Amidst the dour lyrical sentiments and ill-fitting raincoats of the '80s UK indie scene, South London quintet The Woodentops injected much-needed bursts of optimism. While Morrissey pissed and moaned about every insurmountable obstacle life pitched in his path, The Woodentops' frontman Rolo McGinty…
No one knew it at the time, but Saturday would be the end of Austin City Limits 2013. Rain had been threatening all weekend, and around 9:45 p.m., it finally showed up, and as of Sunday morning, it hasn't left. That being said, Saturday would have been a hard day to top. The weather was (mostly) wa…
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 comes from the murder…
So I had literally just walked from CHVRCHES set at Sasquatch and opened my computer to write about said set when I found out that they had just released "Guns" - an amazingly good track that basically runs pop-synth circles around most other pop that's been released this summer. "Did you feel so c…
From hard hitting hip-hop to hard hitting punk rock, with a little psychedelic drone rock thrown in for good measure, DJ Kevin Cole brings you a mind bending mix on Freak Reaction. 1. All Them Witches - Bruce Lee 2. Tim Darcy - Tall Glass of Water 3. The Afghan Whigs - Demon In Profile 4. Broth…
For her first mix of 2017, Cheryl Waters gathers tracks from as far north as Norway, as far south as Australia, and, as always, some local Seattle tunes for a vibrant set featuring new tracks from Laura Marling, The Besnard Lakes, and Moon Duo. 1. Laura Marling - Soothing2. Jenny Hval - Female Va…
KEXP has a special love for Operators in the live setting. Sure, synth-heavy brainchild of Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits) would fit on KEXP's airwaves regardless, but we have history together. Three days after the band announced it existed, they played on KEXP and later in t…
Another year of Capitol Hill Block Party has arrived, bringing with it a sea of bro-tank tops, increased public intoxication, and a variety of local and national music acts. The music of Day 1 was quite good, with sets from Noname, Thundercat, and Katie Kate starting off the festival on an upbeat n…
Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi has shared a new solo track -- stream the single "Simple Gifts" below, a take on a traditional Shaker song originally written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett. This modern version will appear on the upcoming soundtrack for the movie The Circle, starring Tom Hanks and Emm…
Has it really been 20 years? Scottish post-punk band Mogwai celebrate two decades as a band with the retrospective collection Central Belters, a box set of hits and rarities available as a three-CD or six-LP. As an example of the goods, today they share a video for an 18-year-old track “Helicon 1″…
Florence & the Machine have announced their new summer and fall tour schedule for How Big How Blue How Beautiful. They will hit several festivals like Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits, before their final stop brings them here to Seattle. Key Arena will host Florence Welch and company on October…
Describing the appeal of Mac DeMarco is like trying to explain the funniest joke you've ever heard to someone half your age. Words will only make you seem hopelessly out of touch. For all his goofball antics, the New York based, Canadian born singer-songwriter writes some catchy and melodious tunes…
For as good natured a duo as you're like to find, Cary Ann Heart and Michael Trent can get darker and more dangerous than you can imagine. As Shovels & Rope, they play gritty boot-stompin' roots-rock that spans between rousing sing-alongs, heartwarming ballads and harrowing tales of vengeance. …
This week we celebrate the 15th year of one of Seattle’s favorite hometown labels: Barsuk Records! Since its birth in 1998, Barsuk has helped create a platform for dozens of great bands, from the Pacific northwest and otherwise, to get off the ground and put forth incredible music. Even in the deca…
This week we celebrate the 15th year of one of Seattle’s favorite hometown labels: Barsuk Records! Since its birth in 1998, Barsuk has helped create a platform for dozens of great bands, from the Pacific northwest and otherwise, to get off the ground and put forth incredible music. Even in the deca…
This week we celebrate the 15th year of one of Seattle’s favorite hometown labels: Barsuk! Since its birth in 1998, Barsuk has helped create a platform for dozens of great bands, from the Pacific northwest and otherwise, to get off the ground and put forth incredible music. Even in the decade and a…
Sunday at Bumbershoot 2013 was just about as good as it gets at Seattle’s hometown festival. Beginning with Kithkin’s tribal hair-cutting and ending with an incredible turnout in Key Arena for Death Cab For Cutie’s 10th anniversary performance of Transatlanticism and packing pretty much everything …
If you're not spending your lunch time downtown, you're missing out. On Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, the Metropolitan Improvement District in cooperation with Downtown Seattle Association presents the Out to Lunch Summer Concert Series, featuring a diverse lineup of bands and artists performing …
Understandably, Vancouver band Weed often has difficulty crossing the border. In fact, KEXP's John Richards had to write a letter so they could travel from Canada to perform live with him on the Morning Show last month. But it's really not the sticky green stuff border guards try to sniff out that …
It always does my heart good when a band's Wikipedia entry starts with the present tense ("The Celibate Rifles are an Australian punk rock band... "). It lets me know that however long ago this band began (1978 or -9 for this particular Australian punk rock band, depending on whom you ask), their s…
