The Ledge (mp3)

It’s that time again. Another new months means another two sets of new release episodes, and we have a fabulous show this week. As usual, there’s the usual suspects with new tunes (Numb Surprise, White Rose Motor Oil, Rob Moss, Phil Cook), along with two fiery tracks from Big Stir Records (The Flashcubes, Plasticsoul), quirky garage pop from The Dear Boys and British Birds, and garage punk from old faves Paint Fumes and Bad Sports.

There’s also a lengthy set devoted to the brand new Twisted Teens album, The Holy Cross Tigers. Their third album of 2026 just may be the best of the bunch. Ask me about that in a couple of weeks when I’ve devoured it a few more times.

What’s your favorite new release?

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

I’ve always said that Halloween is the ultimate rock and roll holiday, and it’s only natural that every year I do a show devoted to that great evening. Tonight’s the night, and it’s chock full of greatness. Our pals at Rum Bar Records and Big Stir have fabulous contributions. Regular Ledge buddies Vista Blue, The Goldstars, and others have special tunes for the occasion, and there’s great Halloween-inspired albums by the likes of Twin Temple, The Carts, Zombina & The Skeletones, and The Dahmers. There’s plenty of ghosts, vampires, zombies and other creatures that is perfect to play for the trick or treaters!

Plus, I also chat for a few minutes about the great honor of being inducted into the South Dakota Rock & Rollers Hall of Fame. It was a super special evening, and I appreciate everyone who has reached out to congratulate me.

What’s your favorite Halloween tune?

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

The covers folder is full so, yes, it’s time for yet another show of nothing but remakes. And what a lineup we have this time around. Chrrisie Hynde doing The Doors. Velocity Girl doing The Jam. Dwight Twilley’s last studio recording remaking Bram Tchaikovsky. Sharp Pins with some of his favorite Mod revival tunes. Yet another fabulous reimagining of The Undertones! All sorts of tracks originally recorded by the likes of Status Quo, Prince, Jesse Malin, Plimsouls, and even The Eagles!  

What’s your favorite cover?

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

Maybe I should stop calling part one of my monthly new release series the “friends of the show” episode, as part two is inevitably full of just as many pals as the first one. Come on, Rum Bar Records is probably the best friend of The Ledge, and there’s a lengthy set of great new tunes from that label. There’s new submissions by Dany Laj and The Looks, The Hellflowers, the Speedways, The Trouble Seekers, and many others. Plus, Brody and The Grodies ask the very question millions of people are asking these days – “Why is the price of beer so high?” And there’s all kinds of other great new tracks, as always.

What’s your favorite new release?

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

If the first part of the monthly new releases series is lovingly called the “friends of the show” broadcast, then tonight’s show is sort of a reunion of sorts. You see, besides the usual contributors to this show (Numb Surprise, Rob Moss, The Rockerati, Phil Cook & The Fall Dogs, etc.), we have the great returns of many other regularly featured artists. There’s great new EP’s from Pavid Vermin and Daniel James Gang. There’s a ferocious new track from our favorite wrestling theme rockers The Ex-Bombers. And White Rose Motor Oil returns with sneak peaks at their upcoming full-length album Spider.

Plus, there’s more great new tunes from Big Stir Records, the return of Australia’s Loose Lips, The Tub’s first album for Merge Records, and great rock and roll from K7s, The Schizophonics and Psychotic Youth. Plus so much more!

What’s your favorite new record?

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

This being the last show of September also means it’s the last show of the third quarter of the year, and what a great three months! Tonight’s show recaps 35 of the best albums to come out over this period, and there’s something here for everybody! From longtime faves to brand new bands, it’s a great collection of power pop, Americana, punk, and all sorts of other mini-genres!

What’s your favorite release of the last three months?

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

Once I learned of the death of legendary guitarist Cheetah Chrome last Sunday (9/13), it became pretty obvious that he deserved a special show devoted to his great career. The first half of the broadcast is devoted to his time with not only the Dead Boys but also the infamous Rocket From The Tombs.

The second half deals with his post-Dead Boys tenure, which varied between solo recordings, other projects utilizing the Dead Boys name, and a few where he was a sideman. The collaborations included recordings with Ronnie Spector, Cherie Curie, UK Subs, Sonny Vincent, and many others. Many of these releases were also cover tunes, and the artists they tackled included Robert Gordon, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Queen, Ramones, and…well, shockingly, Taylor Swift.

Much credit must also go out to the second volume of Steven H. Gardner’s groundbreaking series, Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In the Seventies. His chapters on Rocket From the Tombs and Dead Boys are extensively quoted tonight.

What’s your favorite Cheetah Chrome recording?

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

It’s my birthday show!!! Yes, September 11 is a terrible day to celebrate a birthday, but one can’t help when they were born. But what better way to kick off a birthday show with a brand new cover of “Teenage Kicks”. Oh, yes, I was so excited when Malibu Lou sent me the file straight off the Rum Bar presses. I’ll never tire of this song, especially when artists such as Christina Jean & Her All Stars create such a wonderfully uplifting version!

Of course, that’s not the only Rum Bar Records treat, as I also air brand new songs from the legendary Cindy Lawson, The Laissez Fairs, and The Vibeke Saugestad Band. And, yes, I consider Geoff Palmer and Kurt Baker part of the Rum Bar family, even if their new tracks aren’t technically on the label

Plus, “Teenage Kicks” is not the only cover on tonight’s show. There’s not one, but two Paul Westerberg remakes. One if from Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees, and then there’s a track by Weird Nightmare from a new Sub Pop compilation called Maximum MN. (Sweeping Promises’ cover of Husker Du is also from that comp.) There’s also new reworking from Die Toten Hosen and Slaughter & The Dogs, along with four classic punk tunes from a charity comp called I Said Hit It.

That’s not all. There’s a plethora of veteran returns – The Thermals, Swansea Sound, Cocktail Slippers and The Ettes. There’s a trio of tunes from our friends at Dam-Nations. Plus, quite a few brand new bands!

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

We are now in the greatest month of the year (September), and once again we have two straight weeks of nothing but new music. This week is the “friends of the show” episode, and well over half the show consists of music submitted by the artists themselves (or their representatives). There’s the monthly new track by Numb Surprise, another split single from Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin, the triumphant return of Lorne Behrman, football-related punk from Vista Blue, and two tunes by my new favorite Minneapolis band, Cheap Glue.  Plus so many more.

Beyond the submitted tracks are new releases by veterans such as Ray Wylie Hubbard, Dinosaur Jr, Swami John Reis, and Kiwi Jr. There’s also a great new band from England, Westside Cowboy, and a cool track from a French band called Dynamite Shakers that’s produced by Lionel from The Liminanas!

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

1996 was a great year for me. I had a comfortable day job, I still worked a couple of nights a week at the record stores, and I was the music editor for a local newspaper. This was quite possibly the peak year for live music in my city. Local bands were selling out clubs and releasing great albums, and more national acts were hitting town than ever before.

Besides the local upswing, it was a great year for new music. Americana was on the rise, with lauded albums by the likes of Wilco, Golden Smog, Steve Earle, and others. Songwriters such as Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Vic Chesnutt, and others released surprisingly great albums. And good ol’ punk rock was also on the rise, with fantastic records by Bad Religion, Descendents, and Chixdiggit.

Tonight’s show is certainly not a complete rundown of every great album of that year, but it’s a pretty thorough snapshot of those 12 months (along with a couple of mis-tagged 1995 tracks). What record was your favorite of 1996? 

For more info, including setlists, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com