The very first band we had in during our residency at Breakglass Studios for POP Montreal was Montreal-via-Beirut duo Wake Island. Comprised of Philippe Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal, the two grew up in war-torn Beirut before coming to Montreal where they ended up meeting in college and bonding over t…
If you call yourself an Arcade Fire fan and have seen the band at least once in the live setting, there's a good chance that you need absolutely no introduction to Will Butler. When Arcade Fire skyrocketed to the moon amongst the Reflektor hype of 2013, it was clear that the one facet of their musi…
Unlikely Friends is a band that really is described by anything but the band's name choice. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised the band hasn't existed up until this point. A collaboration between D. Crane of BOAT and Charles Bert of Math and Physics Club with the help of Chris Mac on drums seems like a …
We woke up Kex Hostel this morning with a surprise dorm room performance by DJ flugvél & geimskip, who rolled in all her equipment on a cart equipped with a speaker, lit incense, turned on some DJ lights, and greeted the sleepy travelers with charming electronic backed songs about evil cats, ma…
For a two piece group, Solids never ceases to thrash around. The Montréal based band, comprised of Xavier Germain Poitras on guitar and Louis Guillemette on drums, already has quite a following. In 2010, Solids released an EP, Generic Dogs, and would later disseminate two 7"s, one titled Fog Friend…
The guys in Iska Dhaaf are overachievers. Not only do they write and record music together with a meticulous eye for detail, but they both maintain separate projects besides. Seattleites will recognize guitarist/vocalist Nathan Quiroga from his word slinging antics as Buffalo Madonna from Mad Rad a…
Sunscreen for the Eastern Washington sun? Check. Sleeping bag for the few moments you'll be able to sleep? Check? Earplugs for when your 'drums need a break? Check. Booty shorts for dancin'? Check. High energy bars for, uh... energy? Check. Roadtrip music for the journey out to The Gorge? Double an…
Ah, it's time for another dip into the "Bands Levi Really Should Have Been Paying Attention to at the Time" file. I can't tell you how many Red Lorry Yellow Lorry records I flipped past in my teenaged record-store-digging days, and I'm sure I heard them on one of our fine local college radio statio…
Mychal Cohen, lead singer for Seattle band Campfire OK, seems to always be singing behind a wry smile. In fact, each of the band members seem to share this sense of playing through a wink. From keyboard player, to vocals to banjos, bass and drums, the band imbues an aura of comfort and happiness – …
Rounding out tonight’s broadcast live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves is Borko. Though it is not uncommon for Icelandic musicians to have their fingers in many pots, Borko (Björn Kristiansson) takes the idea to a whole new level. He immerses himself in essentially every aspect of local music, …
Seattle band Ivan & Alyosha, in the lineage of local powerhouses the Head and the Heart and the Fleet Foxes, are masters of the bright, jangly guitars, tight, soaring harmonies and steady kick-drum rhythms. But there is something distinct about them, too – the band has more joy to it than maybe…
“It’s like watching a movie,” DJ Cheryl Waters exclaimed during the elaborate in-studio performance by Shugo Tokumaru. The Japanese musician, famous for using more than 100 different instruments in his album recordings, incorporates so many instruments in his music, from the more traditional guitar…
The love NYC drummer Miles Arntzen holds for the music of Nigerian legend Fela Kuti is so great it can't be contained by just one band. Arntzen, who drums for well-known funksters Antibalas, also started yet another 10+ member afrobeat-inspired group in EMEFE. Formed a year before his joining Antib…
A catchy melody doesn't just get stuck in your head – it lives there. You sit with it, sometimes for days or even years, ruminating on it whether you want to or not. Writing just one of these songs can be an accomplishment. Portland songwriter Mo Troper does this 15 times over on his latest album, …
T.Wan is Seattle native Tiffany Wan, a member of the TUF collective and a steadfast devotee of the ideal dance floor vibe. Her heart beats excitedly to acid-tinged rhythms, jacking Chicago and Detroit house, seductively pulsating disco, and nearly anything with hand drums. Trusted behind the decks …
Our third rocking set from Iceland Airwaves at Kex Hostel was Dublin droning noise act Girl Band. This younger Irish band has no girls, nor do they sound anything like the poppy sound their name might suggest. Instead, this four piece is driven by Adam Faulkner's fast, energetic drums and loud, Dan…
NO? Why,"yes!". Serendipity gave rise to the band NO; the founding members met each other, by chance, in a Los Angeles diner and began sharing stories of their favorite musicians and disastrous relationships. Like all greats, their music has a melancholy tinge without being too sentimental. NO fron…
Noise-rock duo Stagnant Pools have been compared to the likes of Sonic Youth and Disappears, but they truly have a flavor all their own. Bryan and Douglass Enas are recent graduates of Indiana University that are using this exciting time in their lives to make a dream a reality. The brothers have t…
All day tomorrow, we'll be counting down KEXP listeners' Top Albums of 2012 all day, and there's no doubt that local band The Helio Sequence will have a strong showing. That it took four years to release Negotiations isn't too surprising, considering the Portland duo usually take their time perfect…
