The Rodent Hour

08/15/2025

It's the end of an era!

After 20 years in Clinton Hill, the good people at Taqueria Tepango have decided to close up shop.

Before we started serving chili, Lorenzo used to whip up some amazing tacos and burritos for our guests. Heck! There were a few times when he would deliver them himself!

Tepango was also our go to spot in the neighborhood for Mexican food. Even after we'd wrapped up our run at Pratt Institute, Lorenzo would still ask about how things were going with the radio show. He was one class act!

All is not lost though! Lorenzo will continue making magic at La Mesita Restaurant, located at 1513 Myrtle Ave.

07/26/2024

Wow! This is pretty amazing! A member of Pink Flag, the first band that I ever visited with on The Rodent Hour, is going to be playing on Friday night at with their new band - - along with two other former guests - and

This is a seriously great lineup and I hope people will get out to the show. (If only shows were a thing that we still did.)

06/25/2024

Thanks Tom Howard!

Two weeks ago I received this fantastic show poster from one of the OG Rodents, who this show was named after. Not sure who the Crotch Rockets were but NoMeansNo and D.O.A. were hugely influential in my mis-spent youth.

05/08/2024

R.I.P.

"Man Points" from the album F IT by Guillotine Riot produced by Steve Albini.

Shot and directed by: A.F.CORTÉS at Electrical Audio in Chicago during the recording of the album.

Man Points form the album F IT by Guillotine Riot produced by Steve Albini. Shot and directed by: A.F.CORTÉS at Electrical Audio in Chicago during the rec...

04/28/2024

I may not be working out but I am working on a little project and I could use some help.

Of the over 250 unique guests that I visited with on The Rodent Hour, and the untold number of independent artists whose music we included on a playlist, I'm curious to know how many own and operate their own small business?

I don't need the name of your small business, just whether someone in the band owns and operates a small business.

Why am I looking for this information?

As I said, I'm working on a little project and the goal of the project is to convince a small city, one that is hoping to revitalize itself, that they should not overlook the impact that artists and musicians can have on their small city.

Our view has always been that in order for an independent musician to achieve some level of "success" they need to think of themselves as entrepreneurs and to operate like they're a small business.

When I use the term "success" I'm referring to everything from the act of putting a band together and creating music, to playing a show and all the way up to booking and scheduling your own tour. From my perspective I think that the ability to work with and through others to achieve goals is often an overlooked skill that musicians possess. I also think they're skills that are invaluable if you're looking to revitalize your small city.

Admittedly, it's a long shot but I think if you want to revitalize your small city there's no better group to assist with that effort than small business owners.

P.S. Please feel free to share.

04/13/2024

Sharing some fantastic news.

The artist who created our fabulous rodent characters, so many years ago, has signed with a literary agent at Bookends Literary! Hopefully this is a path that will lead to her being a published author/illustrator.

She's also been asked to participate in two art exhibitions. Nice!

We're forever grateful to all of the artists who continue to create art, and music, that we like.

03/30/2024

Today's a great day for a !

I can't believe that it was almost 11 years ago that The Highway played a live set in the studio at Pratt Radio. Time sure does fly!

That's what made Daniel Tortoledo's visit to MakerPark Radio all the more special. It brings me great joy to see artists that I like still sharing their gift with the world. As a fan of music, what more can you ask for?

The playlist for Daniel's visit includes lots of great music but also features tracks by artists who played live in the studio and at Culture Lab LIC.

https://bit.ly/DanielTortoledo

*Dirty - Wah Wah Wah
Lose Control - The Highway
*Won't change a thing - Basic Shapes
Gotta Roll on - Dead Gallery
Many Things - Daniel Tortoledo
*Close Enough - Stress Dolls
Dark Times - Daniel Tortoledo
*Pour Another - The Darts - US
New York - Eden James
TV Shop Winos - Brick Briscoe
Looking For A Girl With A Washing Machine - Big Sleep
*Dada Catapult - The Stolen Moans
Dernier Soir - Les Lullies
Got To Move On - Toxic Tito
*No Return - the Scaners
Gypsy Woman (She Told Me) - Alejandro Meola
Restless Days - Daniel Tortoledo
Interview & Live Performance
Set Me Free - The Highway

*New Music

Daniel Tortoledo is a Venezuelan/American singer-songwriter currently residing in the city of Vienna. He was in NYC to finish the mastering of his new album with Daniel Tortoledo & The Sound Machine.

03/07/2024

I took a stroll through DUMBO the other day and took a swing by BBOX Radio - The studio is looking sharp!

I visited with a lot of good people there and we played a lot of good music by independent artists. We also drank a lot of beer.