Is it any wonder that Spanish electronic wunderkind John Talabot kept Q Nightclub packed beyond reasonable comfort until 1:30am on a rainy Tuesday night in Seattle? No. Absolutely not. Talabot has some kind of insane black magic power over the groove in a room and can keep nearly 300 people dancing…
While the angular, avant-garde sound of L.A. group No Age hardly conjures up ideas of "flower power," DJ Cheryl Waters couldn't help but notice that she's only ever seen guitarist Randy Randall in tie-dyed shirts. Apparently, Randall's had a long history with this particular shirt, just as KEXP has…
Thursday night’s Decibel Festival awesomeness continued at Neumos with the Psychotropic showcase, featuring Neon Indian, Teen Daze, Big Black Delta, and Seattle’s own Vox Mod. The bill was brave – all of these bands come from radically different places in the musical spectrum – but eclecticism has …
Though they'd been playing reunion shows for the past six years, no one expected the first Redd Kross album in 15 years to be so mind-blowing. The Hawthorne, CA, band, started by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald, played their first gig opening for Black Flag in 1980, and went on to perform with co…
“One of my dreams is about to come true,” DJ Derek Mazzone said, introducing the psychedelic Brazilian rock band Os Mutantes before their performance live on KEXP's Wo'Pop. The band, part of the Tropicália artistic movement that bridged popular culture with the avant-garde in the 1960s in Brazil, c…
"Holy shit." That's what DJ Cheryl Waters exclaimed as Scottish hip-hop trio Young Fathers finished their KEXP session. Thanks to Cheryl's booking, KEXP gets hundreds of in-studio sessions a year, but it's rare when our entire staff is unanimously blown away like we were that day. DJ Larry Rose, a …
"I just wanna keep very, very quiet," admits Aly Spaltro (a.k.a Lady Lamb) at the end of the fourth verse of "Billions of Eyes". It's not an inaccurate statement, but it also doesn't mean she won't get loud when she needs to. Spaltro builds intricate songs that move through dynamics and lyrics more…
The legendary Bob Dylan releases "an album of vintage songs associated with legendary crooner Frank Sinatra." KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "it works beautifully, with spare, low-key accompaniment (ethereal pedal steel, softly plucked bass, gentle guitars and occasional muted brass) and his …
Among the many great new releases out this week is our own annual benefit collection, Live at KEXP Volume Nine. Featuring 18 stellar tracks culled from the over 500 amazing live sessions we recorded in the past year, Volume Nine contains some serious heavy hitters like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis a…
If volume is your only musical qualifier, then there is probably only one band on your best of 2013 list. San Francisco metal duo Deafheaven dropped Sunbather last month, a seven track sonic masterpiece that relentlessly pulls at your heartstrings and threatens hearing damage for 60 minutes. The al…
Earlier this month, Alice Russell graced KEXP’s studios with her breathy, soulful style. With a rhythmic push tempered like a slow-build, her set kicked off with the song “For A While.” Donning a gold heart-shaped ring on her left hand, Russell belted her heart-felt “Ooos” and “Yeahs” that clutched…
If you haven't already heard of the riff heavy, eternally energetic, best stage banter you might ever hear (seriously) Dude York, then we're not sure where you've been. Not only have they been on our own Audioasis recently, but they have been dropping bomb after bomb of incredible EP's since their …
“The idea behind Youth had a lot to do with me suddenly getting married. Ever since I can remember... the thing that I was compelled by, was the bond that two people can share, how strange and elusive and compelling that is,” Wild Cub frontman Keegan DeWitt told Paste Magazine last August. Wild Cub…
With roots that stretch back to carefree two person jam sessions at Gasworks Park, the well-rounded Seattle septet Hey Marseilles has grown in the last nine years not just in size, but in the power and scope of their songwriting and performance. In this KEXP live in-studio performance they show wh…
We rounded out day two of our Iceland Airwaves broadcast live from Kex Hostel with Icelandic punk band Hórmónar. Like many of our favorite Icelandic acts, Hórmónar were the winners of last year’s Músíktilraunir or “Music Experiments,” Iceland’s youth-focused battle of the bands (other winners inclu…
Perfume Genius mastermind Mike Hadreas is a local, but it wasn't until the 2010 Matador 21 anniversary shows in Las Vegas that I first saw him live. Sandwiched on the bill between two iconic heavyweights (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Cat Power, for crissakes), Mike sat timidly behind his piano w…
Over 2,000 music fans descended upon the Seattle Center's Mural Amphitheater last week -- thank you! All of you and more are invited back this Friday as we continue the Concerts at the Mural series with another killer line-up. As always, these shows are FREE and all ages, with a beer garden for tho…
Last night, Father John Misty delivered yet another powerful performance on Conan, belting and gyrating his way through the title track of his latest I Love You, Honeybear, out now via Sub Pop. Watch his passionate performance below, and keep track of all these late night musical highlights with K…
Run the Jewels have released a powerful new music video today for the track "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)." Director A.G. Rojas shows actors Shea Whigham ("Boardwalk Empire", "Agent Carter") as a cop and Keith Stanfield (Short Term 12, Snoop Dogg in the upcoming N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta…
