From their beginnings as Capitol Hill basement party staples to their current status as one of Seattle's most popular local bands, Tacocat have continually achieved their original goal of simply having fun, not least when they're doing it with their trademark sugar-sweet hooks and whip-smart lyr…
This week in El Sonido, we’ll be talking about Vive Latino, a great music festival that happens every year in Mexico. It’s a wonderful way to see a wide variety of genres from Latin America mixed with artists from all over the world. Plus, it’s an outstanding excuse to visit the historical center a…
Seattle's Megan "Emecks" Xaybanha is a triple threat as a musician, DJ and professional dancer and may be best known as a core member of the wildly fun and genre-smashing local group Don't Talk To The Cops! In addition to her work in DTTTC! (be on the lookout for their new album, Forevers, dropping…
We're talking about Seattle Center today, right? Of course a bajillion huge bands have played Bumbershoot and Key Arena over the years, but the lifeblood of this area – as of the city as a whole – is the underrated local bands. Sure, you saw the Pixies on the Bumbershoot main stage in 2004 with sev…
When a crowd is truly, ruthlessly in love with the band they are about to see, you can tell from the moment they walk in the room. You don’t see it often, but when it happens, it’s a spectacle that you wouldn’t trade the world for. Friday night’s show with Warpaint at Neumos had one of those crowds…
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…
Dude York, the power trio from Seattle, play music that rocks, music that makes you move, music you've never quite heard before. They are an amalgamation of musical inspirations and this has never been more evident than on their new record, Dehumanize. KEXP caught up with drummer Andrew Hall to tal…
When asked to describe his music, Zach Saginaw, operating under the pseudonym Shigeto, urges prospective fans to "have a listen". Drawing on his jazz background, instrumental hip-hop and years of drumming to create beat-heavy electronic tracks, Shigeto's music does indeed transcend traditional genr…
When England's Lucy Rose came in to KEXP's studios, the friendly, unassuming songwriter didn't give much of a hint of the powerhouse performance that was about to come out. When she began singing a set of songs from her 2012 debut, Like I Used To, the Surrey chanteuse released a For Emma-level emot…
LA band Milo Greene play what they have dubbed "cinematic-pop". Theirs is an expansive sound, that has the ability to transport you and envelop you like good film music does -- but they also hang on to a pop sensibility that allows the film-less music to stand on its own (again, as good film music…
Noel Brass, Jr. sits at the back of Cafe Vita in Greenwood, quietly sipping on an espresso. He's immediately recognizable — it's hard to find a photo of Brass where he isn't wearing his trademark fedora and glasses. It's a rainy November afternoon and I can't think of a better setting to dive into …
"Product of partition" - that's how Himanshu Suri, a.k.a. Heems, defines himself on Eat Pray Thug closer "Patriot Act". On that track, he talks about how growing up as a man of Indian descent in post-9/11 NYC was a nightmare. "From then on they called all of us Osama", he recalls towards the end, "…
Now, more than ever, the world needs The Clash. For the fifth annual International Clash Day, KEXP is highlighting the band's activism and political messaging. Even their band name carries political weight: bassist Paul Simonon was inspired when he noticed the word appearing frequently in the daily…
Day 2 of KEXP's visit to the OFF Music Festival in Katowice, Poland was a perfect reflection of what founder Artur Rojek is aiming for: diversity not only in sound but in origin. KEXP's DJ Morgan spent time chatting with musicians from around the globe: up-and-coming Warsaw band Bastard Disco, Toky…
Besides being the director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory, and an associate professor at Berklee, Susan Rogers is also the person who worked most closely with the late Prince during quite possibly his most important period artistically. From 1983 to 1988, it was Susan who …
I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction from our occasionally snobbish friends at KCMU circa 1989 to the eponymous major label debut by Indigo Girls (who I'm assuming need no introduction, but maybe millennials have no idea who I'm talking about; well, I guess this record is as good a place to s…
It seems the thing people at KCMU most wanted to talk about regarding this 12" single by the Northern Irish band (with an American singer) That Petrol Emotion was the graphic statement on the back of the record regarding the strip searching of female prisoners at Armagh Prison in Northern Ireland. …
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…
Mychal Cohen, lead singer for Seattle band Campfire OK, seems to always be singing behind a wry smile. In fact, each of the band members seem to share this sense of playing through a wink. From keyboard player, to vocals to banjos, bass and drums, the band imbues an aura of comfort and happiness – …
