The Ledge (mp3)

If you follow me on the various social media platforms (paulisded) you’ve probably seen a variety of pictures with the tagline “The Hudson Basement Excavaton Project”. A little explanation is needed. Decades ago, my son needed a rack to store his records as he had followed in the old man’s footsteps and put together his own sizable library. As I did not at that point even o...

By now, most of you know the routine. The first episode of every month features nothing but new releases, and this month is no different. Wait, there is one major difference. Due to a scheduling conflict, there will not be a show next week so for the first time this year there is not a two part new release series.  So this month there is one super action-packed episode, full of the usual gara...

The end of September also means it’s the end of the third quarter of the year, so tonight’s show celebrates the great music that has come out these last three months. There’s a little something for everyone tonight, from the melodic goth tones of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds to savage garage punk from The Putz and Stiff Richards. There are veteran bands that have been around for...

Part two of this month’s new release series is highlighted by long-awaited returns by legendary veteran bands. The Dictators celebrate their 50th anniversary with their first album in 25 years. The Fastbacks are back after a 23 year hiatus. Peter Noone of 60’s pop idiols Herman’s Hermits is back with vocal contributions to a Buffalo Springfield-Rolling Stones hybrid cover created...

As we have all year long, this month’s new release eisode is once again a two part series. This week’s first part features a ton of “friends of the show”. There’s the monthly tracks by White Rose Motor Oil, Rob Moss and Skin-Tight Skin, and Numb Surprise. There’s new material byperennial Ledge favorites Dave Strong, The Beatersband, and The Trouble Seekers. And...

1984 was a magical year for your favorite podcast host. It was my senior year of college, and I had worked my way up the ranks to be the music director of KAUR. This was the perfect gig for me, along with the record store job I had in my spare time. Of course, gigs like this would mean little if the music business was in a bad way. But it wasn’t. It was one of the greatest years ever for the...

Last week’s look at my personal home plays was so much that I carried it on this week. Once again, there were almost 60 years of rock and roll represented, from The Troggs and Small Faces to my favorite record of 2023, Scratch ‘N’ Sniff by The Whiffs. Full sets showcased the musical and personal relationship between married songwriters Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric and t...

If you follow me on the ol’ Instagram, you may have noticed that every Saturday night I post a collage of my Last. FM stats that, for the most part, highlights the vinyl I’ve played in my home over the past week.  So I figured why not put together a broadcast featuring songs from those very albums I’ve enjoyed over the past couple of months? Soon enough I had enough tra...

The second part of the August new release series carries on right where last week’s part one left off. There’s still plenty of great rock, punk, power pop, postpunk, and many other genres of fantastic brand new tunes. There’s some fun stuff from our friends at Rum Bar Records. There’s the return of Hot Snakes/Rocket From the Crypt/Drive Like Jehu leader Swami John Reis. The...

We may be heading to the end of summer but it’s not the end of great music. Once again, the new release episode for this month has been expanded into a two part extravaganza. Tonight’s first part features a number of “friends of the show”, including monthly singles by White Rose Motor Oil and Rob Moss & Skin-Tight Skin. There Realpunkradio’s Greg Lonesome with his...

It’s that time again. The “Covers” folder on my laptop is full, so it’s time to turn those into a Ledge episode. But it’s not just new releases this time around. Oh sure, we’ve got new remakes by The Half-Cubes (Phil Seymour), Wyldlife (Tom Petty), The Loons (Pretty Things), and so much more. There are also sets devoted to new tribute records devoted to Jagger/R...

The second episode of this month’s new release series focuses heavily on single releases. I’m talking the traditional sort of single, with an a-side and b-side. Not the modern streaming-era lone song that doesn’t even necessarily promote an upcoming album. Nope, this week we have quite a few two (or more) track singles, and the majority of them are available on traditional 7&#824...

Earlier this week, fans of Minneapolis rock and roll were stunned by the news that former Zuzu’s Petals leader Laurie Lindeen had passed away on July 1 due to a brain aneurysm. Besdies that wonderful 90s band, Lindeen later published her memoirs, Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story, in 2008. Of course, we had to memoralize her passing with a few tracks from her band. Since it&#821...

Besides the monthly new release episodes, another regular feature of this show is the “quarterly recap”, where I play tracks from the best albums released over the last three months. This month features a wide variety of rock, punk, power pop, Americana, and a few other sub-genres. Everybody should be able to find a new favorite record in this expanded episode. Before we get to the hig...

As today is the first day of summer, putting together a show of summer-related songs seemed like a natural plan. Utilizing primarily new(er) releases, accompanied by a handful of old faves or covers, you have over two hours of songs about not only the season but the sun, baseball, surfing, and other similar seasonal higlights. Also, please head to YouTube and subscribe to our channel – Publi...

The second episode of this month’s new release series picks up right where last week’s ended. Bracketed by two wonderful singles by Hayley and the Crushers, the two hour broadcast features almost a dozen tracks from our friends at Rum Bar Records, a handful of tunes from a great new tribute to Dischord Records, returns from veteran artists such as The Loons, Pat Todd & The Ran...

I don’t think anybody is surprised that once again the monthly new release episode is a two parter. That’s the way this excellent year in music has gone, and will hopefully carry on all the way through December. This week’s episode kicks off with a “friends of the show” series of tracks. There’s the latest in White Rose Motor Oil’s “pre-owned songs&#...

Anyone who has listened to recent episode of The Ledge has heard me wax (somewhat) poetically about Steven H. Gardner’s four-part series of Another Tuneless Racket – Punk and New Wave In The Seventies books. They are quite possibly the greatest documents of late 70’s punk and new wave music. Gardner is a master at combining strong (at times atypical) opinions with deep,...

The May 7 death of musician/engineer/producer/ranconteur Steve Albini shocked music fans all over the world. What may have surprised fans even more is the discovery of just how much classic records he helped create in his four decade run. Besides famously successful records by superstars such as Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey, and others, Albini worked with a wide range of artists, big and small. The...

This month’s second part of the monthly new release series is bookended by a pair of…well, let’s be honest…pretty bizarre cover albums. The first set contains tracks from the “new” duets album by Glen Campbell. How can it be new when he’s been dead since 2017? Well, in 2011 he released an album, Ghost On the Canvas (his 61st!), that featured his versions o...

As we have done all throughout 2024, this month’s new release show is once again a two-part extravaganza. This thrills me, as that obviously means it’s a super great year so far, and I hope this is the case each and every month. This episode’s personal highlight is the first half hour or so of the broadcast, as it features “friends of the show” – artists that ro...

I know the event has plenty of naysayers, but I absolutely love Record Store Day. I love the ritual of standing in line with other record nerds of all ages, and discussing exactly what treats we’re looking for. Even standing in line to pay, a task I generally dread at any retailer, is full of great chats. And then there’s the actual music. As somebody who loves vault material – d...

Tomorrow (April 20) is a sort of unofficial holiday for those of us who are obsessed with music. It’s Record Store Day! To prime myself, and hopefully you fellow music nerds, tonight’s episode is devoted to songs about records, record stores, and the people like us who collect them! It’s another wide range of material, from classic beat sounds of the 60s (Tweeds) to late 70s powe...

Like all of the new release episodes, the second part of this month’s series features a wide range of styles – a little bit Americana, some power pop, a touch of psych, and plenty of good ol’ punk rock. There are bands whose careers go back almost 50 years (Cock Sparrer), along with quite a few who are spotlighting their debuts. From Omaha to Sydney, with a couple of stops in Fra...

I was close to finishing off the tracklists for this month’s two part new release series when I received an unexpected text message from an old friend. Rich Show, the legendary leader of three classic South Dakota bands (No Direction, Flag With Hank, and Violet), along with a number of side projects and solo releases, sent me the files for his upcoming record, Age Appropriate. I could not ha...