Martin Douglas dives into Jamboree by Beat Happening. Hailing from Olympia, Washington, the trio lived and breathed the punk rock ideology
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While he may not have enjoyed the widespread attention that Kendrick Lamar received last year for his fantastic To Pimp A Butterfly, rising Oakland rapper Vince Staples deserves just as much credit for pushing the culture in new directions with his own 2015 LP, Summertime '06. Staples' first full-l…
The forthcoming Kurt Vile album may be titled b’lieve i’m goin down..., but the songs on this release only reveal an artist on the rise. KEXP is excited to premiere the streaming debut of Vile's sixth (and strongest) full-length, out September 25th on Matador Records. The Philadelphia-based art…
Historically, Capitol Hill Block Party hasn't booked that many legacy acts, but when they do, they don't screw around. The Flaming Lips' triumphant '13 set, Neko Case's quiet hurricane of a performance in 2012, and now Built To Spill's '15 set will surely go down in those ranks. Built To Spill's le…
When I’ve seen Nils Frahm in the past, it’s been during Decibel Festival, an annual electronic music and visuals festival in Seattle which KEXP covers every year. Because of the event’s interest in creative collaborations, Frahm has been given ample attention to look and sound his best, often paire…
Tom Krell has always been a thinker. On 2010 debut Love Remains, Krell introduced us to his unique blend of slow jam R&B and heady philosophy (what he studied at school in Brooklyn and Cologne, Germany) with an unforgettable collection of heartbreaking magic. On 2012 breakthrough Total Loss, Kr…
Twenty years ago, music had one of its most creatively abundant years of music. 1994 saw strong debut releases in every genre, from Oasis to Outkast. Grunge was at the height of its power with excellent local releases from Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana released their MTV Unpl…
A collaboration with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy Center dedicated to the power of music to lift our spirits and heal our souls.
"I heard today was the first nice day in quite a while, right?" As his band Cayucas starts in on another track of bright, warm, surf pop gold, he banters with a Seattle winter crowd who got to go out in the sun in early March - a near miraculous event by any account. "Coincidence? I don't think so,…
Whether you're feeling moody or in a mood to dance, you'll find what you need among this week's new releases. Topping the list of must-buys in record stores today comes from U.K. trio Daughter, who were a standout during our CMJ broadcast last year with their highly emotive and engaging performanc…
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Larry Mizell, Jr., host of the Afternoon Show on KEXP, is "You Shatter" by Sweeping Promises, from the 2023 album Good Living Is Coming For You on Feel It Records.
Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by John Richards, host of the Morning Show on KEXP, is "Miner for a Dream" by Small Paul, from the 2023 self-released album Come Alive & Live Again.
Capturing the energy in The Showbox SoDo is a difficult task. The venue’s high ceiling stretches for a great distance overhead, and without the proper performance, momentum can dissipate from front to back. Luckily, Run the Jewels are nothing if not seasoned performers. From El-P’s first project, C…
If you were listening to The Morning Show on KEXP this morning, you heard DJ John Richards play the new LCD Soundsystem. As reported yesterday, two songs debuted last night -- "Call the Police" and "American Dream" -- both available now in digital format, and streaming below. No definite news on t…
"I feel like all 4,000 people in this room should hug right now," the mid-30s woman beside me says to me as the house lights go on after The xx show last Monday night. I nod my head in approval. I understand what she means - not hugs of comfort but hugs of recognition of community and of the beauti…
Can you believe it? This Friday, August 26th is the last concert of the 2016 Concerts at the Mural series. It's been an amazing summer of free, all ages music on the lawn of the Mural Amphitheatre! We're gonna close out August with another amazing line-up, and, it's Donor Appreciation Night, so wea…
A warm April Thursday night brought an all-star lineup to the sold-out Moore Theatre in the form of Courtney Barnett and Alvvays. The two groups differ dramatically stylistically, but they are two of the best acts in terms of captivating and connecting with audiences both lyrically and sonically. A…
Half an hour into one of Refused's first performances of 2015, singer Dennis Lyxzen laid out their current manifesto. "You know how when you're teenagers playing music and saying you're revolutionaries everyone just kinda thinks you'll grow out of it?" He grinned. "This is how you know we're just f…
When last we saw Eoin and Rory Loveless, they were making snotty garage rock for boys not yet men who were sick to death of love, and they were doing it in style. The brother duo Drenge found a way to blend some mixture of romance, boyhood, and senseless violence into an addictive, invigorating mix…
Conor Oberst has spent an entire career fighting against expectations. Even if he wasn't saddled with the "new Dylan" tags upon his emergence in the early 2000s, there undoubtedly still would have been a focus on his age (20 at the release of Bright Eyes' 2000 breakthrough Fevers and Mirrors), his …
