June 21st was the Summer Solstice, the longest day of 2019. This year, on the longest day, KEXP dedicated the daylight time to celebrating beauty and joy of a declining trend — long songs. All day, KEXP DJs played tracks longer than 6 minutes and 13 seconds, the length of Bob Dylan’s classic "Like a Rolling Stone." When the track was recorded in 1965, Dylan’s label Columbia Records was reluctant to release it, deeming it too long for commercial success. However, after the track was leaked to an influential DJ and played on the radio, the song eventually became a global hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Music Charts.
“Its remarkable that which music can be played on the radio would be restricted by the length of a song,” said KEXP Morning Show host and Director of Programming, On-Air, John Richards. “For the most part, it was (and still is) a rule that songs must be around 2-3 minutes to work on most stations. Of course, the powers that be were wrong in the case of Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone, and the song proved a hit. This programming is a reminder that KEXP has never been a station that cares how long a song is!”
Re-listen to the show via KEXP's Two-Week Streaming Archive. [ Stream Expires: 7/5 ]
On Wednesday, June 19th, KEXP celebrated Juneteenth with a very special evening of music from DJs Riz and Gabriel Teodros.
“Juneteenth isn’t just a commemoration of a specific injustice in our history, but a celebration of coming to terms with and making right of that injustice, a celebration of freedom from within our borders, and a continuation of building bridges and stirring the great pot that makes this country what it is today,” remarked Rollins, who has been an on-air host at KEXP for more than 25 years.
Juneteenth (aka “Freedom Day” or “Juneteenth Independence Day”) celebrates the abolition of slavery in Texas in June 1865, specifically the news and enforcement of abolition when a brigade of Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, TX, two months after the Confederacy’s surrender (and two years after the Emancipation Proclamation). In 1980, Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a state holiday; today, 45 states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth as either a state holiday or day of observance.
Re-listen to the show via KEXP's Two-Week Streaming Archive. [ Stream Expires: 7/3 ]
On Wednesday, June 12th, DJ Greg Vandy aired a special three-hour show titled Daddy’s Songs: Greg Vandy’s Father’s Day Show In The Roadhouse. As he explains it, it "features songs about magic dragons, numbers, coconuts, pinballs, clapping, pretty trees, jumping, career opportunities, riding in cars, the zoo, horse racing, sticks, an amazing dancing bear named Simon, raindrops, a dog with three legs, and the eternal question of “why?”. The show is chalk-full of lovable characters from Bert & Ernie, The Electric Company, Kermit The Frog,The Disco Duck, The Muppets, and Fat Albert to Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney, Leon Redbone, The Pointer Sisters, Randy Newman, The Dickies, T. Rex, Shel Silverstein, Louie Armstrong, Dr John (RIP), Odetta, Roger Miller, and Woody Guthrie, and his son Arlo, who play together for the first time through some crazy audio magic. Novelties and TV bits too. There are over 60 songs!"
Re-listen to the show via KEXP's Two-Week Streaming Archive. [ Stream Expires: 6/26 ]
Multi-genre program featuring eclectic sets by a rotating cast of international and local DJs, each building upon a party vibe to kick off your weekend. Check out the archives of previous exclusive mixes here, and check out the upcoming schedule below:
On Thursday, March 28th, KEXP presented Music Heals: Beyond Cancer, a day of programming dedicated to the power of music and the part it plays for those facing cancer. John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole read stories shared with us by members of our community and featured songs that helped them through the healing process either emotionally or physically. While their shows are no longer available via the streaming archive, you can revisit them now now using KEXP Remixed (beta).
What is KEXP Remixed? Listen to brand new mixes created from KEXP's broadcast archive! By breaking our live broadcast back into the highly-curated 'sets' of music our DJs have created, we can 'Remix' these mini-playlists in new and interesting ways.
KEXP’s Morning Show host, John Richards, presents the KEXP Running Powered Podcast, a series of Music That Matters podcasts. Enjoy these training podcasts, featuring high-energy local and international artists with songs about running and songs that will motivate runners. Download now and allow KEXP’s resident runner to amplify your inspiration and soundtrack your next run.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, KEXP presented the latest in our series of album breakdowns on Thursday, June 21st, dissecting the classic platinum-selling Public Enemy record It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Over the course of 12 hours for this live radio event, the station played every discernable recording sampled on the album, along with exclusive interviews with Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D, the producer of the record Hank Shocklee of the Bomb Squad, Ishmael Butler of Shabazz Palaces and Digable Planets, former KEXP DJ Larry Mizell, Jr., professor, writer, and historian Dr. Daudi Abe, and more. It’s a celebration of Public Enemy, only on KEXP, where Public Enemy really matters.
