KEXP staffers aren't the only Americans to fall under the ethereal spell of Iceland: when musician John Grant played the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival in 2011, he liked it so much, he decided to stay! Performing songs from the album he recorded there, his sophomore release Pale Green Ghosts, Gran…
"Sin Fang in a box", Cheryl Waters called it. It's how Sindri Már Sigfússon solved the problem of taking his Sin Fang project on the road, especially outside of his native Iceland, when he couldn't manage to bring a full band with him. But more importantly, it's also a creative interpretation of hi…
While many have visited Seattle's iconic landmark, the Space Needle, and even braved the 604 foot height to take in the view from the top, only a select few can say that they've stepped onto that 604th foot of the Needle. On July 11th, in celebration of Sub Pop's 25th anniversary, KEXP and Sub Pop'…
All year long, Seattle's own Macklemore has been on the campaign path against the opioid crisis in America, even teaming up with President Obama for a White House Address (see here). Today, he shares a video for the track "Drug Dealer," a homebred single featuring guest vocals from Ariana DeBoo an…
You know a musician is beloved at your local college radio station (circa 1990) when they release a 12" single within months of a full-length LP, and both end up covered in laudatory comments. Such was the case with the "Bomba" record, coming hot on the heels of Without Judgement but no less celebr…
Back in April, Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) had an in-depth, intimate chat with DJ Cheryl Waters before his latest LP, Pure Comedy, had even arrived via Sub Pop Records. (You can listen to that here.) A month later, he reunited with Cheryl for this unique live in-studio session, performing …
Next Tuesday, June 13th, journey to the land of the midnight sun as the Iceland-based trio Moji & the Midnight Sons lights the skies of the Laser Dome at Pacific Science Center. We were thrilled to discover this blues-rocking US/Icelandic trio while at Iceland Airwaves last years, and even more…
Word of Chris Cornell's death late Wednesday night was a blow to the music community, but for Seattle it feels even more personal. Cornell was a cornerstone artist for the Northwest. From Soundgarden to Temple of the Dog and Audioslave to his solo work, Cornell helped define the "Seattle sound" wit…
They look like sisters, maybe even twins, the way that Lucius co-founders Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig style themselves and dress, but like any pair, they can also be opposites - the yin to each other's yang. That duality forms the core of Good Grief, the now LA-based band's second release, which e…
OK, you're all in trouble. Why am I only just now learning about Happy Flowers? Noisy, disturbing/hilarious songs written from the perspective of a toddler? Band members named Mr. Anus and Mr. Horribly Charred Infant? Covers of Big Star, Michael Schenker, and Silver Apples on the same album? These …
It was on this day in 1977 that soft rock icons Fleetwood Mac released their most successful album ever, Rumours. The now-classic LP won the Grammy Award for "Album of the Year" in 1978, and is easily one of the best-selling albums of all time. With this generation growing up on their parents' beat…
In December 2013, Benjamin Curtis of School of Seven Bells passed away after a battle with T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. This February 2016, his bandmate Alejandra Deheza will release the album SVIIB, featuring parts Curtis recorded before his death. In a post on their website, Deheza writes, "Be…
After a highly successful run in 2014, Project Pabst returns this weekend July 17-19th at Zidell Yards in SW Portland. This year's eclectic lineup boasts several impressive big name performers sure to draw a crowd- for example, Blondie, Weezer, and Passion Pit, alongside indie pop band Alvvays, pun…
The local four-piece that calls "Earth" its hometown, The Comettes have honed the sound born in the 1980's - that distorted, etherial, big-voiced rock - and made it their own here and now in 2014. Think: David Byrne, Lou Reed or even Pearl Jam if you slowed down the tape a bit. The band released th…
On-U Sound is a record label based in England since 1979, focusing on dub music in its many forms - or at least some of its many forms - from Lee Scratch Perry to label founder Adrian Sherwood's own work. Compilations have always been a great way for labels to give the world a taste of what they h…
Between his bluegrass voice, genuine love for performance, and one-man-band resilience, there's just something so authentic about Scott H. Biram. If that weren't enough, in 2004, Biram was involved in a near-fatal car crash, requiring him to have his bones re-connected with metal rods and even nec…
Amazingly, Bear Hands have been around since 2006, but haven't gained the recognition they deserve until relatively recently. Before re-locating to Brooklyn's lush music scene, the band suffered through a falling-out and the loss of their first manager. But, despite their ups and downs, their singl…
It's fitting that the Arts in Nature Festival is where Cloud Cult planted the seed. Their concert last summer inside the Lodge at Seattle's Camp Long marked the first time the the Minnesota band went fully acoustic. They had recently rearranged songs spanning their entire catalog for what would bec…
Even if you hadn't caught her 2011 solo debut, Last Summer, you'd know at first listen to the vocals on her latest album, Personal Record, who Eleanor Friedberger is. Hers is the unmistakeable nasal drawl that characterizes the songs of The Fiery Furnaces, which Friedberger comprises with her broth…
There are some shows where a three or four paragraph description just doesn't cut it, and if you know anything about Oxford indie rock band Foals, then you know this is one of those shows. That being said, I'm not even going to try - the pictures (and my ringing ears) speak for themselves. June 1st…
