We could not describe The Runcast better than Steve in Santa Rosa who says, "The music was an awesome match for a rural Sonoma County morning..."
KEXP was thrilled to be part of the Seattle spotlight on the CNN show Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Check out their visit to the Gathering Space!
I am learning so much today! For starters, I've found out about Rank and File, a band I was previously unaware of. They're often described as a founding band of the country-punk hybrid cowpunk genre, but with my 2017 ears they sound more like "cow-new-wave" or "cow-'80s-college-rock" - but I see ho…
For the uninitiated, Kyle Craft can sing. At once raspy, evocative, and grandiose, Mr. Craft's voice sounds straight from his soul, imbuing his music with an immediate punch and anchor. His voice was the clear focal point of an excellent performance at Day 3 of Sasquatch Music Festival at the Yeti …
The old Ballard clock tower chimed 8 o’clock Monday night and met a persistent and meandering line of excited music fans, waiting to enter the threshold of the Tractor Tavern, for the sold-out show to benefit KEXP's new home with Lucius and NAVVI. Lagunitas was on tap, with a portion of the proceed…
Our first live Iceland Airwaves show of the day from Kex Hostel in Reykjavik was Icelandic indie-folk quintet Árstíðir. Formed in 2008 as a guitar-based group, they've since added piano, violin, and cello to the mix. They incorporate classical, minimalist, and even some prog rock elements into thei…
Jessi Zazu of Those Darlins has passed away at the age of 28. As we reported back in December 2016, Zazu was diagnosed with cervical cancer just one week after finishing her final tour with Those Darlins. In a statement on the band's Facebook page, her bandmate Linwood Regensburg reports: "She mai…
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…
Back in 2013, Noel Gallagher said he was too busy talking about Jagwar Ma to reform Oasis. That was before their first record was even released, and once their debut, Howlin, hit the airwaves, Sydney's Gabriel Winterfield and Jono Ma quickly entered the ranks of Tame Impala and Django Django. Jagwa…
A 12:30 a.m. timeslot on the final day of a four-day Sasquatch! Music Festival is a daunting test. You're either playing to whoever's passed out on the lawn or people who are, for any number of personal and chemical reasons, not ready to let their festival experience end. Jamie xx wasn't the most e…
As if the music was reflecting off the bicycles, Gliss' afternoon set at during our SXSW broadcast was a shimmering cooldown after Jovanotti threw a vibrant Italian party in Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop. As the group ran through a set of tunes from their latest LP, this year's Langsome Dans, frontwoma…
Montreal experimental band Suuns have grown in leaps and bounds in the last couple years. No doubt, their debut LP Zeroes QC was a solid entry point, with a clever mixture of noise and pop and a good sampling through the various electronic derivations of alternative rock we’ve seen in the last 20 y…
Tom Krell sure had one hell of a year last year. The new How To Dress Well record, Total Loss, was almost unanimously well received for its bare bones mixture of R&B and electronica. It also helps that it was a heartfelt, heartbroken record that tells the true story of Krell's last year (read m…
Wow, what a way to open our last day of music live at Kex Hostel! We were fortunate to host legendary Icelandic musician Megas. Considered the father of Icelandic rock, Megas is one of Iceland’s most influential rock musicians. He's been working as a professional musician since 1968, when he publis…
This week, we’re celebrating the year 1996. KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour tells us how the late and great Coolio was his first exposure to hip-hop … thanks to a theme song he wrote for a show on Nickelodeon.
It may be winter, but you won't want to hibernate once you see the line-up for the 2016 Timbrrr! Winter Music Festival, held January 29th through 30th in beautiful Leavenworth, WA.
I first met Cheb i Sabbah as most people did: through his music. I had been a lover of classical Indian music for years, and was completely transfixed by Chebiji's reworking of these classics for the intelligent dancefloor.
Lead vocalist Galen Disston transforms into cult figure head "Glean" in the wild video for this single from 2017's LoveJoys
"Let's Go (The Royal We)" was originally intended for the Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack
KEXP DJs Larry Mizell, Jr. and Riz Rollins discuss the new Aretha Franklin biopic. They talk about what the film got right and what was missing. Plus, we hear stories from Riz about seeing Aretha Franklin live.
