Rant-a-Bit by Scott Hudson

The Ledge #726: Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:31:43 +0000

You guys all know my rules about the cover version episodes - once the folder is full it's time for a show. This time around, it's also perfect timing. As I was putting this week's show together, I discovered that Trash Kickers had put out a live video of them covering "Can't Hardly Wait" at their May album release show.

Oh, yeah, I had to include that. Here's why I love this band so much. Over the years, I've received dozens and dozens of press releases stating that this band or that album is reminiscent of The Replacements. They rarely are. In fact, many tracks on their debut record, Way Out Somehow sound like discarded Paul Westerberg tunes. Very good Paul Westerberg tunes, in fact.

And while I was at it, another Facebook post reminded me that in 2013 Paul Westerberg had produced a band called The Silks, and on the b-side to their 7 inch had played guitar and sang on an obscure Rolling Stones song called "One More Try". Yep, I had to pull that out of the archives.

Overall, this is one of the most interesting cover shows I've ever put together. You have the return of Strawberry Alarm Clock. You have Public Image Ltd's Jah Wobble covering the Beatles. There are more tracks from the upcoming Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan album. There's The Routes covering the Velvet Underground. There are tracks from the third volume of Drunk Dial's Fake series. The list goes on and on.

There's also an eye witness account of the live show included on Camper Van Beethoven's reissue of II & III, as I was there!!!

What's your favorite cover?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Trash Kickers - Can't Hardly Wait

2. THE SILKS - One More Try

3. Chris Stamey - Ruby Tuesday (feat. Alex Chilton & Pat Sansone)

4. Chris Stamey - Hey Bulldog (feat. Jody Stephens)

5. Strawberry Alarm Clock - Day Tripper

6. Jah Wobble and Tian Qiyi - Tomorrow Never Knows

7. The Weeklings - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

8. The Cynz - Neighborhood Bully

9. Johnathan Pushkar - Route 66

10. Numb Surprise - Strange Brew

11. DEAD STAR BOYS - PLASTIC AGE

12. The Riffs - Join the Professionals

13. Stupidity - World Shut Your Mouth

14. Stupidity - BBC

15. Camper Van Beethoven - (I Was So) Wasted

16. Camper Van Beethoven - Careful With That Axe Eugene/Interstellar Overdrive

17. Camper Van Beethoven - I'm Not Like Everybody Else

18. Keddies Resort - Garbage Truck

19. The Serfers - I've Got Something To Shout About

20. Merel/Andrea Manges - Make Your Own Kind Of Music

21. Sourpunch - Going Up The Country

22. PEDICO - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

23. PEDICO - One Fine Day

24. Bob Bert - Pablo Picasso

25. Bob Bert - Foggy Notion

26. The Bad Beats - Take Me Back

27. The Bad Beats - She's Your Lover

28. The Bad Beats - Mr Soul

29. The Routes - I Am Waiting For The Man

30. The Routes - There She Goes Again

31. Die Toten Hosen - A Message To You Rudy

32. Red Rockers - I'm So Bored With the U.S.A.

33. Golden Shitters - Chainsaw

34. THE BOBBY LEES - 50 Ft

35. Glowbox - Junior's Farm

36. Monda - What's Bugging You (Crackin' Up)

37. Summer Cannibals - Teenage Kicks

The Ledge #725: 1986

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 01:18:57 +0000

I wish I could say I have vivid memories of 1986, but I really don't. Look, it was the year after I graduated from college, and life was a party. I was working in a record store during the day at night I was a club DJ. Quite often the club followed me to the home I shared with a couple of friends with similar lifestyles.

I do remember the music, though, and tonight's show celebrates the soundtrack of that glorious year. What surprised me as I was preparing this show, though, is that this was a year where roots rock dominated my life. Sure, there was plenty of traditional punk and alternative music, too, and that will probably be the focus of a sequel, but jangly guitars seemed to the be the sound of the times for me.

What was your favorite record of 1986?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Stuffin' Martha's Muffin

2. The Feelies - Slipping (Into Something)

3. The Feelies - Sedan Delivery

4. R.E.M. - These Days

5. Camper Van Beethoven - (We're A) Bad Trip

6. Camper Van Beethoven - Good Guys & Bad Guys

7. Soul Asylum - Tied To The Tracks

8. The Magnolias - Keep It Inside

9. Hüsker Dü - Sorry Somehow

10. Suburbs - Every Night's A Friday Night

11. Bob Dunlap & Symphonic Fuzz - Loud Loud Loud Loud Guitars

12. The Jayhawks - Let The Critics Wonder

13. Dream Syndicate - Slide Away

14. Guadalcanal Diary - I See Moe

15. Dumptruck - Back Where I Belong

16. The Beat Farmers - Powderfinger

17. Beat Rodeo - Twin Home Towns

18. The BoDeans - She's A Runaway

19. Scruffy The Cat - 40 Days & 40 Nights

20. Jason & The Scorchers - Golden Ball And Chain

21. E-I-E-I-O - This Time

22. The Church - Myrrh

23. Elvis Costello - Brilliant Mistake

24. Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs' Tears

25. The Waterboys - Fisherman’s Blues

26. Ill Bill and the Spinal Chills - Play With Me (Jean-Anne)

27. The Cramps - Can Your Pussy Do The Dog?

28. The Lyres - You'll Never Do It Baby

29. Tommy Keene - Places That Are Gone

The Ledge #724: New Releases Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 01:11:23 +0000

Before we get to a description of this week's episode, I received a wonderful notification earlier this week that this show had hit #31 on MillionPodcast's Best 100 Midwestern Music Podcast chart! Wow! This is quite an honor.

If I'm going to be honest, I believe it's these monthly new release episodes that have helped get this sort of attention. What other radio show features around four hours of new releases each and every month? Tonight's show, like volume one last week, may be a little shorter from a typical episode but it's jam packed with wonderful tunes.

As usual, there's a set devoted to our friends at Rum Bar Records, including Songs From The Film, the new project of Chazz Matthews of the Cheap Cassettes. The Amplifier Heads once again hit it out of the park, and how can I not love the Paul Westerberg-ish tones of Tad Overbaugh's "July" (plus it features Dave Minehan).

Elsewhere, there's a twofer from a debut album by Taxi Girls that's definitely bound to hit my top ten of the year. There's the return of The Bobby Lees, a couple of fabulous Bob Dylan covers from an upcoming Jem Records tribute to the legend, and plenty more rock, punk, power pop, and Americana. Oh yeah, and I've found yet another new version of "Teenage Kicks".

What is your favorite new release?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Geek Music - Teenage Kicks

2. Songs From The Film - She Don't Mind

3. Songs From The Film - Waiting For The World to Explode

4. The Amplifier Heads - Rock N Roll Riot

5. Tad Overbaugh - July

6. Soft Palms - Radio

7. Slippers - Reading Lucy's Diary

8. Dear Misses - Lost Mind In Beauty

9. Wine Lips - Projector

10. Genre is death - Safe Songs

11. Taxi Girls - Red Flag Crush

12. Taxi Girls - Midnight Mixtape

13. Baby Jane - vacances a txernòbil

14. Consensus Madness - Attention

15. THE BOBBY LEES - Napoleon

16. River Shook - Fading

17. American Aquarium - Dollar General

18. The Youngers - The Deal

19. Low Cut Connie - Get Down

20. The High Frequencies - Subterranean Homesick Blues

21. Paul Collins - Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

22. Go Dog Go - Back in the Day

23. The NEW Bardots - Go Home

24. David Alpha - Let's Light The Rockets

25. Density Black Cat - Breakaway

26. Bad Stuff - Invisible Man

27. The Heavenly Bodes - De Groene Heuvels

28. Mad Iris - Employee of the Month

29. THE CIRCULATORS - Pointless Game

30. Sugar - Keep Looping

The Ledge #723: New Releases Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 01:09:31 +0000

It's that time of the month once again! It's another set of new release episodes, and this one includes a lot of familiar faces. There are the usual submissions by the likes of Numb Surprise, Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs, Ricky Rochelle, and others, but there's also some great covers from The Routes and the latest Drunk Dial Records' Fake series. There's also strong new stuff from Jon Spencer, The Jukeez, and The Paranoyds, along with a wonderful compilation of bands playing this month's Punk Rock Raduno festival in Italy.

But I'm especially happy to once again premiere some new local music. Off Contact's new album, Cab You?, is set to be released in a few weeks, and this Sioux Falls-based post-punk outfit deserves plenty of attention. I also have a couple of tracks from Chicago's Trash Kickers, who I highlighted last week as my favorite new record of the month. I can't wait for the vinyl version to be released later this year.

What's your favorite new release?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Numb Surprise - Strange Brew

2. Off Contact - The Clink

3. Off Contact - Stakes Are High

4. Trash Kickers - Fly or Die

5. Trash Kickers - What a Waste

6. Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs - THE MERRY MAIDS OF MADNESS

7. Ricky Rochelle - Sad Girl Energy

8. I Got Spiders - Pictures Of You

9. Keddies Resort - Garbage Truck

10. The Serfers - I've Got Something To Shout About

11. Matthew Melton - Gaining on You

12. Stupidity - Spread It Around

13. The Paranoyds - Tracy Don't

14. The Jukeez - Obsessed With Me

15. The Routes - Run Run Run

16. The Routes - There She Goes Again

17. Jon Spencer - Vermin Attack!

18. Jon Spencer - Knock 'Em Out

19. TS Foss - Pilots & Bagboys

20. The Stones - (I'm a) Drama Queen

21. THE QUEUES - Pheromones

22. The Riffs - You Doin' Alright

23. Hard-Ons - Where Did She Come From

24. The Gnomes - Thinking Of Me

25. SPF-150 - Good Day

26. Toilet Rats - Heart Emoji Mpls

27. Geoff Palmer - Losing Streak

28. Kepi Ghoulie = Freaks On Parade

29. Lone Wolf - I Feel So Lost

30. Giuda - It's Not About The Money

31. Bee Bee Sea - Wrong Way Round

32. Jagger Holly - Wet Hot European Summer

The Ledge #722: Second Quarter Report

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 01:40:37 +0000

With tonight's show the final episode of June, it's time to look back at the new music released over the past quarter year. These three months have been simply fantastic. There's been followups to records that were at the top or near the top of previous year end lists (The Sleeveens, Memo PST, The Bevis Frond, etc.) There's surprise albums by veteran bands (Eddy Current Suppression System, Natural Child). There's the returns of longtime fave bands (Social Distortion, Oddfellows, High On Stress, etc.) And there's plenty of brand new bands, including a kickass Chicago group, Trash Kickers, that I just discovered a few days ago. What's especially great is that these 40 albums are just a fraction of the fine tunes that have been released in recent weeks.

What's your favorite album of the last quarter?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman - Enemy Of The State

2. The Sleeveens - I Was Born on Saturday Night

3. Memo PST - Dog Groomer Stylist

4. The Bevis Frond - Square House

5. Guided By Voices - Out With A Theory

6. Doug Gillard - Parallel Stride

7. Social Distortion - Partners In Crime

8. Weird Nightmare - Might See You There

9. Ultrabomb - Artificial Stars

10. Brad Marino - Murder and Violence

11. The Lemon Twigs - Bring You Down

12. White Fence - Your Eyes

13. Natural Child - Sometimes A Woman

14. Mrs. Magician - High Resolution

15. Jon Spencer - Knock 'Em Out

16. CTMF & Wild Billy Childish - Bridge Burner

17. High on Stress - Over/Thru

18. Trash Kickers - Perfect Strangers

19. The Glimmer Stars - I Don't Wanna Let You Go Tonight

20. Micah And The Mirrors - Yokohama Mama

21. Fret Rattles - Flavor of the Month

22. Oddfellows - Draw the Line

23. Drakulas - HEAD IN THE CLOUDS

24. Marc Valentine - High In The Underground

25. Taxi Girls - Auto-Hysterics

26. The Bug Club - Look Like Me

27. Soft Palms - Garbage In The Sand

28. The Melmacs - Run For Your Life

29. The Lizards - Vicious Circle

30. Irked - Who Asked?

31. Iguana Death Cult - Swinging At Ghosts

32. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Self Sabotage

33. GOONS! - Parchman Farm

34. Crocodiles - Time Is Wasting Me

35. Automatic Lovers - High Degree

36. Trash Culture - High, Drunk, Fucked, Stoned

37. Sick Shooters - Heartbreaker Soulshaker

38. Taste Testors - I'm Waiting For Something Lame

39. The Dwarves - We Are The Scene

40. The Sideshows - Rock and Roll Owes Me An Apology

The Ledge #721: More Big Ten Inch Records

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 20 Jun 2026 01:31:39 +0000

A little over two years ago, I put together a show based only on songs released on the ten inch EP format. I'm still wondering why there aren't more ten inchers released these days. It's the perfect format for the EP's that waste way too much space on most twelve inch releases.

Anyway, since that previous show, I've not only acquired a few more of these type of records, but I've expanded my knowledge of the format. For new titles, there's the live Replacements EP that accompanied preorders of the box set reissue of Let It Be. There's also a couple of Streetwalkin' Cheetahs EPs, and a reissue by The Delmonas.

For older titles, I must give a bit of praise to my record collecting geek friend Phil. Over the years, he's handed me a few titles that he knew that I'd enjoy. One of those was a record by a 90s band called Speedway. As I was looking at it the other day, I was pleasantly shocked to see that this was an early band by Miss Georgia Peach! I definitely needed to air a couple of tracks off that.

Phil also alerted me to a various artists ten inch that featured legendary South Dakota punkers Dissent, who went into our state's Rock and Rollers Hall of Fame two years ago! Along with those tracks are a ton of records put out by Sympathy For The Record Industry, SST, and Estrus Records.

What's your favorite 10"?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Dana Gillespie - Big Ten Inch Record

2. The Replacements - I Will Dare

3. The Replacements - Hayday

4. The Replacements - 20th Century Boy

5. The Replacements - You're Getting Married

6. The Replacements - God Damn Job

7. The Replacements - Color Me Impressed

8. Dissent - Typical

9. Dissent - Meathouse

10. Screeching Weasel - Kamala's Too Nice

11. Vapor Lock - Die Robot Die

12. The Mr. T Experience - Psycho Girl

13. Jawbreaker - Gutless

14. The Manikins - Dance The Night Away

15. The Cavestompers! - Supernatural

16. Speedway - 354

17. Speedway - Brooklyn Love Story

18. The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs - Crazy Operator

19. The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs - Victim Of The Service Industry

20. The Junkyard Dogs - Good Livin'

21. The Junkyard Dogs - Drug Store

22. The Junkyard Dogs - Breakin' The Law

23. The Junkyard Dogs - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

24. Billy Childish - Wife Done Gone

25. CTMF - Billy B. Childish

26. Thee Headcoats - Bright Lights, Big City

27. Holly Golightly - Listen

28. The Delmonas - Comin' Home Baby

29. Hüsker Dü - It's Not Funny Anymore

30. Grant Hart - 2541

31. fIREHOSE - She Paints Pictures

32. The Leaving Trains - Kids Wanna Know

33. Sonic Youth - Starpower (Edit)

34. Redd Kross - Switchblade Sister

35. The Makers - The Red Headed Beatle of 1000 B.C.

36. Rocket From The Crypt - Light Me

37. The Nomads - Hard to Cry

38. Teengenerate - My GTO

39. Mono Men - WRECKER!

40. Oblivians - What Rock & Roll is all about

41. Tuuli - Who's The Fool Now?

The Ledge #720: New Releases Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:27:31 +0000

The second part of the monthly new release series is generally dominated by the latest records Malibu Lou has put out on his legendary Rum Bar Records label. This month is no different, and it's a perfect kick off to over two hours of great new tunes. The Hollywood Stars, The Amplifier Heads, Stop Calling Me Frank, Gene Champagne and Girl With a Hawk are this month's Rum Bar representatives, and they're all fabulous. There's also a sampler of tunes from the lastest Dam-Nations compilation series.

The rest of the show is a battle of sorts between veterans and noobs. On the veterans side, there's great new music from the likes of Guided By Voices, Social Distortion, Dwarves, Die Toten Hosen (their final album!), Nashville Pussy, and the Real McKenzies.

On the "noob" side, there are acts sucks as Irked, Taxi Girls, Cable TV, Hoaxxers, and so many more that once again proves there will always be great new rock and roll bands!

What's your favorite new album?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. The Hollywood Stars - I Survived 27

2. The Amplifier Heads - A Song Called Sha La La

3. Stop Calling Me Frank - Good Enough

4. Gene Champagne - Gimme Ammunition

5. Girl with a Hawk - I'm In Love With My Friends

6. Hayley and the Crushers - Cringeworthy

7. Hayley and the Crushers - Jewel Case

8. Taxi Girls - Secret Handshake

9. Irked - Repeat Offender

10. Troubles - Gimme Danger

11. Guided By Voices - Lost In The Sun

12. Guided By Voices - We Outlast Them All

13. GOONS! - Never Go Back

14. The Bug Club - Miss Wales 2012

15. Social Distortion - Born To Kill

16. Social Distortion - Partners In Crime

17. Nashville Pussy - King Shit Of Fuck Mountain

18. The Real McKenzies - I Wanna Eat Sardines (With Yer Mother)

19. J.C.Thomaz and the Missing Slippers - My Cocaine

20. USELESS EATERS - CONTRAST

21. Cable TV - That's the Reason

22. Hoaxxers - Hard Luck

23. The Dwarves - Bad Drugs

24. The Dwarves - Damned If I Do

25. Die Toten Hosen - 51st State

26. Die Toten Hosen - Wir waren nie weg

27. Automatic Lovers - Wasting Time

28. Backstreet Girls - Thunderstorm

29. Game Show Models - Do You Remember Dying

30. Sourpunch - Lipstick & Black

31. The Keefs - Fleshbomb

32. Weird Bloom - MORE PUNK THAN YOU

33. Wine Lips - Semi-Detached Furnished Home

34. I Know The Butcher - Casino Biscuits

35. Mouser - Fish Lips

36. The Phantim - Schiebetür

37. Trash Culture - High, Drunk, Fucked, Stoned

The Ledge #719: New Releases Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:29:24 +0000

I have long described the contents of the first episode of my monthly new release series as "friends of the show" Well, that is more true than usual this month. Yes, there are the usual suspects (Numb Surprise, Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs, etc.) but there is also the debut single from an upcoming album by my hometown friends Off Contact. "Heart and Mind" is the first look at Can You?, their third album, and you can expect to hear more off that album as the summer progresses.

Besides those tracks, there is a set devoted to a cool concept record called Pets Sounds, an album of songs about...well, pets! There's a sneak peak at an upcoming Jesse Malin tribute record, and tunes from two of my favorite new releases of the past month - Memo PST and The Lemon Twigs. Plus, lots of other power pop, garage rock, and some good ol' rock and roll!

What's your favorite track from this week's episode?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Numb Surprise - Blood Of Lovers

2. Off Contact - Heart and Mind

3. The Dear Boys - Procrastination

4. Datura4 - Under A Rock

5. Oddfellows - Draw the Line

6. Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs - THE LAND OF THE NEW GEURILLAS

7. Deniz Tek - Here & Gone

8. Manduria - I Say Boh

9. The New Christs - Waves Form

10. Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires - Under A Cat

11. Gay Skeleton Club - 2 Cats

12. The Cords - Bo's New Haircut

13. Special Friend - Breakfast

14. The Lemon Twigs - Look For Your Mind

15. The Lemon Twigs - Bring You Down

16. The Speedways - To Leave Without You

17. Valley Lodge - Too Loose

18. Kevin Morby - 100,000

19. Memo PST - I Smoke It, It Smokes Me

20. Memo PST - Marked For Death

21. Mrs. Magician - Die in Cleveland

22. Natural Child - It's Been A Long Time

23. Local Drags - Sticky Menu

24. Local Drags - Staring at the Telephone

25. Cola - Forced Position

26. Radioactivity - One Day

27. J Prozac - Digging Holes

28. Space Age Zeros - Cheryl Scott

29. Dallas Tetnus - Bite My Lip

30. Charlie Continental - Snow & Rain

31. S.U.G.A.R. - Roleplay

32. The Bad Beats - Take Me Back

33. Crater Snakes - Paddy Wagon

34. Chico Detour - I Want It

35. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Self Sabotage

The Ledge #718: Record Store Day

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 30 May 2026 01:38:28 +0000

In the days following last month's Record Store Day extravaganza I spent hours digitizing a number of titles I purchased that day. I also went through my archives to grab tracks from the many reissues that came out. A couple of weeks later, I was all set to do a show based on this work.

Unfortunately (for the show at least), I had a last minute family function to attend, so I had to set that folder aside for a future episode. Well, the future is now.

In my eyes, it was a great Record Store Day as there were plenty of rarities that I was excited to add to my collection. And as I don't go after the pop titles that so many are standing in line to find these days, I was pretty successful in my efforts. There's a shelved album by power pop maestro Tommy Keene. There's a live album by The Muffs. Soul Jazz Records has another fabulous compilation. There's expanded editions of a ton of classic albums. There's something here for everyone. Well, everyone who has taste.

What was your favorite Record Store Day release?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner

2. Shoes - Tomorrow Night

3. The Pointed Sticks - What Do You Want Me To Do?

4. Ambulance - It's All Up To You

5. The Wigs - You Say Ono

6. The Normals - Hardcore

7. Tommy Keene - Back Again (Try . . .)

8. Tommy Keene - Run Now

9. Camper Van Beethoven - Over and Over

10. John Wesley Harding - Here Comes the Groom

11. Son Volt - The New Low-Down

12. The Jayhawks - Big Star

13. Teenage Fanclub & Jad Fair - Behold The Miracle

14. Mark Lanegan - Hit the City

15. New York Dolls - We’re All in Love

16. Bob Mould - Circles

17. The Jesus And Mary Chain - You Trip Me Up (Acoustic)

18. Violent Femmes - Special

19. The Who - My Generation / Land of Hope and Glory

20. Wire - Our Time

21. The Stranglers - Peaches

22. The Mooney Suzuki - Heart Attack Blackout

23. Dinosaur Jr. - The Wagon

24. The Muffs - Lucky Guy

25. The Muffs - Red Eyed Troll

26. Romeo Void - Never Say Never

27. Pixies - Velouria

28. Bad Brains - I Against I

29. Ramones - Rock 'N' Roll Highschool

30. Ian Dury - Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick

31. XTC - Generals And Majors

32. 13th Floor Elevators - She Lives (In A Time Of Her Own)

The Ledge #717: 70's Debut Punk Albums

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 23 May 2026 01:35:13 +0000

With this being a holiday weekend, I was determined to do a very listener-friendly "fun" episode. Of course, when I say listener-friendly, I'm not talking about the sort of nonsense on commercial radio. Not, what that means for The Ledge is the sort of legendary bands and songs that all Ledge listeners enjoy...or should.

The actual theme came together this past Sunday when I was listening to the first Stiff Little Fingers album, Inflammable Material. It was at that moment that I decided that I was only going to listen to debut albums this week. That idea naturally transformed into a theme for tonight's show. There's nothing but the first full-length releases of 70's punk rock bands. These are primarily records that impacted me in a way that few records of the next 45 years would. From that first Ramones album that arrived at my house when I was suffering from the chicken pox through not only the true legends of that era to a record I purchased simply because I loved that the band was called The Drones.

Obviously, this is a theme that I will return to quite often in the next few months. I mean, come on, every band has a debut album! What's your favorite of tonight's picks?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Undertones - Here Comes The Sommer

2. The Damned - New Rose

3. Sex Pistols - No Feelings

4. The Clash - Police and Thieves

5. The Jam - Away From The Numbers

6. The Ramones - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

7. Television - See No Evil

8. Richard Hell And The Voidoids - Blank Generation

9. The Heartbreakers - All By Myself

10. Blondie - Rip Her to Shreds

11. Talking Heads - New Feeling

12. Suicide - Ghost Rider

13. The Dictators - [I Live For] Cars and Girls

14. The Suicide Commandos - Shock Appeal

15. The Real Kids - All Kindsa Girls

16. Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer

17. The Raincoats - Fairytale in the Supermarket

18. X-Ray Specs - I Am A Poseur

19. The Slits - Typical Girls

20. The Rezillos - Flying Saucer Attack

21. The Drones - Persecution Complex

22. The Buzzcocks - I Don't Mind

23. The Stranglers - (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)

24. Sham 69 - Borstal Breakout [Live]

25. The Saints - Messin' with the Kid (Original Mix)

26. Radio Birdman - Do The Pop

27. Stiff Little Fingers - Wasted Life

28. Wire - Ex Lion Tamer

29. The Vibrators - Into The Future....

30. The Adverts - Bored Teenagers

31. Generation X - Ready Steady Go

32. Eddie and the Hot Rods - Teenage Depression

33. U.K. Subs - Tomorrow's Girls

34. The Boys - Sick On You

35. Eater - You

36. Cock Sparrer - Watcha Gonna Do About It

The Ledge #714: Covers

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 16 May 2026 01:43:23 +0000

The "covers" folder is full. Overfull, to be honest. So tonight's show is a supersized show of great remakes, and many of them are quite surprising. The Tubs covering Metallica? Social Distortion doing Chris Isaak? White Fence remaking Simply Red? The Hollywood Stars retaking their own song back from Kiss? Hell, even Ty Segall's version of The Doors could be considered a surprise.

There are also quite a few more conventional remakes here tonight, but each and every one is what the kids today call a "banger". (Oof, remind me to never use that term again.) I'm sure any Ledge listener will find a favorite. What's your highlight?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. The Young Hearts - Left of the Dial

2. The Sleeveens - The Rat

3. Social Distortion - Wicked Game

4. White Fence - So Beautiful

5. Ty Segall & The Muggers - L.A. Woman

6. Space Jaguar - Bad Reputation

7. Softjaw - Working Too Hard

8. The Rockerati - Leave My Kitten Alone

9. The Hollywood Stars - King of the Night Time World

10. Muck and the Mires - It's Gonna Be Alright

11. The Peawees - Don't Look Back

12. Palmyra Delran And The Doppel Gang - Hold Tight

13. Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin - Everything in The World/Cement Man

14. 7 Door Sedan - I'm On a Rocket Ship (Heading My Way Back Home)

15. Dangerous Chairs - If You Can't Give Me Love

16. Jesse Malin - RUDY CAN'T FAIL

17. Fret Rattles - What Love Is (ft. Rob Tossava)

18. Fret Rattles - Living in the City

19. Automatic Lovers - High Degree

20. Automatic Lovers - Pushin' Too Hard

21. The Dandy Warhols - Cherry Bomb

22. The Dandy Warhols - Goo Goo Muck

23. CTMF & Wild Billy Childish - Untitled

24. Wild Billy Childish & CTMF - Batman

25. The Tubs - Fade to Black

26. Superchunk - I Don't Want You Anyway

27. Old 97's - Wreck Of The Old 97

28. They Might Be Giants - Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)

29. The Fall - I Can Hear The Grass Grow (Slow Version)

30. Bad Brains - Day Tripper/She's A Rainbow

31. Guitar Wolf - Long Tall Sally

32. Norcos Y Horchata - Walk In Cold

33. The Quivering Palm - I Am A Scientist

34 Alex Endum - Buzzards And Dreadful Crows

35. Doe St - Thrill

36. The Knight Shades - You're Gonna Miss Me [The Spades]

37. The Mourning After - Action Woman [The Electras]

38. The Jaybirds - Mercy Mercy

39. The Masonics - Some Other Guy [Richie Barrett]

40. Heather the Jerk - Hate Your Guts (Loli & the Chones)

The Ledge #715: New Releases Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 09 May 2026 01:27:00 +0000

On last week's new release episode I highlighted an entire section to the new album by The Sleeveens. This week I do the same thing to my good friends High On Stress, but instead of adding my own description of how great they are I'm going to leave it to the legendary Twin/Tone Records founder Peter Jesperson - "With album #6 - Still Here - Minneapolis band High On Stress deliver their finest work yet. Full of tightly written, smart songs that stick in your head. It rocks like mad, sounds great, and when it’s over, I just want to play it again."

The High On Stress segment is just the tip of the iceberg for this month's Rum Bar Records segment, as there's another entire set of fantastic new rock and roll from that fabulous label. There's also some tracks from the latest Dam-nations compilation, and a few tunes from our friends at Stardumb Records and Spaghetty Town Records. There's the latest covers project from Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin. Plus all kinds of punk, power pop, and good ol' fashioned garage rock!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Muck and the Mires - The Ghost Of Roky Erickson

2. Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin - Everything in The World/Cement Man

3. 7 Door Sedan - I'm On a Rocket Ship (Heading My Way Back Home)

4. Kepi Ghoulie - Inkpot

5. Kepi Ghoulie - Latitude 58

6. High on Stress - Closer To The Truth

7. High on Stress - Time Will Tell You

8. High on Stress - Still Here

9. High on Stress - Can You Feel Me?

10. The Hollywood Stars - I'm Not Broken

11. The Glimmer Stars - I Don't Wanna Let You Go Tonight

12. The Chelsea Curve - Ride

13. Torch Red - Deaf Minds

14. Foxy - She Waits Alone

15. Son Volt - Kaleidoscope (Devil His Due)

16. Doug Gillard - Face of Smiles

17. House Of All - Spirit Salient

18. Matt DeeCrack - Pure Hearts

19. Iguana Death Cult - Guns Out

20. The Speedways - Luna

21. Penny Arcade - Regrets

22. The Junipers - When She Turns

23. Mythical Motors - Marigold Runs For Cover

24. Sunday Mourners - Careers In Acting

25. Cheap Teen - Bad Jokes

26. Five Bucks - Metal Fumes Fever

27 Stepmother - Gimme Mine

28. The Statics - Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat

29. Lavalove - Hopelessly Devoted

30. Taxi Girls - Say It!

31. Season 2 - Abundance Of Power

32. The Melmacs - Run For Your Life

33. Straight Arrows - Middleman

34. The Lizards - The Older I Get, the More Punk I Am

35. Ruby And The Clumsy Dollies - Too true for you

36. Larry_73 - Corporate Mask

37. Hyperdirve Kittens - Phone Sex Girls

38. Uphill Avenue - Wanker

The Ledge #714: New Releases Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 02 May 2026 01:30:00 +0000

After a week off due to a family meal, The Ledge is back this week with the first part of the May new release series. And what a show to kick off the month. A good portion of the show consists of submissions from bands (Numb Surprise, Ricky Rochelle, etc.) and labels (Big Stir Records, I-94 Recordings, Spaghetty Town Records, etc.) that regularly support the show. Also included is a couple of great tunes from the ripping new album from Minneapolis' Fret Rattles!

But there are also a number of new records that I've been pumped to hear for quite some time. The second album by The Sleeveens proves that their debut was no fluke. The new White Fence album is a power pop surprise. Drakulas make a triumphant return. And Weird Nightmare is a new project from Metz leader Alex Edkins. Plus, there's some great punk, power pop, and garage rock from many all over the world.

What new records are you digging the most?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Numb Surprise - Numb Surprise

2. The Sleeveens - I Was Born on Saturday Night

3. The Sleeveens - Surprises

4. The Sleeveens - Ernest and Julio

5. The Sleeveens - High Babies, Low Babies

6. Graham Parker & The Goldtops - Soul Shoes (Live)

7. The Greenberry Woods - Summer Song

8. The Jack Cades - Solitary Game

9. The Dambuilders - Shrine 2026

10. Jesse Malin - HOLLYWOOD FOREVER

11. Micah And The Mirrors - Condolences

12. Joe Bombast - Not Wild Enough

13. Ricky Rochelle - Beetles on High

14. Fret Rattles - Getting Hustled

15. Fret Rattles - Flavor of the Month

16. Dangerous Chairs - I Wanna Be Loved

17. Jim Jones All Stars - MAKE IT RAIN

18. Wild Billy Childish & CTMF - Searching From The Losing Place

19. White Fence - Your Eyes

20. White Fence - That's Where The Money Goes (Seen From The Celestial Realm)

21. Weird Nightmare - Baby Don't

22. Weird Nightmare - Headful of Rain

23. Drakulas - GUYS LIKE ME, GIRLS LIKE YOU

24. Drakulas - SINGIN' WITH MY TONGUE CUT OUT

25. Crocodiles - Time Is Wasting Me

26. Hawel/McPhail - rags to riches

27. PROTEX - Turn Away (People Say)

28. Radio Weekend - Back To Yesterday

29. The Kyle Sowashes - I'm Sorry, But We've Done Everything We Can Do At This Point

30. The Peawees - Wild About You (Strepitoso Session)

31. The Get Alongs - Come On

32. Oddfellows - The Burden

33. The Fix - Losing the Game of Life

34. The Shits - Thank You for Being a Friend

35. The Sideshows - Rock and Roll Owes Me An Apology

The Ledge #713: More From From The Hudson Compound

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:39:00 +0000

If you happen to follow me on social media (and why wouldn't you?), you'll have seen that every Saturday night I publish a "quilt" of records that I've listened to over the past week. Tonight's show is an extension of that, minus the great number of new releases I routinely listen to during most of my listening time.

Instead, this show features the older records that have hit the turntable (or my Plexamp account). There are classic albums by the usual suspects from the last 60 years. There are some relatively obscure groups I decided to hear. There's also quite a few recent reissues that I've added to my collection.

Which record did you enjoy the most this week?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Justin Townes Earle - Can't Hardly Wait

2. The Replacements - Heartbeat, It's a Lovebeat

3. Chris Mars - Popular Creeps

4. Soul Asylum - Sometime To Return

5. Golden Smog - Until You Came Along

6. The Jayhawks - Two Angels

7. The Monkees - Daily Nightly

8. The Kinks - David Watts

9. The Rolling Stones - Respectable (Live)

10. The Who - Summertime Blues

11. Matthew Sweet And Susanna Hoffs - The Kids Are Alright

12. Bangles - 7 & 7 Is (Live)

13. The Raincoats - Fairytale in the Supermarket

14. Young Marble Giants - Include Me Out

15. Lydia Loveless - Boy Crazy

16. Thee Headcoatees - Punk Girl

17. Alan Vega - Jukebox Babe

18. Alan Vega - Ghost Rider

19. Lou Reed - Vicious

20. The Stooges - Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell

21. Patti Palladin - Leave Me Alone (Chatterbox)

22. Willy Deville - You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory

23. Walter Lure & The Waldos - Let Go

24. Ramones - Suzy Is A Headbanger

25. The Buzzcocks - I Believe

26. The Clash - Garageland

27. Eater - Public Toys

28. The Fall - Pacifying Joint

29. Pavement - Summer Babe [Winter Version]

30. Sonic Youth - Silver Rocket

31. Superchunk - Slack Motherfucker

32. The White Stripes - Hotel Yorba

33. Die Toten Hosen - If The Kids Are United

34. Die Toten Hosen - Whole Wide World

35. Die Toten Hosen - Teenage Kicks

36. Die Toten Hosen - This Perfect Day

37. The Pogues - Whiskey You’re the Devil

The Ledge #712: New Releases Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 01:29:00 +0000

Yes, it's a typical second part of the monthly new release series. And by second part, I obviously mean it's fantastic! There's the usual set devoted to our friends at Rum Bar Records that includes brand new tunes from Ledge favorites High On Stress and The Peppermint Kicks. There's a full set devoted to the latest monthly compilation from the fine folks behind the Dam-Nations series. There are two full sets devoted to female-led rock and roll, including one of my new favorite discoveries, Gladie!

Plus, so many bands I love have new albums out. Power pop heroes Uni Boys, psych-rock veterans The Bevis Frond, the Medway garage rock of CTMF & Wild Billy Childish, and so much more.

What is your favorite new release?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Micah Schnabel & Vanessa Jean Speckman - Enemy Of The State

2. High on Stress - House of Cards

3. The Peppermint Kicks - Shaking Underground

4. The Glimmer Stars - Run Away

5. The Hollywood Stars - King of the Night Time World

6. Inflatable Idols - Oxygen Thief

7. The Peawees - Bleeding for you

8. Bleak Streak - Gosh!

9. Ryan Allen - They're Coming for Us

10. Uni Boys - You'll Curse His Name Again

11. Uni Boys - Want You Back

12. The Bevis Frond - A Mess of Stress

13. The Bevis Frond - Naked Air

14. Gladie - I Want That For You

15. Juliana Hatfield - Pass It On

16. Suitor - Factory

17. The Jackets - The Question

18. Plastic Tones - Dirty Work

19. The Dollyrots - Attention Span

20. Hedge Burners - Twisted Vine

21. Josephine Network - Rock & Roll Singer

22. Twat Union - Tiny Shorts

23. UltraBomb - Darwin Awards

24. UltraBomb - Zombie Zeroes

25. Redd Kross - I'll Take Your Word for It (Acoustic)

26. Hard-Ons - You'll Always Be Safe with Us

27. The Loons - Five Years Ahead Of My Time

28. The Maharajas - 1 - 2 - 5

29. CTMF & Wild Billy Childish - Bridge Burner

30. Shop Talk - SOS

31. Ass Hats - Spaghetti

32. Balaban And The Bald Illeagles - Regurgihate

33. Fyzz Wallis Band - Control

34. TicNoToc - Piece Of Me

35. Taste Testors - I Don't Like Working On The Weekend

The Ledge #711: New Releases Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:31:00 +0000

For almost as long as I have split the new release series into a two part monthly feature I have labelled the first episode as a "friends of the show" broadcast.

Unfortunately, we have lost one of our friends.

Shortly before we hit air, I discovered that J. Waylon Miller, leader of Friends of Cesar Romero had passed away just a few days after the release of the 50th edition of his "Doomed Babe Series". Each and every one of these releases were fantastic, and the last few were quite possibly the best of the series. He will be missed...and lovingly remembered.

Besides tracks from J. Waylon, we have new music from friends such as Numb Surprise, Vista Blue, Brad Marino, Phil Cook & The Fall Dogs, The Rockerati, and Big Stir's The Corner Laughers. There's a lengthy set devoted to tracks from a great new compilation, Big Hopes of Mid-America Vol. 1, that includes our pals The Silent Treatment, Cindy Lawson, and Fret Rattles, and great new albums by the likes of Sick Shooters, King Tuff, The Outfit, and Young Fresh Fellows.

What's your favorite new album?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Numb Surprise - Pockets Full Of Dust

2. Friends of Cesar Romero - Starfucker Qualities

3. Friends of Cesar Romero - Simple XX's

4. Vista Blue - Batting Around

5. Vista Blue - Good Reputation

6. Brad Marino - Blowing Smoke

7. Brad Marino - Devil May Care

8. Sick Shooters - Heartbreaker Soulshaker

9. Sick Shooters - Sick Shooters

10. The Corner Laughers - Crumb Clean

11. Marc Valentine - NY UAP

12. The Rockerati - Long Lost Hooklines

13. Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs - DEBBIE DOOM SCROLLER

14. The Outfit - Firebreather

15. The Outfit - Autopoiet

16. King Tuff - Stairway To Nowhere

17. Young Fresh Fellows - Killing Time in Union Square

18. The Silent Treatment - Keep Running

19. Cindy Lawson - I'm Loaded

20. Adam Levy - Tent City

21. Jim Walsh & The Dog Day Cicadas - Stand On Every Corner

22. Flamin' Oh's - Strange Times

23. Fret Rattles - Wake Up Now

24. The King Teen - Time Traveler's Blues

25. Micah And The Mirrors - Yokohama Mama

26. The Melmacs - Lazy Hearts

27. Dust Star - Keep it Heavy

28. Guitar Wolf - 100M Girl

29. mclusky - spock culture

30. Swirls - A Car Or A Guitar

31. Damaged Bug - DOUBLE YOLKS

32. The Falling Out - I Draw the Line

33. Softjaw - Waiting At The End

34. Bad//Dreems - Shadowland

35. Horsefight - Alternative Rock (From 1995 or 6)

The Ledge #710: First Quarter Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 01:25:00 +0000

We are just days away from the end of March, which means we are (finally) a quarter of the way through 2026! To celebrate this fact, this week's episode is a look back at the best albums released over the last three months. And it's been quite a great quarter - fantastic record by new bands such as Twisted Teens (new to me, at least), The Rockerati, Mod Lang, and so many others. Fabulous returns by Uni Boys, King Tuff, The Darts, and South Dakota's greatest current artist, Friends of Cesar Romero. There's great covers albums by veteran acts such as The Damned, Pink Fairies, and Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders. Plus much much more.

What's your favorite record of the year so far?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Twisted Teens - Wild Connection

2. Uni Boys - I Don't Wanna Dream Anymore

3. The Rockerati - Analogue Again

4. King Tuff - Twisted On A Train

5. Crooked Fingers - From All Ways (feat. Matt Berninger)

6. Ratboys - Light Night Mountains All That

7. Lucinda Williams - Sing Unburied Sing

8. Juliana Hatfield - Only Sister

9. Dry Cleaning - Cruise Ship Designer

10. Heavenly - Portland Town

11. The Darts - Vampires In Love

12. Itchy and the Nits - Nudie Beach

13. The Stripp - If You Want Me

14. Heather the Jerk - Get Off My Lawn

15. Surfbort - Peaches and Cream

16. Friends of Cesar Romero - My Cultist Angel

17. Friends of Cesar Romero - The Rapid City Is Boring

18. Inflatable Idols - Drunk On Nostalgia

19. Vista Blue - You're Just a Cover

20. The Outfit - Unseeable Root

21. Mod Lang - TV Star

22. The Cynz - Ghost Rider

23. The Cowboys - The Hate In Your Heart

24. Fuzzy Feelings - Down & Sideways

25. Joe Glass - New Pose

26. Sweet Reaper - Sacrifice

27. The Green Hearts - B School

28. KISSA - TyoØhaastattelu

29. Radium Dolls - Scorching Heat

30. the Dahmers - Nightmare of '78

31. Faz Waltz - Your Lovin' Really Got Me Wild

32. The Damned - I'm Not Like Everybody Else

33. Pink Fairies - Rosalyn

34. Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders - Dead Or Alive

35. Buzzcocks - Queen Of The Scene

36. Damaged Bug - END OF THE WAR

The Ledge #709: Loud Loud Loud Loud Guitars Vol. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 01:41:00 +0000

Around a month ago, I broadcast a show with the them of "guitars". Songs with the word "guitar" in the title, or songs about guitars. I also asked for some assistance from social media on some tunes that I may have otherwise forgotten.

That first show was very well received, and tonight we get part two. Because the original concept was inspired by Slim Dunlap's classic "Loud Loud Loud Loud Guitars", I thought it was only fitting to kick off this week's show with the Young Fresh Fellows' cover of that tune from the wonderful Songs For Slim tribute series. From there, this supersized show jumps from classic covers to singer/songwriter, Americana, punk, garage, alternative, and a few other subgenres. Oh, and there's a little set devoted to the bass. There's something for everyone here!

What's your favorite song about guitars?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. The Young Fresh Fellows - Loud Loud Loud Loud Guitars

2. The Speakeasy - Johnny B. Goode

3. The Drowners - While My Guitar Gently Weeps

4. Ronnie Dawson - Sucker For A Cheap Guitar

5. Drive-By Truckers - Guitar Man Upstairs

6. The Jayhawks - Miss Williams' Guitar

7. Pernice Brothers - Hey, Guitar

8. Alejandro Escovedo - Velvet Guitar

9. Willie Nile - House Of A Thousand Guitars

10. The Jesus & Mary Chain - Guitarman

11. Talking Heads - Electric Guitar

12. Matthew Sweet - Electric Guitar

13. Radiohead - Anyone Can Play Guitar

14. Ty Segall - Break A Guitar

15. The Mystery Lights - Guitar Pickin' on You

16. The Stillsouls - Old Guitars Are Ghosts On The Sunset Strip

17. The Swingin' Neckbreakers - My Guitar

18. Young Fresh Fellows - Two Guitars, Bass And Drums

19. The Horny Wackers - Fuckin' Bassman

20. Aubrey Debauchery - Bass Notes

21. Gina Birch - I Play My Bass Loud

22. Matt Speedway - Angel Street Guitars

23. Stiff Little Fingers - Guitar & Drum

24. The Flatmates - The Last Guitar in Town

25. Sleater-Kinney - Words and Guitars

26. Guitar Wolf - Captain Guitar

27. The Night Marchers - 2 Guitars Sing

28. The Spits - Space Guitar

29. Peter Pan Speedrock - Loose Women & Loud Guitars

30. Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders - Big Talk With Guitars

31. The Nuisances - Guitar Joe

32. The High Water Marks - Dust and Guitars

33. The Intelligence Service - Beatrice's Guitar

34. Three Rounds - My Guitar Is In The Pawnshop

35. The Hitmen - Broken Guitars

36. The Lurkers - New Guitar In Town

37. Chris Spedding - Guitar Jamboree

The Ledge #708: New Releases Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 01:31:00 +0000

Here we go with the second part of this month's new release series, and it's a barnburner! Besides the usual Rum Bar Records showcase, there's also a later set devoted to Dammit Records' monthly Dam-Nations series. There are two full sets of ferocious female rock and roll, a ton of great submitted tunes, and all sorts of newly discovered garage rock. Oh yeah, and brand new music (as usual) from South Dakota legends Friends of Cesar Romero!

What tracks are your faves?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Friends of Cesar Romero - Wolf In Houndstooth

2. Ape Hangers - She Comes Again

3. Martini Kings - Party Like King Kukulele (ft. Tony Marsico & Steven Soto)

4. Inflatable Idols - Hero To Zero

5. The Glimmer Stars - Run Away

6. The Darts - Midnight Creep

7. The Darts - The Devil Made Me Do It

8. Heavenly - Portland Town

9. Reese McHenry - Unfuck Your Friends

10. The Paranoid Style - Tearing the Ticket

11. Heather the Jerk - Get Off My Lawn

12. Private Lives - Think I'm Coming Around

13. Surfbort - Reality Star

14. The Lizards - Vicious Circle

15. The Dear Boys - I Hope You Know How Fucking Cool You Are

16. The Puncturists - They Dont Pay Support Bands

17. The Nephews - Devo Was Right

18. The Green Hearts - Assclown

19. The Woggles - LOVE TICK

20. The Peawees - Baby, I'm in the mood for you

21. All-Seeing Eyes - Brick By Brick

22. Dulcet Tones - As I Am

23. xray xeroxx - Art Rock!

24. A Pile Fabric Primer - Far From the Graveyard

25. Adult Learners - Would You Please Just Go Away Please

26. CP Westman Orkester - Full-Grown Lover

27. Plastic Family - Love & Heartbreak In High School

28. Bad Scene - Boring And Old

29. Sweatmaster - Destroyer

30. Lithium Kicks - I Want Something I Don’t Care About

31. the Dahmers - Nightmare of '78

32. The Hangland - Masking

33. Feral North - After The Black Out

34. Terrorist In Mind - Psychotrash

35. The Mono Kids - Speeding Up Faster

36. Osees - Joro

The Ledge #707: New Releases Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 02:30:00 +0000

Part one of the monthly new release series has always informally been a "friends of the show" episode, and this month these friends came through with fantastic new tunes. Miss Georgia Peach returns with an anthem for all hockey fans, The Silent Treatment's new single is a great rant against promoters who promise exposure instead of cash, and Geoff Palmer gives a musical shout out to one of his favorite bars (where he's also appearing this weekend).

There's also great debuts by the usual suspects - Numb Surprise, Brad Marino, Jim Basnight, UltraBomb, Phil Cook & The Fall Dogs, wht.rbbt.obj, and The Rockerati. The Sleeveens announce an upcoming new album with a blistering new single, and new releases by The Melmacs, Goat Yoga, Mod Lang and Twisted Teens have me already taking notes for this year's best albums list.

What were your favorites this week?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Numb Surprise - I Don't Care Now But You Never Did

2. Miss Georgia Peach - The Hockey Song

3. Miss Georgia Peach - A Little Bit South of Saskatoon

4. The Silent Treatment - Devalued

5. The Melmacs - Bad Seeds

6. The Melmacs - Keep On

7. Geoff Palmer - Last Call At Mickey's

8. Geoff Palmer - I Ain't No

9. Brad Marino - Calling your Bluff

10. The Sleeveens - If I Was A Casual

11. Tommy Womack - Waiting For the Punchline

12. Crooked Fingers - From All Ways (feat. Matt Berninger)

13. The Dahlmanns - What`s Inside A Mind

14. Jim Basnight - That's Right

15. UltraBomb - No Cap

16. Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs - HEAVY METAL LOAFERS

17. The Rockerati - Long Lost Hooklines

18. wht.rbbt.obj - Jolene's Reply

19. Shake Some Action! - If You're Gonna Say You Love Me

20. Local Drags - You Don't Love Me Yet

21. Nick Piunti - Big in Madrid

22. Twisted Teens - Is It Real?

23. Twisted Teens - Wild Connection

24. Mod Lang - What I Can't Have

25. Mod Lang - TV Star

26. Old 97's - Big River

27. The Masonics - Leave My Kitten Alone

28. The Guy Hamper Trio/James Taylor - Mary Mary

29. Goat Yoga - Lonely With You

30. Goat Yoga - Plain to See

31. Institute - The Shooter

32. Tamarack - Everything You've Heard

33. Teenage Bottlerocket - You Made Me Get Called a Poser

34. KISSA - TyoØhaastattelu

35. Daily Worker - Pop Knock-Offs

36. OVVEN - Shining Ear to Ear

37. Loose Lips - Out of Time (Live)

The Ledge #706: Loud Loud Loud Loud Guitars (Pt. 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 02:26:00 +0000

Everyone knows I love a good theme, and this brand new idea came earlier this month when I was playing the remastered version of Slim Dunlap's "Loud Loud Loud Loud Guitars" on the new release episode. How about a show devoted to nothing but songs about guitars? Or even songs that mention guitars in the lyrics? This seemed to be an easy-peasy idea.

But I wanted some input from my friends, especially for the songs that fit the theme that may not have the word "guitar" in the title. So I put up a post on Facebook, and the results greatly helped tonight's show. Thank you to everybody who contributed to that post.

As I was filling up the folder for this show, though, I quickly discovered that I had way more songs than I needed. This means that tonight's show is part one of a two part series. Due to the March new release episodes, though, part two will not happen until the second half of the month. But I promise that episode will be as fabulous as tonight's was.

Do you have any songs to consider for the future episode? Which tracks did you enjoy the most this time around?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Slim Dunlap - Loud, Loud, Loud, Loud Guitars

2. Lucinda Williams - Real Live Bleeding Fingers & Broken Guitar Strings

3 Miss Georgia Peach - Take Your Guitar And Git

4. Johnny Cash - Long-Legged Guitar Pickin’ Man

5. John Hiatt - Perfectly Good Guitar

6. Lucero - My Best Girl

7. Tommy Womack - Speed, Weed and Alcohol

8. Jim Basnight - New Guitar In Town

9. Grant-Lee Phillips - Johnny Guitar

10. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (Live; 2025 Remaster)

11. Elvis Presley - Guitar Man (Escape #1, Fast)

12. Billy Bragg - This Guitar Says Sorry

13. The 5.6.7.8's - Guitar Date

14. Tex And The Horseheads - Guitar Obsession

15. Sonny Vincent - My Guitar (Original)

16. Crime - Murder By Guitar

17. The Godz - Walking Guitar Blues

18. The Adverts - One Chord Wonders

19. Stiff Little Fingers - Two Guitar Clash

20. Redd Kross - Notes and Chords Mean Nothing to Me

21. Hoodoo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars!

22. The Clash - Jail Guitar Doors

23. Auteurs - American Guitars

24. T. Rex - Spaceball Ricochet

25. Count Viglione - The Guitarmaster

26. the Dead Milkmen - The Guitar Song

27. Diarrhea Planet - Bob Dylan's Grandma

28. Danny Laj And The Looks - I Play Guitar

29. The Decibels - Alone With My Guitar

30. The 66ers - One More Day On My Guitar

31. CP Westman Orkester - Video Guitar

32. Supersuckers - Gold Top

33. Jon Spencer - Guitar Champ

34. GINO and the GOONS - My Guitar Almost Killed Me

35. The 440's - Assault & Battery With Electric Guitar

36. Laundry Bats - My Guitar Doesn't Care

37. The Menzingers - Mexican Guitars

The Ledge #705: Back From The Grave Faves

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 02:20:00 +0000

While the Nuggets sets may get all the praise (and deservedly so), I actually prefer the Back From The Grave series. It's just that much more noisy, full of snarled vocals and fuzztone guitars. Just listen to the opening track of tonight's show, the Swamp Rats version of "Psycho", a song mostly known for the legendary take by The Sonics.

Nothing against that original version, as The Sonics' version does indeed blast away at a ferocity that influenced punk and garage bands for the past 60 years. But the Swamp Rats go a step further. No, make it two steps further. This is a truly unhinged take, and sets the stage for the next two hours of tonight's broadcast.

I was inspired to do this show simply because I decided at the beginning of the week to listen to all ten volumes this week. It's been 60s rock and roll heaven for me, as these tunes truly do represent the vast majority of music I have listened to all of my life. Weirdly, though, I didn't realize this fact for a long, long time as I never had these compilations until they appeared on CD in the early 90s!

What tracks worked for you?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Swamp Rats - Psycho

2. The Novas - The Crusher

3. Rats - Rat's Revenge [Pt 1]

4. The Elite - My Confusion

5. Jujus - Do You Understand Me

6. Fugitives - You Can't Blame That On Me

7. Willie The WIld One - Willie The Wild One

8. The Fabs - Dinah Wants Religion

9. The Nomads - Be Nice

10. The Jesters Of Newport - Stormy

11. Syndicate - The Egyptian Thing

12. Shandell - Mary Mary

13. The Puddin' Heads - Now You Say We're Through

14. Tyme - Land of 1,000 Dances

15. Noblemen - Short Time

16. Mystic Five - Are You for Real, Girl?

17. Heathens - The Other Way Around

18. Humans - Warning

19. Illusions - City of People

20. Warlords - Real Fine Lady

21. The Shames - Special Ones

22. The Shames - My World Is Upside Down

23. The Barracudas - Babe Get Lost

24. Billy & The Kids - Say You Love Me

25. The Syndicate - My Baby's Barefoot

26. Moguls - Another Day

27. Tombstones - I Want You

28. Travel Agency - Jailbait

29. The Groop - Alright!

30. The Niteriders - With Friends Like You, Who Needs Friends

31. Dave Starky Five - Hey Everybody

32. The Pseudos - A Long Way to Nowhere

33. The Pastels - Circuit Breaker

34. The High Spirits - It's Alright with Me

35. The Turncoats - Something Better

36. James Bond and the Agents - Wild Angel

37. The Four - 69

The Ledge #704: New Releases Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 02:31:00 +0000

Part two of this month's new release series is centered around a pretty diverse set of tracks from our friends at Rum Bar Records. Veteran Minneapolis rockers High On Stress opens the proceedings with two retrospective tracks from their new EP, and then we have the b-side of the debut Rum Bar release by legendary actor/musician/DJ Michael Des Barres! There's also the classic R&B sounds of Angela Tini (recorded by Deke Dickerson!), the punk-ish power of Inflatable Idols and The Spackles before concluding with a frantic cover of The Barracudas "I Can't Pretend" by Gene Champagne.

There's plenty of other Ledge friends, including fellow South Dakotans Friends of Cesar Romero, Brad Marino, Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs, Ricky Rochelle, and so much more. Plus, a ton of great new Australian bands that I didn't realize were dominating the second half of the show until I was looking up biographical details.

What tracks did you enjoy the most?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Lucinda Williams - The World's Gone Wrong (feat. Brittney Spencer)

2. Friends of Cesar Romero - The Rapid City Is Boring

3. Friends of Cesar Romero - A Sonnet For Lee Lazy Horse

4. High on Stress - Over/Thru

5. High on Stress - Nothing Can Change You

6. Michael Des Barres - I Was Saved in '64

7. Inflatable Idols - Ain't Got Heart

8. Angela Tini - Can't Stop Me

9. The Spackles - Second Time Around

10 Gene Champagne - I Can't Pretend

11. Brad Marino - Murder and Violence

12. Ricky Rochelle - Can't Erase

13. Phil Cook & the Fall Dogs - TWO PSYCHOPATHS

14. The New Brutarians - Tonight's Your Night (Tonight)

15. Dry Cleaning - Cruise Ship Designer

16. The Zsa Zsa Gabor's - A.I.

17. The Stripp - If You Want Me

18. Itchy and the Nits - Nudie Beach

19. The Melmacs - Run For Your Life

20. The Damned - Gimme Danger

21. Pink Fairies - Communication Breakdown

22. Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders - Dead Or Alive

23. Buzzcocks - Queen Of The Scene

24. Radium Dolls - Scorching Heat

25. Radio Weekend - By My Side

26. Thee Long Knights - Satisfaction Guaranteed

27. Micah and the Mirrors - Hungry Hungry Heart

28. The ETTERS - Er Is Niks Aan Jou Dat Ik Niet Haat

29. The ETTERS - Ik pis in je brievenbus

30. Death Party - Don't Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

31. DBR - Unacceptable

32. Doe St - Figure It Out

33. KUKEN - Palermo

34. Teen Mortgage - Devil Ultrasonic Dream

35. Faz Waltz - Count To Three

36. Taste Testors - I'm Waiting For Something Lame

37. Whyte Lipstick - He's Gotta Go

38. Wristwatch - Screwed

The Ledge #703: New Releases Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 02:20:00 +0000

One of the few "rules" of the monthly new release series is that reissues aren't generally considered for inclusion in these shows. But this is rock and roll, and there's no real rules...especially when a former member of The Replacements is concerned.

This story actually begins a few weeks ago when I saw a notice in Record Collector that there would be some sort of Slim Dunlap compilation coming out in February. A few days later, another UK music mag reported that this package would include remastered versions of his two albums PLUS bonus tracks!

Then came the official announcement. Every Little Word indeed consists of both of his wonderful solo albums, plus another 80 minutes of bonus material! Yes, this is a set worth breaking my rules, so we start the show off with five of these rarities.

After that it's a typical new release episode. There's plenty of "friends of the show", including Numb Surprise, The Ex-Bombers, Rob Moss, and a double shot of Vista Blue. Speaking of double shots, there are previews of new albums by The Darts (US) and UltraBomb, along with great new albums by Sweet Reaper and Music City.

What tracks did you dig the most?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. Slim Dunlap - Times Like This (demo)

2. Slim Dunlap - Before She's Gone (outtake #2)

3. Slim Dunlap - Ain't Exactly Good (alternate version, rough mix)

4. Slim Dunlap - Mayor Of Dinkytown (outtake)

5. Slim Dunlap - Big Star Big (live)

6. Numb Surprise - Look Around

7. The Ex-Bombers - In Music City

8. Rob Moss - And the Lies Go Round

9. Vista Blue - I Hate Sonic Records

10. Vista Blue - We're Still Curling

11. The Darts (US) - Midnight Creep

12. The Darts (US) - Apocalypse

13. UltraBomb - Checked Out

14. UltraBomb - Look Forward In Anger

15. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - How Can I Tell You It's Not Fair

16. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - January Song

17. Garret Vandermolen - Foxtrot Delta Tango_

18. Boy Wonders - We Could Be Yours

19. Marc Valentine - NY UAP

20. Tim Izzard - 99% of my T-Shirts

21. Music City - When That Day Comes By

22. Music City - Do I?

23. Sweet Reaper - Clean

24. Sweet Reaper - Thought Police

25. Celebrity Telethon - Rock 'N' Roll Matinee

26. Fuzzy Feelings - Powerline

27. Joe Glass - New Pose

28. Left Letters - Supermoon

29. Phil And The Spectras - It's Your Choice

30. Disket - Running

31. Drugs In Sport - Cooked

32. The Cowboys - Little Baby Birds

33. Together Pangea - Eat Myself

34. The CLUBS - Shame on You

35. Owen Adamcik - I Don't Wanna See Your Face Today

The Ledge #702: Random Forgotten Gems

noreply@blogger.com (Scott) — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 02:30:00 +0000

I think it's safe to say that, for the most part, I'm a forward thinking music obsessive who is always on the hunt for my next favorite record. It's that attitude that allows for this show to constantly have two new release episodes almost every single month.

There's a downside to this fanaticism, though. When one collects so much music but is so focused on the future, a lot of great music is pretty much forgotten. Over the last couple of weeks, however, I have taken steps to recreate myself with some of these great releases.

The story actually begins a few months ago when I discovered that the popular video streaming/sharing program Plex had an audio add-on called Plexamp. This simple program allows me to stream my entire master library on my various devices.

This has been a game-changer, although for the last few months I have primarily utilized it to stream my favorite classic records from the past. Two weeks ago, though, I decided to do a little experiment. I put my entire 160,000 tracks on shuffle, and tonight's show consists of tracks that have sprung up over these last fourteen days.

I must admit I'm a little surprised by what came up. Even at the number of tracks I have on my external drives, there are certain artists that dominate the proceedings. Having dozens of digitized live Replacements concerts certainly inflate the numbers, as do the entire catalogs, including bootlegs, of the likes of Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Guided By Voices, and so many others.

Yet outside of a couple of side projects by Guided By Voices leader Robert Pollard, none of these biggies came up on shuffle. In fact, my listening was primarily the lesser known types that I was hoping to get reacquainted with. You'll see a handful of familiar names in this episode, but even in the majority of those cases it's not the usual songs you hear by these groups.

What tracks did you enjoy the most?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SHOW!

1. The Fleshtones - Remember The Ramones

2. Tommy Keene - Karl Marx

3. Prix - Girl

4. Robert Pollard - I Can Illustrate

5. Teenage Guitar - A Year That Could Have Been Worse

6. F.U.2. - Sniffin Glue

7. Shake Some Action! - Stranger in the House

8. Helta Skelta - 55mm

9. Titanic Love Affair - Fading So Fast

10. The Eyes - When The Night Falls

11. The Tell Tale Hearts - Crawling Back To Me

12. The Radiators From Space - Enemies

13. The Novaks - Goodbye Rock And Roll Band

14. The Del Fuegos - Nervous and Shakey

15. Mike Ness - The Devil In Miss Jones

16. Sonny Vincent & Rocket From The Crypt - Unlock

17. The Rip-Offs - I Can't Stop

18. Jim and the French Vanilla - Not Even War

19. PAINT FUMES - Dice Eyes

20. Bambi Kino - Some Other Guy

21. PERFECTORS - Bat Beat

22. Country Teasers - Black Change

23. Son of Dribble - Hard to Care

24. The Screws - Story 16

25. Starflyer 59 - Young in My Head

26. The Muffs - Weird Boy Next Door

27. Scrunchies - Wichita

28. THE CELEBRITIES - Party In My Chevrolet

29. The Shrieks - Sunbathing

30. The 5.6.7.8's - 19th Nervous Breakdown

31. The Rezillos - Top Of The Pops

32. Downtown Boys - Lips That Bite

33. Les Deuxluxes - Lighter Fluid

34. Negative Scanner - Low

35. Thee Sgt. Major III - Battery Operated

36. The Glycereens - Tell Me