Filling the KEXP studio with his breezy pop/rock tunes, Nic Hessler flawlessly paints a picture of summer by the shore with a sound that is unmistakably Californian. Originally signed to Captured Records under the name Catwalk, he halted his career when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with an autoimm…
All week long in advance of KEXP’s third annual Record Fair this Saturday, Sept. 8, Afternoon Show host DJ Kevin Cole gives us a look inside his record collection at some of his rarest and most loved records.
Seattle soul/funk guitarist Jimmy James talks to KEXP about everything from his guitar strings, amp, and pedal preferences, to the impact of good music and the power of individuality.
Two of Seattle’s premiere DJs and producers chat about their process ahead of their S’women/Love Memo split vinyl release on Crane City Music.
Miki Berenyi & KJ ‘Moose’ McKillop of Piroshka share the tools they used the craft the dream-pop magic on their latest LP, Love Drips And Gathers.
Indie rock stalwarts Interpol returned to the scene earlier this year with a fantastic new LP, El Pintor, ten tracks of ageless Interpol mastery, heavy on the guitar hooks and light on filler. After a brief foray on a major label with 2007's impossibly underrated Our Love To Admire, tumultuous band…
So I might have been ranting about various shows this weekend being the best shows I saw - but here's the thing. Yes, they were amazing performances by talented musicians, but Killer Mike's set at the Yeti stage topped all of them. There is something about witnessing a brilliant musician finally re…
It's hard to believe, but LAKE are celebrating their tenth anniversary as a band this year. The charming Northwest outfit formed in Olympia, debuting at frontman Eli Moore's birthday party, and since then, have released eight full-lengths, four of those on legendary local label K Records. Over the …
With Ibeyi, every song is a blessing, sometimes quite literally. The Parisian born twin sisters reach deep into their French-Cuban ancestry and call upon the spirits of Santería on their debut LP, which blends Yoruban evocations with contemporary expressions of love and loss. Their music is, as the…
Back in 2010, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim collaborated on the concept album and "disco musical" Here Lies Love, which tells the story of former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. Following award-winning runs in New York, London, and Adelaide, Australia, the project has now arrived in Sea…
Portland-via-New Zealand band Unknown Mortal Orchestra share a fantastically animated clip for the track "Necessary Evil," off their latest Jagjaguwar release Multi-Love. Artist and director Sean Solomon says, "The video is an abstract love story about two characters whose insecurities and paranoi…
Veteran indie rock trio Yo La Tengo tackle iconic goth-poppers The Cure on their forthcoming covers album Stuff Like That There, out August 28th on Matador Records. Check out their rendition of the 1990 hit "Friday, I'm in Love" in this video directed by Jason Woliner. As drummer/vocalist Georgia …
Few bands pack the emotional wallop of Cloud Cult. Ever the seekers, the Midwest band has always tackled the big questions, the universal, philosophical and existential one -- who are we, where do we come from, where do we go, what do we do with each other while we're here? Cloud Cult albums are li…