In late 2022, Scott Hudson - host of the long-standing, South Dakota-based podcast The Ledge - announced he’d be undertaking “52 Weeks of Teenage Kicks” celebrating a different cover of the classic Undertones song every week on his show. When he asked Jeremy Porter if his Detroit-based band The Tucos would consider contributing, well… Jeremy says:
“I didn’t hesitate. Of course we would! Not only is it a classic tune and an honor to be asked, but I’m a big fan of The Ledge, and Scott has always been so supportive of The Tucos, it was just a no-brainer. It’s not unheard of for someone to come up to us after a show somewhere…anywhere, and tell us that they heard us on Scott’s show.”
The Tucos had studio time booked at their favorite converted-hayloft-on-a-harness-racing-horse-farm recording studio The Loft in Saline, Michigan with engineer/producer Tim Patalan (Sponge, The Fags, Watershed, Cheap Trick) for a different project coming out in the fall, so they threw together an arrangement and bashed it out alongside those other tracks.
Artwork: Jason Bowes
Next thing you know, Tucos’ pals and PR collaborators out of Dayton, Ohio Sweet Cheetah PR put a call out for a new series they’ve organized called Covers for a Cause, where the bands they partner with release a cover song to Bandcamp and all proceeds go to a charity of their choice. The stars aligned, the waters parted, and Jeremy saw an opportunity for some mutually-beneficial cross-pollination around the song, and everyone was immediately on board.
Jeremy’s choice for a charity came to him pretty quickly too. The Detroit-based Hater Kitty Army is run by Sue Summers, a good friend and one the earliest champions of Jeremy’s music in the Detroit area. Says Sue of the Charity:
“Hater Kitty Rescue Army is a neighborhood cat haven on Detroit's Eastside. We have been serving abandoned cats for the past 9 years by providing food, shelter, spay & neutering, and re-homing the ones we can.”
Sue also has a unique connection to the song, bringing this whole four-way circle of music, charity and sharing together:
“The Undertones were one of the first punk bands I saw in concert, at a tiny neighborhood theater that hosted all ages shows. The song "Teenage Kicks" has always been a favorite teenage anthem of mine and still remains timeless.”
Jeremy Porter is a Co-Editor in Chief at Pencil Storm. He lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.thetucos.com
www.facebook.com/jeremyportermusic
www.rockandrollrestrooms.com
Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic
