Good morning! How about a little funky Afropop, all the way from Iceland, to start your morning? That's how we began our broadcast from Iceland Airwaves last month, with the 13 member Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band blasting you awake at 6AM. Now you have the luxury to enjoy the SJS Big Band wheneve…
It's been 19 years, but we finally have a new album from The Jesus and Mary Chain! KEXP Music Director Don Yates says the Scottish siblings Jim and William Reid deliver "an impressive return-to-form that ranges from fuzzy, feedback-drenched rockers to swooning downer ballads." Coming right behind t…
Seattle noise fans know when you see "Debacle Records presents" at the top of a show poster, you are in for something. New York's Pharmakon may be on the fantastic Sacred Bones Records, but I think she'd be welcomed with open arms into a lasting relationship with Debacle Records, who supplied the r…
Join Midday Show host Cheryl Waters for a new podcast featuring songs that will stick in your mind and hopefully get you singing along as you while away your days. 1. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear 2. The Amazing - Picture You 3. Yellerkin - Tools 4. Django Django - First Light 5. Mat…
When you talk about independent radio stations that have championed Northwest music, you'd be remiss to leave out Olympia's KAOS 89.3 FM. A hybrid of community radio and college radio with nearby Evergreen State College, KAOS has been a massive force in spotlighting artists outside of the mainstrea…
Back in April, Father John Misty (aka Josh Tillman) had an in-depth, intimate chat with DJ Cheryl Waters before his latest LP, Pure Comedy, had even arrived via Sub Pop Records. (You can listen to that here.) A month later, he reunited with Cheryl for this unique live in-studio session, performing …
There's not a lot of information out there about Gibson Bros. (not to be confused with The Gibson Brothers), but they seem to have been purveyors of the low-fi psycho-bluesy-rockabilly-ish sound that college radio stations saw a fair amount of in the '80s and early '90s. A quick YouTube survey of s…
A quick look at the Restorations tour schedule might have your eyes glazing over. After releasing their third studio album (LP3) in only four years at the end of 2014, the Philly indie-rockers have spent most of 2015 tirelessly touring across the U.S., the U.K., and even Jamaica. Or as singer/guita…
While we consider all our Bumbershoot Music Lounge sessions "special," there's something undeniably extra-special about this one. When main songwriter Alex Chilton passed away in 2010, followed shortly by the passing of founding bassist Andy Hummel the same year, most assumed we'd never hear from t…
Austin was blissfully cool and breezy this morning as the floor in front of our stage at Mellow Johnny's filled - excitement for the start of our SXSW programming clear. And what better way to kick off the week than with the iconic and hilarious Robyn Hitchcock, who took stage alone but totally fil…
Alejandro Escovedo - that's all I knew about the True Believers when KEXP's lineup for SXSW at Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop was first announced. OK, then someone mentioned it was his mid 80's band, a crew that had a brush with fame, but never quite broke through. They had label issues, personnel cha…
Longtime KEXP-friend Bob Mould has announced his next album, Beauty & Ruin, is slated for a June 3rd release on Merge Records. He'll continue to be backed by bassist Jason Narducy (Split Single, Verbow) and drummer Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Mountain Goats), who pretty much killed it on Mould's …
Half-man, half-enigma, UK electronic producer Darren Cunningham has been transfixing listeners over the past decade with his experimental electronic productions under the alias Actress, offering up releases on his own label Werk Discs as well as a steady supply of fascinating sounds for both Honest…
Minneapolis must have been a magical place in the '80s with bands like Hüsker Dü breaking through the mainstream, and venues like First Avenue and the 7th Street Entry helping hone these rising new stars. A little bit of that magic was in the KEXP studios this day as Hüsker Dü's former frontman, Bo…
It's hard to imagine a better indie pop dream team than this – a multi-Grammy winning producer Danger Mouse (a.k.a. Brian Burton) and a beloved singer-songwriter James Mercer (of the Shins), each responsible for some of the most infectious songs you've heard in the past ten years, joining to create…
Nearly 35 years in music and Bob Mould shows no signs of slowing down! From his early punk roots with Hüsker Dü in the 1980s through his alternative pop years with Sugar in the 1990s, and in the years between and afterwards with his ten solo albums, the veteran songwriter has explored a variety of …
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…
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…
