Simon Stålhamre may be the creative force behind Small Feet, but it was not until he found the assistance of his band mates Jacob Snavely and Christopher Cantillo along with the inspiration of an island cabin residence that he was able to create music without self-sabotaging. It's a good thing he f…
Poor Tom Petty. He gets no love. Actually, that's not true. He probably has lots of money and lots of people, including some prominent contemporary songwriters, do love him, but back in the day, KCMU DJs couldn't seem to be bothered even to comment on the single for "Change of Heart", which was add…
It's difficult to imagine something Steve Earle hasn't done yet, but, believe it or not, until recently, the Texas-raised singer, songwriter, performer, actor, writer and teacher had yet to sing the blues. On his new LP, Earle pays overdue tribute to those who preceded and inspired him, and like th…
Carrying on the long tradition of the Motor City's vast musical heritage, Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas drop by KEXP to electrify our live room with their exhilarating and captivating energy. The Detroit’s rockers are in dazzling form - Hernandez' voice, with its vibrato and quality a bit more…
Morrissey revealed yesterday the source of his ongoing health problems, which have led to tour date cancellations in the past two years: he was being treated for cancer. Moz told Spanish-language newspaper El Mundo that he currently feels "good" but also stated "If I die, then I die. And if not, t…
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. I doesn't feel more like summer to me than when the Concerts at the Mural begin. We present these free shows along with …
The UK dominates this week of new releases with standout albums from two British duos. The mysterious twosome known as Jungle release their self-titled debut with XL Recordings, which KEXP's Music Director Don Yates describes as "an excellent set of retro-futuristic electro-funk with shimmering key…
There's not much information out there about the '80s Seattle band Mondo Vita. Their leader Eric "Travis" Wilson (who has been working as a musician in Las Vegas for the past decade) claims on his own web site that the band "appeared on every TV station Seattle had to offer. They also populated th…
The bad news is, the Sasquatch! Music Festival has announced they'll be canceling the Fourth of July line-up, due to poor ticket sales. The good news is, the Paramount have already snatched up headliners Kraftwerk to bring their 3-D extravaganza to their stage on July 1st. Tickets go on sale Frida…
The Los Angeles band, Las Cafeteras, named themselves after a community space in El Sereno, L.A. where group members met one another and started to learn and play Son Jarocho music together, influenced by regional Mexican folk music. The band feminized the name to honor women, they note. Modern day…
It's always a delight when psychrock voyagers Wooden Shjips return to dock in the KEXP studios. The band have just released their fourth album, Back to Land, on Thrill Jockey Records, an album that captures the feelings of home from frontman Erik "Ripley" Johnson, who has just thrown down anchor in…
Trumpeter Owuor Arunga is one of the handful of Seattle natives joining Macklemore & Ryan Lewis when they play Key Arena on Dec 10-12. Owuor, along with Ray Dalton, Mary Lambert, Michael Wansley, Andrew Joslyn are just some of the cast of characters, who, for the last year, have been on a world…
Twenty three years ago yesterday, Pearl Jam performed their very first show under the name Mookie Blaylock at the late Seattle club Off Ramp. This week, they are celebrating their anniversary, as well as their latest and tenth studio release, Lightning Bolt, with an appearance on Late Night With Ji…
Is today really the day you can get a free Nirvana tattoo? Why, yes it is. From noon to 6PM today at Seattle's Silver Platters (and a couple of other places in the U.S.), you can get the squiggly Nirvana smiley face tattooed permanently on your body for free... well, for free if you pick up the 20t…
“It’s like watching a movie,” DJ Cheryl Waters exclaimed during the elaborate in-studio performance by Shugo Tokumaru. The Japanese musician, famous for using more than 100 different instruments in his album recordings, incorporates so many instruments in his music, from the more traditional guitar…
Recently, Seattle songwriter Shelby Earl, fresh off releasing her new album, Swift Arrows, stopped by KEXP for a live in-studio to play four new tracks off the record. Produced by Seattle folk hero Damien Jurado, Swift Arrows is a mix of piano ballads and guitar rock in the lineage of Seattle songw…
The first performance of our Hood to Hood 2013 broadcast is a special collaborative performance by Jon Russell, Damien Jurado, and Tomo Nakayama, all Seattle based singer-songrwriters. So far Jon Russell has played just one show as a solo musician, an acoustic show at Neumos, though he has been pla…
NASA thinks otherwise, but according to the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, the world will end today. Even if the Mayans couldn't rightly predict their own demise, who knows? We may have only one more day left on Earth. If that's the case, we're going out swinging! All day, KEXP DJs are playing s…
Sigur Ròs guitarist and vocalist Jónsi has announced that he'll be releasing a collection of unreleased solo electronic recordings called Frakkur: 2000-2004, which will be available on limited-edition vinyl at the Norður Og Niður festival. The fest is put on by Sigur Ròs, who are also headlining f…
Seattle art-rap duo Shabazz Palaces released two albums, Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star and Quazarz Vs. The Jealous Machines, on the same day earlier this year. Today they've shared the video for "Since C.A.Y.A.," the Thundercat-featuring opening track off of Born on a Gangster Star. The clip wa…
