Their name spoofs the The Shangri-Las, their songs check the sounds of the 60's, from British Invasion to West Coast country rock -- the record store rats of Allah-Las have long been interested in contextualizing the history of rock with the music of today, both with their on-going, lost classics-unearthing radio show, Reverberation (now offered online), and by writing their own songs together for the past several years. In creating their excellent retro sounding self-titled debut, a year-end favorite for many critics and KEXP listeners, Allah-Las teamed up with another mid-century music champion and aficionado, Nick Waterhouse, to produce and to eventually tour with (they both also share a record label, Innovative Leisure). Both artists share a love of old L.A., though while Waterhouse may have been more likely to be found in the R&B dancehalls, Allah-Las, with their entrancing mix of western psychedelia and sunny vibes, would rather lose themselves in the desert or head out to the beach. Fortunately for us, they found the time while on tour with Waterhouse this fall to stop by KEXP for a terrific in-studio session. Watch the videos here:
Full Performance:
Before they headlined our fourth Little Big Show at the Neptune, Swedish duo First Aid Kit stopped by our studio to chat with Stevie Zoom about Bright Eyes, the Polar Music Prize, and their remarkable harmonies. Klara and Johanna Söderberg made a great first impression with their cover of Fleet Fox…
Bobbing for hits. Though Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard was making light of the his band's songwriting process during his interview with KEXP's Stevie Zoom, the fact is, with all the songs he's written over nearly the past decade, he'd accumulated enough songs he's grown fond of but never…
