We should consider ourselves lucky to call Prism Tats "local", however briefly. Though Garett van der Spek hails from Durban, South Africa, he conceived this solo project after moving to Seattle. The Emerald City is in fact where he also formed the duo Koko and the Sweetmeats with his then sweethea…
Congratulations to Mavis Staples, who just won a Grammy last night for Best American Roots Performance. It's great timing as the legendary blues singer will release Livin' On A High Note, on Friday. This, her fourteenth studio album, features songs written by Justin Vernon, M. Ward, Benjamin Booker…
For his latest film, A Bigger Splash, director Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love) reached out to guitar-dynamo St. Vincent (a.k.a. Annie Clark) to cover The Rolling Stones 1980 single "Emotional Rescue." Listen below. Clark said in an e-newsletter, "I saw an 11 AM showing of I Am Love at the sunshine cin…
KEXP premiered an album stream of the latest from Portland band Radiation City last week, and it's now in stores. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes their latest, "features a more synth-driven sound for their eclectic dream-pop, combining bright synths and glittering guitars with funk-inflected rh…
James Blake is sly as a fox. While everyone was completely distracted by Kanye West's album drop and fashion nonsense, Blake debuted a gorgeous new song called "Modern Soul" during his BBC Radio 1 show. It's such an incredible song and Blake's effortlessly stunning vocals will blow you away. Serio…
Every year, EMP's Sound Off! competition showcases emerging stars in the all-ages music scene. Previous winners have included The Lonely Forest, Dyme Def, Sol, Kithkin, Brothers from Another, Manatee Commune, Fauna Shade, Schoolyard Heroes, Tomten, and Brite Futures, just to name a few. This Saturd…
Though a relative unknown here in the states, singer/songwriter Marlon Williams is a star in his native New Zealand and his recently-adopted home of Australia. At the age of 17, he, some high school classmates, and their apparently-pretty-cool science teacher formed the band The Unfaithful Ways. In…
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.
