledge #554: New Releases
Everybody knows the drill by now. The first Friday of the month means it’s new release night at The Ledge headquarters (aka my bedroom). Somewhat weirdly, though, is that this February episode is technically the first new release show of the year. But that’s due to the Teenage Kicks subtheme necessitating a December 30 airing of the January new release show. Make sense? Speaking of “Teenage Kicks”, I’m so happy that this week’s submission is by Sixgun Republic leader Christopher Chancey! He’s got sort of a rockabilly vibe going through his little version, and I love the use of a piano! Chancey also submitted an old cover of “Sonic Reducer” his band put out back in 2007. Thanks Christopher!!! Do you have a version of this seminal tune to submit? Do you have a little bit of time you can set aside to record a track to air? Please submit it to me! I’m so blown away by the reaction to “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”! A few bands have already promised to forward a submission in the near future, but the more versions the better! If you have any questions, please contact me at paulisded@gmail.com For more information, including […]
The Ledge #553: Miscellany
Every now and then it’s nice to have a show without any real theme, and that’s what we have tonight. Instead, it’s really just a collection of records I’ve been listening to over the last few weeks, and interesting collection of various genres that represent over 50 years of great rock and roll. There’s a handful of recent releases side by side with all time classics. There are veteran bands that are brand new to me, and relatively new artists that I’ve been obsessed with over the last few months. Of course, there’s also this week’s selection for the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” subtheme. I’ve got a homegrown talent by the name of Link West, and his mainly acoustic version is a really nice change of pace. He also contributed a little piece of spoken word audio where he talks of his love of the song and his history of playing it in his original band in Columbus, Ohio. He describes the tune as “50% bubblegum, 50% booty call”. I can’t argue with that. Link West’s version marks a run of (at least) three straight weeks of listener contributions, but of course I always want more. Nothing would make […]
The Ledge #552: Covers
With my brain focused on “Teenage Kicks” covers these days, it seems natural for me to put together another show of nothing but covers of classics tunes from the past. And tonight’s show could not have been timed better, as today Kepi Ghoulie of the Groovie Ghoulies put our a fabulous covers record, Full Moon Forever. Plus I’ve uncovered a number of other great new remakes the last few days, including Juniper’s lofi redo of “James” by The Bangles, Devil Love’s lovely tribute to Big Star’s “Thirteen”, and a trip back to my childhood with Jenny Dee & The Deelingquent’s rousing “Fox On the Run”. But, of course, the main focus is on the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” series, and tonight features the very first submission! It may be a bit fitting that said cover is by the one and only Malibu Lou at Rum Bar Records!!! Yes! He’s a huge fan, as you can tell by the accompanying email: “It’s one of my top 5 personal favorite songs ever. I covered it many years in many bands!! Here’s a demo version of Malibu Lou & The Attackers performing it circa 96 in NYC!!” I couldn’t be more thrilled, and […]
The Ledge #551: 1993
I have to admit that tonight’s show made me feel like an old man. Sure, I’ve done shows devoted to individual years on a regular basis, but I’ve fully understood that the songs featured on a broadcast like last week’s 1978 tribute were nostalgic looks at the past. But tonight’s show featuring (almost) nothing but tunes from 1993 didn’t feel like a nostalgia trip. These songs don’t feel like they are 30 years old. I swear they were released just a few years ago. Maybe it’s because I still have such a connection to records like Archers of Loaf’s Icky Mettle. Or the fact that Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” still packs the same punch it did back when it was released. Plus, I’ve obviously spent plenty of time with all of the solo albums released by former members of The Replacements. Even this week’s second edition of my “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” dates back to 1993, and in a weird sort of twist was the reason I came up with this idea. As I said last week, I had earlier realized that I owned quite a few versions of the song. But I had read on Facebook that a great […]
The Ledge #550: 1978
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been hinting that I’ll be starting 2023 with a big announcement. Well, tonight’s the night!In my eyes, “Teenage Kicks” is a perfect pop song; the greatest punk-inspired single of all time. Two minutes and 27 seconds of rock and roll at its finest. The sentiments are the same youthful expressions of the original rock and roll explosion of the 1950s. Instead of Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis boogie woogie piano, it’s buzzsaw guitars that accompany Undertones vocalist Fergal Sharkey’s desire for that “girl in the neighborhood” that he wishes “was mine she looks so good”. It’s the musical template later utilized by Husker Du, Pixies, Green Day, and hundreds of other pop-punkers for decades to come (for better or worse).Since I love the song so much, I have found myself collecting all kinds of versions over the years. In fact, a little glance at my master iTunes library a few months ago showed that I owned over 30 covers of this tune. Just two weeks ago, I discovered that a Minneapolis band I loved in the 90s had released a remake as a now rare b-side (more on that next week). With […]
