Portland band's latest covers the mystic and ancestral journey led by singer and composer Luz Elena Mendoza.
Lena Simon is a wizard. She plays bass, guitar, drums, keys and sings. She's been on Leno with Mary Lambert, has toured Europe with La Luz (who, incidentally, just announced a tour with Ty Segal) and writes songs for her band Kairos. She's also a generous soul with a great deal of compassion and in…
Shana Cleveland (La Luz frontwoman) & The Sandcastles stop by the KEXP studio to perform a dreamy set of psych-tinged folk-pop. Recorded 06/26/2015 - 4 songs: Butter & Eggs, Itching Around, Holy Rollers, Golden Days.
“I'm just writing to write and to let that be heard.” Luz Elena Mendoza says she processes events and experiences pretty quickly, and it shows in her songs, full of musical ideas with vibrant energy. The Y La Bamba leader clearly has a lot to say, and in this session with DJ Sharlese on Audio…
Effortlessly weaving notes together to create airy, meandering harmonies, Shana Cleveland truly shines in the KEXP studio. In comparing Cleveland's other music project La Luz, which has has quickly gained a respectable fan base over the past years, Shana Cleveland & The Sandcastles' 6-year time…
La Luz has been through a lot since their debut EP Damp Face hit the airwaves and internets. From a U.S. tour, to playing with Of Montreal and The Head and the Heart, to sustaining serious injuries after getting hit by a semi while on the road, to releasing their new LP, It's Alive, to replacing th…
Our first live act of the day at Kex Hostel from Iceland Airwaves is fresh off a plane from Amsterdam. But you'll surely recognize them as Seattle's own garage surf outfit La Luz. We've been spinning this all female quartet's 2013 Hardly Art/Sub Pop album It's Alive and done several in studio sessi…
Each week, Music Director Chris Sanley and Associate Music Director Alex Ruder share brief insights on new and upcoming releases for KEXP's rotation. These reviews help our DJs decide on what they want to play including new releases from Apples with Moya, DIIV, La Luz, and more.
Bust out those seersuckers one last time and enjoy a mix of local, national and international artists as Midday Show host Cheryl Waters presents KEXP's annual preview of Bumbershoot, Seattle's longest running music and arts festival, this year featuring expansive roots twists from Valerie June, so…
It's been close to six months since La Luz left Seattle for Los Angeles, so Sasquatch served as a sort of homecoming for the surf rock quartet. (Notably, they were met with weather that was far more Californian than Northwestern.) The move hasn't dulled their reverb-drenched edge one bit however, a…
After wrapping up Saturday brunch Capitol Hill was again swarmed for the Capitol Hill Block Party. Luckily, the line-up was jam packed with great music. Taking full advantage of the easy-going mid-afternoon crowds that make early time slots so enjoyable for fans, we were able to get right in front …
How is walking through the woods on a foggy, chilly late spring day similar to strolling past the closed fun houses and ferris wheels on a boardwalk at the end of summer? You could just as easily listen to the melancholic surf bee-bop of Seattle's La Luz in both of the situations. What started at a…
Day 3 of Treefort Music Fest marked the first day of the main stage and boasted a varied line up that was more than worth standing in the chilly Boise weather for. Elsewhere, acts like So Pitted and Diarrhea Planet worked venues into a frenzy, providing the coldest day of the festival yet with more…
August is off to a great start with these excellent new releases, including the sophomore smash from Seattle's own La Luz. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it, "another impressive blend of noirish surf-rock and ‘60s girl-group pop. Produced by Ty Segall, the album’s sound is a bit more raw than …
Seattle literary and arts magazine, The Monarch Review, is hosting a benefit show for the victims of the Oso mudslide. The event, May 12th at the Tractor Tavern, will feature Mary Lambert, La Luz and Star Anna. All the money raised will go to the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation.
Cock & Swan members Johnny Goss and Ola Hungerford make beautiful, yet mysteriously herky-jerky music. They compose songs in a dazey space and admit that's the realm in which they like to inhabit. Along with their own music, they've recorded and helped to produce albums for many Seattle bands, …
We're sad to report that local rising surf band La Luz were in a severe accident that totaled their van, destroyed their gear, and incurred injuries to the band members. For those who feel compelled to help the band get back on their feet, their label Hardly Art has set up a Paypal account for lal…
If surf rock is making a comeback with the rise of bands like Seattle’s La Luz, then Portland-based band The Shivas may well be ahead of the curve. Their head-bobbing rhythms and cute, airy background vocals envelope the ears like a warm tropical day. The band can rock, too, like on their song “Sta…
Seattle's Chastity Belt play energetic indie rock 'n roll. They are sarcastic, sharp and both complex and simple all at once. They are also an all-female band. But does gender matter when it comes to the music they produce? Does it matter for the bands Childbirth, Lemolo or La Luz? You get the sens…
Whether you're attending in person or in spirit, Midday Show host Cheryl Waters presents the perfect soundtrack for your trip to Sasquatch! Music Festival this year. 1. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better 2. Julia Holter - Feel You 3. Briana Marela - Surrender 4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra -…
