Farewell, Kevin Ayers. The co-founder of the pastoral prog-rock group The Soft Machine in the late 60s and celebrated solo artist died two days ago in his sleep. Ayers had came out of a 15-year reclusive existence in France in 2007 to release The Unfairground, on which he collaborated with member…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s selection, featured on the Mo…
Midday Show host Cheryl Waters loves Fall and her reward is more great music, including a song called Halloween and beaucoup bands from Seattle. 1. The Weather Station - Shy Women 2. Sóley - Halloween 3. Youth Lagoon - The Knower 4. Israel Nash - LA Lately 5. Hamilton Leithauser & Paul Maroo…
Vagabon will talk about her latest album and the meaning behind her song, “Every Woman.” Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon will fill us in on how materialism, LA culture, and her “trashy aesthetic” influenced her first solo record, No Home Record. Jónsi & Alex talk about touring on their 10-year-old album, …
Today we talk with two mastering engineers, who put the final touches on music before it’s released. It’s Seattle’s Rachel Field, who has worked with Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam, and the Cairo-born, Brooklyn-based engineer Heba Kadry, who has worked with Björk, Lucy Dacus, Slowdive, The Mars Volta a…
At nearly every day of any festival, there's an artist who's set time becomes a casualty to equipment changeover delays, and on Friday, that artist was Phosphorescent. But maybe it was a blessing in disguise, because those who waited through the nearly 20-minute delay at Sasquatch were rewarded wit…
It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News. Using inspirational songs during sports competitions helps pump up and motivate both athletes and fans. Music plays a pa…
I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp is exactly the succulently-written, shit-talking, salty dog memoir you’d want from the man who dreamed and ignited punk. Richard Hell was a fun-loving little Kentucky cowboy as a kid, loving TV, growing up with peak period 60s Stones and Dylan LPs, dreaming of tak…
I've probably said this before, but this is kind of the perfect Review Revue album. Released on RR favorites Shimmy Disc (see also here and here and here and here and oh yes, over here), featuring members of Half Japanese, partially recorded at Inner Ear studios (okay, that's more of a me thing), b…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mid…
Although the title of Briana Marela's debut derives from a kids book about the physical world around us, the album itself best describes our state of adulthood in immaterial ways. In recording All Around Us, the Seattle native sought the elven shores of Iceland and the sprightly touch of Sigur Ros …
When we last left off, the crew and I were on our way to the Parc Expo where a majority of the Trans Musicales shows are held. It’s a 15 minute shuttle ride from the neighborhood where we are staying. The Parc Expo is a large compound of warehouses the size of airline hangers to accommodate the app…
Here's a piece of Capitol Hill Block Party trivia for you: Diplo is the only artist on the bill this weekend who has performed for 500,000 people at one time. At a free show in Havana, Cuba, in 2016, the first by an American artist since the US and Cuba re-established diplomatic relations in 2015, …
Our second live performance of the day came from Mr. Karl Blau, long a fixture of the local music scene in Anacortes, WA, who has released upwards of 30 records since the early-90s. Playing tracks from a forthcoming record, as well as his interpretations of songs from the 60s and 70s presented on 2…
This week, we continue sharing our discoveries from the Trans Musicales festival in Rennes, France, where last December we captured twelve exclusive sessions. We’re sharing with you one unique session each Friday, and you can watch all the previously released ones here. This week we present cinemat…
April 10th through April 16th is National Volunteer Week, and KEXP would be nothing without the support of our amazing volunteers! In 2015, 600 people donated over 24,500 hours to KEXP -- this is incredible, and we are so grateful. Scroll through the photos below to see the smiling faces of just a …
It's finally here: the long-awaited sophomore release from KEXP's Iceland discovery Of Monsters & Men! The album was co-produced by the band and Los Angeles-based producer Rich Costey who's worked with artists such as Sigur Rós, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Shins, just to name a very few. (And …
KEXP wants to know: "Who are your Favorite Artists of All Time?" Pick out a dozen musicians, bands, projects, and share them with us before Friday, September 19th at 6:00 PM PST. And then tune in during KEXP’s Fall Fundraising Drive, September 26th through October 3rd, to hear which artists your fe…
