As the business model for the 21st music industry continues to shift and evolve, more and more artists are forming small, independent collectives, compiling funds between the group to make distribution easier to take on financially, but keeping ownership and obligations independent. One of the best…
At KEXP, our editorial guidelines are more than just rules; they are a manifestation of our core mission, vision and values, brought to life through the power of storytelling.
A mosh pit of all smiles is a beautiful and wonderful thing. Real mosh pits are great to start with. Not fake circle pits where following the leader dominates any true form of atomic self expression, but a real "I drank a little too much and don't mind being throw around by the couple people who re…
The artist K.Flay lost hearing in one ear last fall and it hasn’t returned since
XL Records is entering a very fun new chapter - chapter six to be exact. Last fall (and this spring with the physical edition), the label released Chapter VI, the first entry in their ongoing electronic compilation series since Chapter V back in 1995. The label has seen a ridiculous amount of growt…
Madrid indie rock quartet Hinds made their full length debut on Mom + Pop at the turn of the new year with a fantastic album called Leave Me Alone. But, after seeing them live, it's hard not to interpret the title as being somewhat ironic, because there are few bands around that are as fun to be in…
Portland singer Charlie Hilton and her band Blouse have consistently found themselves in KEXP's watch list for rising talent. Blouse played Iceland Airwaves back in 2012 behind their first record, then toured extensively behind Imperium, their second, including a great stint with Dum Dum Girls. Thi…
Pearl Nelson, also known as Pearl Dragon of the band Champagne Champagne, talks about idolizing Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, falling into addiction on tour, and his path to recovery.
At long last, this week, LA noise rock act HEALTH drop their third proper LP. It's a record I've been wanting to hear for almost six years i.e. as soon as their second, Get Color, left heavy rotation in the fall of 2009 after weeks and weeks of repeat listens. But HEALTH haven't left us completely …
Tuesday night was just another night in the weird, wonderful world of the Crocodile. Some nights, you can see phenomenal jazz and soul, others you'll witness scorching rock shows with face melting guitar solos and pyrotechnics (maybe). Then nights like Tuesday, you'll stand facing the back wall wit…
Touring heavy records is hard. In today’s day and age, heavy-handed works of staggering genius are hardly appreciated in the album form, let alone trying to communicate that weight in a crowded room facing a loaded bar. But in these heavy times, there are those who brave the difficulties and make i…
"I felt a blue wave coming on." If there were any way to sum up the trying events that led up to the amalgamation of Dan Boeckner's latest project Operators, the album's title track does it pretty well. Dan Boeckner, responsible for Wolf Parade (alongside Spencer Krug) and Handsome Furs (alongside …
