For creators and fans alike, music has always provided catharsis, relief and healing. But Few artists tap so directly into that power as Tim Showalter, whose project Strand of Oaks goes so far as to name its most recent album Heal. Like pages from a diary, the Philly-based songwriter's lyrics delve…
Despite her delicate stature and soft-spoken voice, Malian musician Rokia Traoré is one strong artist. Since 2012, her West African home has been besieged by a military coup d'état in the capital city of Bamako. The political power struggle has created a tension that fueled her fifth and most power…
Oxnard, California-based power-pop singer-songwriter Nic Hessler and his band perform songs from his brand new record ‘Soft Connections' live on KEXP's The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters. Recorded 07/13/2015 - 5 songs: Intro/Expel Me, (Please) Don't Break Me, Soon You'll See, Kristi…
Influential icon Thurston Moore shares a new track today: stream the stand-alone single "Cease Fire" below. The former Sonic Youth frontman explains the inspiration for the track, "Guns are designed to kill and we, as non-violent human beings, are against the killing of any person or animal. The s…
Is it weird that I actually noticed that singer Jason Bartell was wearing the same star studded shirt today at Sasquatch that he was wearing during Fang Island's session in 2010 at KEXP? I only notice because that's one way I think of their music - the sincerity of their power chord power stance pe…
Nothing says the start of the summer quite like the Northwest Folklife Festival, the nation's largest community powered festival... and KEXP's future neighbors at Seattle Center! Now in its 43rd year, Northwest Folklife Festival is a family affair, with the expanded hands-on Discovery Zone and nea…
Today, KEXP, in collaboration with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy Center, present the latest in our Music Heals series, focusing on the power of music to lift our spirits and heal our souls in the face of cancer. Over the years, this terrible disease has taken many beloved artists …
Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is a timeless, powerful document of righteous aggression centered around the oppression of the African-American people. Martin Douglas explores the album's themes of blackness and why the album is just as resonant today as it was three de…
Mali-based world, afro-pop, ngoni performer Bassekou Kouyate and his band Ngoni Ba performs songs from their hypnotically mesmerizing new record "Ba Power" live on KEXP's Wo' Pop hosted by DJ Rhythma. Recorded 07/14/2015 - 4 songs: Musow Fanga, Jama ko, Abé Sumaya, Siran Fen.
For many of us who grew up in the punk era, the sound of the Sex Pistols -- that power, energy, propelled by a sneer -- was life-changing. For me, it was those guitar chords. That sound -- copied over and over by legions of guitarists since -- changed my life on a cold, sunny day in a Victorian hou…
KEXP's Morning Show host, John Richards, presents the first in a new series of Music That Matters podcasts, it's our Runner Powered Podcast, Volume 1. Enjoy this one hour training podcast, featuring 16 high-energy local and international artists with songs about running and songs that wi…
We are proud to unveil the “Communi-tee,” our latest KEXP T-shirt. Chad Syme is the artist behind the new design, which is available exclusively when you support KEXP during the Spring Drive. Donate $100 or more today to power diverse programming on KEXP, and you can choose the exclusive “Communi-t…
Local band Tacocat lead the pack in a very busy week of new releases. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says "this Seattle band's third album is an excellent set of punkish power-pop with crunchy, occasionally surfy guitars, energetic rhythms, sugary melodies and often-biting, wickedly humorous lyrics …
Lots of great releases this week for your Spring soundtrack: L.A. duo Best Coast return with what KEXP's Music Director Don Yates describes as a "consistently strong set of ‘90s-influenced power pop, featuring a big, punchy sound with fuzzy guitars, energetic rhythms and Bethany Cosentino’s honeyed…
Kurt Vile is commemorating his upcoming album by commissioning a mural in his hometown of Philadelphia. Violators guitarist Jesse Trbovich posted a photo of Steve Powers' mural on Facebook yesterday and confirmed that Wakin' on a Pretty Daze is, in fact, the title of the record. When asked if Vile …
Ranging from searing heat to sludgy gravel, Meatbodies' powerful, muscular, and meaty (of course) garage rock is an immediate rush of blood to the head, more than ever on their latest album, Alice. Joining DJ Morgan in studio, the band runs through six Alice tracks, discusses their guilty p…
KEXP presents a preview of the fifth installment of Reykjavík Calling, a cross-cultural musical exploration featuring pairings and creative collaborations between musicians from sister cities Seattle and Reykjavik, Iceland. Recorded 10/10/2014 - 4 songs: Color Decay (Júníus Meyvant), You've Been F…
Closing out a fantastic week of music live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival were London-based power-pop trio Dream Wife. The band is comprised of London-based musicians Alice and Bella, and Icelandic singer Rakel, who are known for their super-fun performances and strange, beautif…
Since her arrival in Seattle, Katie Kate, rapper and producer, already carries one album, Flatland, as well as two singles, Buffalo and Zombie, underneath her belt. A New-York native and Cornish alum, Katie Kate's been creating art and impacting communities on both sides of the coast. As a conseque…
