Chicago guitarist/songwriter Ryley Walker blows back into the Emerald City to bring a little Windy City whimsy into the KEXP live room. Drawing likely comparisons to Tim Buckley and Ray Lamontagne for his heartfelt folk style, Walker treats us to four fabulous cuts from his sophomore LP, Primrose G…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ's think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Aft…
Andrew W.K. is a brilliant capitalist. Need proof? Here's one: he's still a cultural zeitgeist even now in 2015. Generations have come to Andrew through a stunning variety of mediums. You may know him from his now-classic 2001 party soundtrack to end all party soundtracks I Get Wet, or from his con…
When Surfer Blood stopped by the KEXP studios last month, they surprised us with a great cover of the Polaris song "Hey Sandy" (which you can watch here). Now, they've released a cover of the Outkast hit "Hey Ya" for an upcoming compilation titled Amazon Acoustics, a collection of 30 exclusive cov…
I have a confession to make: Not unlike some KCMU DJs circa 1986, I am woefully ignorant of the career and voluminous musical output of Wanda Jackson, also known as the Queen of Rockabilly - or just the Queen of Rock. (Obviously I haven't been reading the KEXP blog enough, or this DJ El Toro review…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on The Afte…
There's always drama with Tame Impala, according to frontman and band mastermind Kevin Parker, but this time, it's only relative to the backstage amenities: the refrigerator holding their beer is leaking. But considering that Parker and his bandmates have their light show and all of their gear – wh…
By the time this gets posted, Mac DeMarco's Brooklyn backyard will be overflowing with fans. Last night, the charismatic artist invited everyone over to 153 Morgan Avenue to hear unreleased music that he'll be blasting from his car stereo (presumably his forthcoming mini-album Another One out on A…
Last night at Chop Suey, the full lineup for the third annual Macefield Music Festival was announced. The 2015 lineup is the best yet, featuring a deep roster of NW artists including Mark Lanegan, Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, Grace Love & the True Loves, Thunderpussy, Fox & the La…

In 2018, KEXP celebrated the 30th anniversary of local record label Sub Pop with a four-month retrospective, "counting up" every catalog number in their vast discography of over 1,200 releases. Dig into the archives of our catalog coverage, featuring in-depth coverage on the history of their releases.