The Ledge (mp3)

A few weeks ago, I put together a show featuring nothing but UK rock and roll from 1977. Well, here’s the US counterpart, two hours of some of the greatest records ever produced. And this show jumps around through genres quite a bit more than the UK episode, with not only some blistering punk rock but power pop, classic rock, and even some more experimental material that greatly influenced b...

When Malibu Lou sent me an advance of the new Dogmatics single, “Drop That Single”, I knew I had to create something special to highlight it’s debut on The Ledge. After all, I’ve been a fan of the band since I first discovered their Homestead Records’ releases while DJ’ing on KAUR way back in the mid-80’s.  Given that the tune celebrates one of my fav...

While part one of this month’s new release series focused on relatively new artists, this week’s successor is full of bands that have been around for quite some time. There’s the first album in over 30 years by The Rave Ups. The Hoodoo Gurus return after a ten year hiatus. There’s much-anticipated albums by the likes of Superchunk, Spiritualized, Spoon, Guided By Voices and...

It became apparent a couple of weeks ago that this month’s new release series would have to be a two part extravaganza. Not only were the quantity of new songs piling up, but there were also quite a few albums that deserved more than a track or two of airtime. So the decision was easy, but then how does one split the shows? There’s no real formua to what was aired tonight and what will...

This week’s show was originally going to be another in the series of “odds and ends” episodes where I air tracks from some record I’ve either recently acquired or pulled out of the archives to give a listen. Unfortunately, the deaths of two great rockers changed those plans. Mark Lanegan is in my opinion the most artistic of all of the grunge-era lead vocalists. While the v...

“No Elvis, Beatles, or Rolling Stones!” Sure, it was a pose. The Clash may have sung those lyrics, but they were actually true students in the history of rock and roll. But the British punk scene of 1977 was certainly a time when the walls were pushed over and new blood took over the music scene. Maybe the lyrics should have been “No Floyd, Yes, or ELP!” So tonight’s...

Valentine’s Day is the one “holiday” this is not rock and roll friendly. Seriously, it just doesn’t work. Rock and roll isn’t about love. It’s about primal feelings. It’s about lust. It’s about vitrol. It’s about lost love; not current love. Obviously, almost every rock and roll band has had their share of love songs. They’re called balla...

The monthly new release episode has become my favorite episodes of The Ledge. It’s a monthly reminder to actively search out brand new music (even more than usual). It makes me give a double glance to records that may otherwise get lost in the shuffle. Even in the dog days of winter, there’s a ton of great new music released every week. On this week’s episode, there’s the b...

A year in music doesn’t really end on December 31. There’s always new discoveries, and forgotten purchases. There are box sets and live albums that were ignored on their initial release, or albums discovered by checking out year-end lists. That’s where the vast majority of tonight’s show comes from. I have studied other site’s lists, and have enlarged my knowledge of...

The Ledge is so proud to be able to present to you the premiere of four tracks from the upcoming record by Miss Georgia Peach. “Aloha From Kentucky”, set for release on March 18 on Rum Bar Records, is a fabulous combo of twang and raunch from the Short Fuses/Beebee Gallini veteran. Produced by Brian Pulito & Travis Ramin, and with musical backing from members of Nashville...

It’s a new year, so let’s start it right with nothing but new music over the course of the two hour broadcast. As always, it’s the latest indie, punk, power pop, and garage rock from all over the world. There’s bound to be something in tonight’s show that you enjoy. I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These g...

So your favorite online radio DJ decided to spend a bitterly cold New Year’s Eve playing over six hours of the best music of 2021. But what else would I have done? New Year’s Eve is amateur night, and I haven’t ventured out of my house for the big night in years. With the big night lining up with a Ledge weekly broadcast, the decision to do a “Casey Kasem” was easy. S...

The goal of the annual Ledge Christmas extravaganza is to prove that holiday music doesn’t have to suck. And once again, it’s certainly true as the vast majority of rock, punk, garage, and Americana tracks are brand new songs specifically for this year’s festivities! I would love it if every listener bought at least one record I played on either of these shows. These great artist...

Almost 12 years to the day after the very first attempt at a podcast, this week markes the 500th episode! To celebrate, I let the listeners take over! The call was made on all social media platforms to suggest bands or songs that were discovered via this show, and those results are reflected in this week’s playlist. Many listeners simply submitted the songs of their choice. Others accompanie...

The start of December means that this week’s new release episode is the final one of 2021! And like each of the previous episodes of this type this year this one is full of nothing but great power pop, garage, punk, indie, and there’s even a preview of this year’s Christms special. But more importantly, let’s talk about next week’s show. It’s Ledge episode #500,...

I’ve mentioned a few times over the years that I have a folder that I toss cover tunes into for future shows of that sort. The recent release of not one but four fabulous albums of nothing but remakes made me realize it’s time to empy that folder. Those four records are the main focus of this covers show. Spygenius, The Grip Weeds, Die Toten Hosen, and the The Queers features revved up...

For part two of this month’s new release series it’s the usual formula. New records by veteran acts mix with brand new artists, along with a few tracks from featured reissues. So you get the brand new Sarah Shook & The Disarmers single shortly after a set of demos from the two new Pretenders box sets. The return of The Professionals mixes with the up and coming Frank Carter & T...

Once again, the wealth of quality new music means that this month’s new release episode is expanding into a two-part series! This week is dominated by artists and labels that can accurately be described as “friends of the show” – artists such as Dave Sheinin, Dan Israel, Old Town Crier, along with our label friends at Big Stir Records, Red On Red Records, and, of course, Ru...

Just like almost every episode, the annual Halloween edition of The Ledge would never exist without the friends of the show who provide us with fresh material every year. In the weeks leading up to the ultimate rock and roll holiday, bands and/or labels send us all kinds of material perfect for this ghoulish show. This year is no exception, and thanks must go to Big Stir Records, The Ex-Bombers, R...

I’m sure that all Ledge fans could have predicted this week’s episode. With today’s release of the 40th anniversary deluxe edition of the very first Replacements album, Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash, it was pretty obvious that there would be a deep dive into this box set. The great news is that this box does not disappoint. Besides a desperately needed remaster of the or...

With today’s release of the Velvet Underground documentary on AppleTV it was pretty obvious what tonight’s Ledge was going to be. I just never relaized how easy it would be to comile a show consisting of nothing but Velvet Underground covers. I knew I had quite a few of these types of tracks, but I was shocked at just how many were in my collection. Besides the various one-off covers o...

As announced last week, this week’s episode is a carry over of the previous episode’s new release format. Not that these are second rate to those aired last week. Nope, that’s not how it works on The Ledge. You had two hours of tracks that worked well together last week, and now this week is another two of the same excellent quality. Yes, there are more great tunes from the Rum B...

It’s almost a given that if Rum Bar Records puts out a sampler, that month’s Ledge “New Release” show will be a two parter, and this month is no exception. Thanks to “Rocktober II”, the massive 38 track collection of new releases, old faves, and other fun selections, there just isn’t enough time to go through all the goodies. But we also have fabulous new...

The idea for this show actually came about earlier this summer when I noticed that over the last few months I had acquired a number of songs about various movie stars. Over the next few days, with the help of a bunch of Facebook friends, I put together more than enough tracks that fit this theme. Tonight’s supersized show is the results of hours and hours of research, and consists of songs a...

After taking a week off (for various reasons that I discuss at the beginning of the show), The Ledge is back with another show of various odds and ends. There are sets influenced by some packages I received from Indonesian Junk and Lucinda Williams. There’s some memories of that great Replacements show in St. Paul six years ago with a few tunes from a show recorded earlier on that tour. Ther...