This Wednesday, June 7th, on what would have been Prince's 59th birthday, KEXP will be Feelin' Minnesota as we celebrate with a spotlight on bands from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. From 6AM to 6PM, you'll hear from artists like Hüsker Dü, Brother Ali, Poliça, and The Jayhawks, leading up to a four-hou…
One of Seattle's most notable feminist impetuses is the outfit Tacocat. The Capitol Hill four-piece has not only perfected their glamorously zany fashion, but also how they articulate their outspoken pop punk panache via satirical songs like "I Hate the Weekend" and "The Internet". Having recently …
Sub Pop Records artist Kyle Craft gets dolled up in the video for "Eye of a Hurricane," a single from his debut Dolls of Highland. Craft explains the concept via a press release: "One of my roommates had his annual drag birthday get together and it seemed like the story would sort of write itself …
South By Southwest is a music lover’s wonderland with a magnificently overwhelming amount of bands and DJs to check out. You'll have the chance to see some of your current interests, old favorites, and maybe most importantly discover brand new sounds. Austin is a multicultural city and SXSW always …
From smaller clubs like The Crocodile and the Tractor Tavern to the luxurious concert venue of Benaroya Hall. "This is quite a step up from where we started in Seattle," joked Nick Urata, frontman for DeVotchKa, as he stared out at the expansive room, seemingly sold out from floor to third tier bal…
Any local bands want a free studio session? Converse, the iconic footwear of indie rockers, presents the Converse Rubber Tracks Pop-Up Studio. Last month, across the country, Converse offered free recording sessions to bands in legendary studios like Abbey Road Studios in London, England; Tuff Gong…
Dan Deacon and Death Cab for Cutie — they're like pineapple and bacon on pizza. You wouldn't think their opposite tastes work, but then you hear Deacon's remix of the single "Black Sun," and you want another slice. Check it out below. The original version of the track can be found on Death Cab's s…
Showcasing tracks from his recently released MCIII on Merge Records, Californian singer-songwriter Mikal Cronin fills the KEXP live room with his most realized, beautifully arranged, and well-crafted works to date. With an ear for melody and and a knack for emotional resonance, tracks like the open…
Like a modern-day Frank Zappa, LA-based artist Ariel Pink flirts with many genres of music, often times all in the same song. While on tour for his latest 4AD Records release Pom Pom, Pink and his madcap crew stopped by the KEXP studios to tear through a slew of styles: '80s goth-wave, '70s glam-ro…
Ben Todd of Lonesome Shack is one of the slickest guitar players in the town. The man has been shedding his instrument for years now and the work continues to pay off. Recently Lonesome Shack released the album More Primitive on the record label that discovered The Black Keys. Not bad. KEXP caught …
Like their oddly elastic new album title, Nabuma Rubberband, Little Dragon continues to stretch the limits of electronic music with their eclectic influences. This time, the Swedish group trades the pumping beats of their earlier LPs for glimmering Janet Jackson-inspired slow jams. But even their m…
Iceland breeds some unique vocalists. One of our favorites, who we discovered a few years ago at Icelandic Airwaves Festival is Sóley, a former member of Seabear who has become an acclaimed songwriter on her own. We know we're not the only ones to fall in love with her, as Sóley's performance of "I…
Daft Punk's new video for Random Access Memories track "Instant Crush" shows that even inanimate object can have their own tragic love story. A museum mannequin was sculpted into Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas likeness by Tony Gardener, the makeup artist behind Michael Jackson's "Thriller." […
Yeasayer submerged themselves into the mysterious world of science for their "Glass of the Microscope" video. It may seem like a very literal approach, but the colorful cells, natural history specimens, and random interpretive dancers take it to the next level. The band's commitment to authenticit…
Toro Y Moi, a.k.a. Chaz Bundwick, has shared a new, digital "tour only" track called "Campo." It's laid back and soulful like most of Bundwick's previous material. The track will be available at his shows this fall and, luckily, he will be performing in Seattle at Showbox at The Market on November…
Arcade Fire has released the new interactive video for "Reflektor". Like previous videos made with director Vincent Morisset, this one pulls you in by asking you to control the reflection and special effects. (Be warned: the video only works with Google Chrome, but is very much worth the effort.) T…
Perhaps you have seen the mysterious graffiti painted on the ground around the city. What looks a bit like random letters in a circle is actually Arcade Fire's underground press for their upcoming album Reflektor - and today they released another piece of the puzzle. In a short film we see the band…
It's the kind of thing you're told all the time: "you just have to go there, do it, see it." But it's true: describing the experience of attending Pickathon is kind of like writing about music itself. Too much is lost in translation. That the festival remains a hidden gem in the Northwest seems bot…
RNDM - the side project of Joseph Arthur, Richard Stuverud, and Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament - performed their song "Disappearing Acts" on Conan last night. Their performance felt like it was straight out of the 50s, complete with doowop hairstyles (wigs?) and very dapper suits. It was even filmed…
Wasn't I just talking about my childhood love of The Charlatans UK? Indeed I was. So it seemed like a fine time to take a moment to check out the debut album from these lovable Mancunians - who, it must be said, are still going strong, having released their 11th studio album in 2010 and rumored to …
