The Ledge (mp3)

When I read that the 35th anniversary date of the release of the fifth Replacements full-length album, Pleased to Meet Me, fell on a “Ledge” night, it obviously became the focal point for a theme. I decided to celebrate the birthday by recreating the album’s track listing with covers of each and every song. This became a bit of an issue, however, as some songs were missing from m...

Once again, the monthly new release episode of The Ledge features some great new tunes from a variety of genres – Americana (Wilco, Drive-By Truckers, John Doe), power pop (Nick Piunti, The Sweet Things), indie rock (Dehd, Savak), and punk (Malta Vista, Screeching Weasel), among others. There’s also great new releases from our friends at Rum Bar Records, Big Stir Records, and...

As I’ve stated before, I have a special folder where I toss in various great cover tunes as I come across them. It was pretty much perfect timing that my folder became “show-length” just in time for this holiday weekend. What better way to begin the summer with revved-up remakes of some of our favorite tunes? Plus, I’ll take any opportunity to give more airplay to my pal Da...

I understand that many, if not most, people look at the deluge of box sets, reissues, and live albums as just more excuses how the record industry will suck any pennies they can get out of an artist. It’s a valid view. However, I live for this stuff. Sure, my main inspiration is new music, but if I love an artist I want everything. I want the live recordings. I want the demos and outtakes. I...

I may have labelled last week’s part one of the monthly new release series as only “friends of the show” but that doesn’t mean this episode is nothing but unknown artists. In fact, quite a few acts are pretty regular Ledge artists. The super prolific Wild Billy Childish is back with not one but two new projects. A new supergroup, UltraBomb, featuring members of Husker Du, T...

Once again, I have so much new music that the monthly new release episode has to be a two part extravaganza. Part one is dedicated to “friends” of the show. There’s new releases from friendly labels such as Big Stir Records and Rum Bar Records. There’s tunes from quite a few artists that routinely submit their tracks for inclusion. And there’s material...

I have a few friends who are no fans of Record Store Day, but I love it. Yes, everyday is Record Store Day for me, but it is one of the few days of the year that I’m a social butterfly. I absolutely love the bonding of music geeks in the lines outside stores, and over the years I’ve actually made some friendships out of these same people who brave the elements on this day. We actually...

For a large percentage of Wilco fans, the glory days of that band were in the late 90’s and early 00’s, with classic albums such as Being There, Summerteeth, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It’s no coincidence that those records, along with collaborations with Billy Bragg on previously-unrecorded Woody Guthrie tunes, featured multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett. And when I say multi-inst...

The music world was shocked when news came out on April 9 that Chris Bailey, the leader of The Saints, had passed away. This legendary band actually predated The Damned and The Sex Pistols with the self-release of their classic first single, “(I’m) Stranded”. The original lineup went on to put out a trio of great records before they imploded. Bailey kept The Saints going, though,...

I was so excited to upload last night’s episode of The Ledge, as I believed I had a pretty cool theme put together. Unfortunately, once the live broadcast on RealPunkRadio concluded, I discovered that my recording device had malfunctioned. Still determined to share the episode, I decided to rerecord on Saturday afternoon. The first ten minutes of the broadcast had survived, so I included tha...

Once again, the wealth of new music released over the last month has been staggering. There’s teh return of some greats from the past, such as Cindy Lawson, Jon Spencer, and The Len Price 3. There’s not one but two records from Wild Billy Childish’s The William Loveday Intention. David Nance, Kevin Morby, and Daniel Romano continue to blur the genre lines with their new albums. R...

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...