Last month, we announced some exciting changes coming to our radio broadcast. Well, we’ve hired our new DJs, figured out where our new shows are going to fit, and now we’re ready to share some more details about the shows that will bring new musical perspectives on the air beginning September 13th.
As we previously announced, Eva Walker, currently the host of KEXP's local music program Audioasis, will take over permanent hosting duties for Early, weekdays 5-7AM Pacific. Current Early host Gabriel Teodros will be stepping away from KEXP to pursue his own music and educational work. In addition, hosts Michele Myers and Vitamin D will take over hosting variety mix programming. Myers will shift from her Friday night timeslot to Tuesday nights, 10PM-1AM, and Vitamin D will shift from Street Sounds to variety mix Thursday nights, 10PM-1AM.
We’re incredibly excited to share more about our new specialty programs, which will go live starting Wednesday September 13th. These new shows include -
Astral Plane, a journey through a kaleidoscopic world of psychedelic sounds, every Wednesday from 7-10PM Pacific. Hosted by DJ Jewel, the program explores consciousness-expanding tunes spawning from the counterculture of the 1960’s all the way through today, and dives deep into the jazz, global, and unexpected sources that inspire psychedelic visions. Airing Wednesdays 7-10PM Pacific, and is available on-demand at KEXP.ORG and the KEXP Apps.
Eastern Echoes, a new sonic destination to celebrate Asian artists who are shaping the future while honoring the roots that ground them - Thursdays 7-10PM Pacific. Hosted by Diana Ratsamee, Eastern Echoes is a three hour weekly journey through the vast realm of music from Asia and the Asian diaspora. Airs live Thursday 7-10PM Pacific, and is available on-demand at KEXP.ORG and the KEXP apps.
Sounds of Survivance, spanning the globe with sounds from people whose connection to a land goes back before colonization, and in most cases as far back as time itself. Rotating hosts Tory J (Quinault) and Kevin Sur (Kānaka Maoli) will feature global indigenous music from a variety of genres. From love songs to resistance anthems to free jazz, the show aims to help Indigenous people feel seen, empowered and connected with others who have a shared history. Sounds of Survivance airs live Mondays 3-5AM and is available on-demand at KEXP.ORG and the KEXP Apps.
Changes will come to some current KEXP specialty and genre shows as well -
Lace Cadence will bring his Afrobeats mix to Friday nights, 7-10PM, with The Continent, highlighting Afrobeats and other African pop sounds.
Street Sounds, KEXP's long-running hip hop show, will welcome back former host Stas THEE Boss, joining DJ Yaddy for rotating host duties.
Mechanical Breakdown with DJ Sharlese will add an hour and move to late night Friday following Street Sounds, 1-3AM, spinning synth, wave, post punk and more.
Audioasis, Saturdays 6-9PM, will welcome new host Kennady Quille, who currently fills in as host for variety mix and Audioasis, and is a graduate of KEXP’s 90.TEEN program.
The Roadhouse with Greg Vandy will bring a mix of roots, blues, folk, country, and rock n' roll to Sunday mornings 9AM-Noon, replacing Preachin' the Blues.
Prometheus Brown (Geo Quibuyen) a musician and writer best known for his work as the vocalist half of Seattle duo Blue Scholars, will join KEXP as a fill-in host across a number of programs.
New rotating co-hosts KEXP's Jazz Theater and Wo'Pop will be announced soon.
Just the facts:
New Shows
Changing Roles
New Timeslots
Shows Retiring
About KEXP’s New Hosts:
DJ Jewel
Jewel Loree is a musician, lifelong Pacific Northwest resident, and member of bands including Golden Idols, the Grizzled Mighty, and Frond. In the past, she used skills from her day job to create web scrapers to pull down all the KEXP playlist data to make data dashboards of what songs and artists each of the DJs played most. Her favorite musical genres include modal jazz, Russian late Romantic era symphonies, afrobeat, and mid-aught’s indie sleaze. But more than anything, any music with a psychedelic bent to it.
Diana Ratsamee
Diana Ratsamee is a Lao-American musician, producer, and DJ based out of Seattle, Washington. Her passions lie in connecting people through story-telling, sound, and movement. She’s played at events and festivals throughout the Seattle underground dance scene and led experience design and programming for the Seattle Chinatown International Block Party and festivals throughout Washington. Her musical loves range from everything between disco to psychedelic Southeast Asian rock, city pop to traditional morlum music. Her musical diversity mirrors her dedication to celebrating unity and inclusivity through music.
Tory J
Tory J is an interdisciplinary music scholar and PhD Candidate in Native American Studies at University of California, Davis. He is Quinault from Taholah on the Mouth of the Quinault River and has recently moved back to the Salish Sea from Ohlone territory in San Francisco. A self-taught guitarist and composer, his passion for music stems from a deep curiosity about how relationships between people, traditions, temporalities and the more-than-human world are sounded. During the school year, he will be lecturing part-time in UW's American Indian Studies Department, and hopefully writing some riffs that are worth sharing.
Kevin Sur
Kevin Sur (Kānaka Maoli) is a music event organizer, musician, woodworker, and founder of Artist Home, an organization driven by putting artists on a platform that haven’t been given one. As the organizer of festivals including Timber! Outdoor Music and Doe Bay Fest, Artist Home is also proud to have had an open door offering free consultation services to artists needing help and have been active advocates for musicians and our music spaces. His musical journey started like it did for so many, as a child obsessed with their parent’s record collection. Outside of music work, Kevin can typically be found crafting things in his woodshop, growing things in his garden or just hanging with his family (all while listening to KEXP of course).
Prometheus Brown
Prometheus Brown (aka Geo Quibuyen) is a Cali-born, Hawaii-raised, Pacific Northwest-rooted musician and writer best known for his work as the vocalist half of Seattle duo Blue Scholars. From his time as a youth & student organizer at the University of Washington to the present, Geo has launched creative projects in various mediums and spaces: Rappers W/ Cameras (photography), Food & Sh*t (pop-up restaurant) and Hood Famous Bakeshop. He is currently releasing solo music (as Prometheus Brown) with West Coast-based collective Beatrock Music and writing his first book, Brownouts, featuring photos and essays reflecting on his journey so far.
Stas THEE Boss
Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, Stas THEE Boss (Stasia Irons) is a versatile vocalist, producer, and DJ with a passion for creating eclectic and boundary-pushing music. Having joined forces with Cat Harris-White to form the astral jazz hop duo, THEESatisfaction in 2009, she played an integral role in the group's success, contributing her skills in production, songwriting, and captivating performances. The duo's talent caught the attention of Sub Pop Records, leading to a signing in 2011 and the subsequent release of two acclaimed albums. As a solo artist, she has released a string of impressive digital and vinyl projects. In 2016, she became the first woman to host Seattle's longest running hip hop show, Street Sounds on KEXP.
Check out the full new schedule below.
KEXP announces a series of upcoming changes to our radio programming lineup, including the addition of three new weekly specialty shows, and a new host for Early.
