The Ledge (mp3)

Tonight’s show is a mishmash of primarily recent releases. There’s some material from great box sets. There’s a set devoted to a classic old live album and one brand new one. I’ve got a set from that great new tribute album, Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies, along with more material from the tribute album I premiered last week, Goo Goo Muck – A Tribute to The Cramps. There’s also a Rum Bar Records set, and previews of new records by Graham Parker & The Goldtops, Tamar Berk, and others. It’s a show featuring a wide variety of genres that you only hear on shows like The Ledge.

As for this week’s “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” series, I have a mystery track by a band called The Shades. The cover is from the soundtrack to the Elle Fanning film, Teen Spirit, but I have yet to find out any information regarding the band. Could it be something cooked up in the studio by the film’s musical directors? Who knows? And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

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

I bet all of you Ledge listeners know the drill. The first show of the month is always new releases, and that’s the case here. But there is a little difference in this week’s show. Normally, I don’t touch on reissued records. That’s for another theme. But obviously I can’t ignore the news that in September The Replacements are putting out a box set version of the classic album, Tim. Besides the usual outtakes and live material, there is a special remix of the entire album by the legendary Ed Stasium! If you’re not familiar with Stasium, he has produced dozens and dozens of classic albums over the years, including records by The Ramones, Talking Heads, Soul Asylum, Long Ryders, Hoodoo Gurus, Reverend Horton Heat, Motorhead, and so many more! Given that the only negative feature of Tim was the mix, letting Stasium do a fix is going to blow people’s minds!

Yet that’s not my only reissue this week, as fellow Real Punk Radio host Greg Lonesome has just put out a newly remastered version of Shotgun Full of Blues, a record he released 20 years ago as the leader of the Lonesome Kings. There’s a ton of bonus tracks included with this amazing record, including demos and special mixes. But it, my friends!

As for this week’s edition of “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I actually have a new version. Veteran pyschobilly band Griswalds just released a half studio/half live record, Are Growing Old Disgracefully, and one of the live tracks is indeed a cover of the Undertones classic. And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!.

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

 Every few months, I like to put together an all-covers edition of the show. As I’ve stated before, I have a folder all set up to toss in whatever tracks I want to later air. This edition came a little bit sooner than usual due to a couple of fabulous tribute records.

The first release I wanted to highlight is the brand new An International Tribute To The Muffs, which features 26 fabulous covers of Kim Shattuck tunes. Proceeds from this release goes to the Team Shattuck Foundation of Kim´s Sister, Kristen Shattuck.

The other great tribute record is Drunk Dial Fakes, Vol. 2. This ingenious set features “real” bands covering songs that were written for fictional TV and film bands. How can you not love covers from The Rutles, CHiPs, and That Thing You Do?

As for the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I’ve got a twofer for you this week. I recently discovered a couple of fabulous Undertones tribute records, and Teenage Hits – A Tribute To The Undertones features two wonderful remakes. And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

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

A few weeks ago, Malibu Lou from Rum Bar Records sent me his latest free digital compilation. Accompanying the fabulous 35 tracks was this declaration:

“Swag·ger-ing: Rum Bar Records extended family and friends of artists and musicians performing, writing or otherwise making art inspired by Jagger, Dolls, Heartbreakers (Thunders & Petty), Stardust, Rebel Rousers, Barroom, Struttin’ Glimmer & Glam anthems, with hints of Punk, power-pop, dashes of alt-country, out-of-the-garage riveting, soul shakin’ rock n’ roll. Tends to inhabit and play said music loudly in hole in the wall dive bars. Swaggering rock n’ roll is general enjoyed best with your fist raised air guitar, a warm beer and cold shot in a corner at a neighborhood watering hole.”

Sounds like a declaration of a typical episode of The Ledge, right? That’s why Rum Bar’s Swagger comp dominates this week’s episode, with four sets of tunes representing the release. But there’s plenty of “swagger” from other sources – one set is devoted to material from the all-girl power pop cop Heroes of the Night Vol. 2. Other compilations devoted to The Mosquitos and Helen Love are highlighted. And there’s also great power pop and garage rock from current artists such as The Goods, The Far Outs, and The Liquorice Experiment.

As for this week’s edition of “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I discovered a version by a San Jose, California band called The Odd Numbers. They’ve been around for around 30 years, and the cover of “Teenage Kicks” is from a great tribute album called Here Comes the Summer – The Undertones Tribute Compilation. 

And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

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

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 than a few noobs. There’s something here for anybody who loves real rock and roll!

As for this week’s edition of “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I have an archival live recording from one of my favorite Australian bands, The Scientists. You can find this version on Numero’s excellent live compilation, Not For Sale: Live 1978-79.

And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

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

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 also included the two brand new covers I had previously played over the last quarter by Jeremy Porter & The Tucos and The Waco Brothers.

As I do every week, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

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

The summer is the real rock and roll season. From the very beginning of Chuck Berry and our other musical grandfathers, these three months have inspired a ton of great tunes. Since summer officially began just two days ago it was only natural that I bring back that theme for tonight’s broadcast.

There are so many songs dedicated to this time of year that I easily put together a playlist that is primarily brand new tracks. In fact, one highlighted album, Jagger Holly’s Rivoltella, came out just two days ago! There’s also a set dedicated to tracks from summer’s favorite record label, Rum Bar Records, along with a handful of older tunes from new reissues of albums by The Barracudas and The Lemonheads.

Of course, there’s also this week’s entry in the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” subtheme, and if you really think about it that song certainly does fit the summer theme. This week’s contribution is from the veteran Cleveland band Cobra Verde, and their 2005 album, Copycat Killers.

And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

For setlists and other information, head to http://scotthudson.blogspot.com

This week’s episode is another show consisting of material I’ve been a bit obsessed with around the Hudson compound. The first half is primarily new or new-ish material. The tribute to Justine Covault continues with tracks off the brand new Justine and the Unclean album, The Signal Light, along with new tunes by Lydi Loveless, Kate Redgate, Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire, and a great Alice Cooper cover by veteran rockers Zero Boys.

The second half of the show is dominated by older records that I’ve recently picked up. Many were originally owned by my buddy Phil who had his semi-annual record sale last weekend. But I also have included a couple of reissues of records that I’ve been trying to acquire for years. The Lyres On Fyre, for example, was the very first truly independant record I’ve ever owned, and I desperately needed a copy to replace the one I lost decades ago. And then there’s Double Nickels On the Dime, the classic double album by Minutemen. Going for big bucks on the used market, SST finally pressed some more copies, and I just could not resist! 

Of course, there’s also this week’s installment in the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” series. Sahara Hotnights is a fantastic all-female rock band from Sweden who put out some great albums in the late 90s and early 00s. The expanded version of their second album, Jennie Bomb, included the hot version that kickstarts this week’s episode. 

And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

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

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, and my feed was immediately filled with remembrances from pretty much every Boston-based musician I know. She will be greatly mixed, and I hope that the handful of tracks of hers that was aired tonight will result in many discovering her talents.

I also found time to devote sets to a couple of great compilatons that have come out recently. This year’s Record Store Day saw a 50th anniversary box set version of the influential Nuggets compilation. The original record may not have sold when it first came out in 1973, but there’s not a garage band that has been formed since then that is not influenced by this set. The new five record set includes a record of tracks that were initially considered for the record but was bumped due to licensing. That’s my focus tonight.

The other set featured is Gary Crowley’s Punk & New Wave 2, a six record set that is just a joy to sit through. While most sets of this sort focus on the obvious tracks, this box succeeds because it’s almost like every included track is a surprise. The big bands are represented by songs that may be considered secondary in popularity, but just as great as their best moments. Many other songs are rare treats that have not seen a reissue since their original release.

As for the “52 weeks of Teenage Kicks”, I selected a version I found earlier this week on bandcamp. Al Bundie’s Army is (or was?) a St. Louis band from a decade ago whose furious version is a worthy inclusion in the series. I’ve also replayed the verson by Jeremy Porter & The Tucos after getting the word that proceeds from that cover have raised almost $500 for Hater Kitty Army. Please head to jeremyporter.bandcamp.com to purchase your own copy to help this great charity!

And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

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

The first Friday of June means we have nothing but new releases on The Ledge, and it’s quite the lineup tonight. There are artists from all over the world, ranging from just a mile or so from my home (Thought Patrol) to Germany (Hamburg Ramones, Berlin Blackouts), with additional stops in Italy, Norway, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries). There’s the return of a ton of veteran artists, including Rancid, Graham Parker, The Aquadolls, and Joan Jett. 

Most importantly, at least for me, is the brand new project by Tommy Stinson. Over the last few years he’s been touring with his pal Chip Roberts under the Cowboys in the Campfire moniker, and today sees the release of their debut album, Wronger. While a bit quieter than we’re used to from the former Replacements bass player, it’s still quite a record from the hardest working member of the legendary band. 

Of course, we begin with the latest in the “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” series, and this time it is nt a new release. This version is from the French band Nouvelle Vague, an act that was created to remake classic punk and new wave songs in bossa nova versions. Yes, it’s a little bit of a departure from the normal covers of the song you’ve heard over the last five months, but it is definitely worthy of includsion.

And like always, I must again plead with y’all for more versions of “Teenage Kicks”. If you are a musician, or have any contact with artists that could record their own take on the classic, please contact me!

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