The harsh cold air bites at my hands as I walk toward the Tractor Tavern to see Pedro The Lion play their first Seattle show in 11 years. The harshness of freezing breeze turns my thoughts to Pedro The Lion's "The Longest Winter." "In time memories fade, senses numb," the young David Bazan sings on…
Apricity is an obsolete 17th century term meaning "the warmness of the sun in winter" and Midday Show host Cheryl Waters is here to help you find it. Warm up with new songs by Eleanor Friedberger, The Ocean Blue and Shake Some Action. We don't recommend staring at the sun while you liste…
DJ Kevin Cole (aka Fire) and Online Content Manager Jim Beckmann (aka Ice) preview the 2013 Iceland Airwaves Music Festival with tracks from 18 Icelandic artists including múm, Snorri Helgasson, Retro Stefson, and Moses Hightower. 1. Grísalappalísa - Allt Má (Má Út) 2. Mono Town - Jackie O 3. Oy…
I’m stunned and shocked at Prince’s passing. I wish I was in Seattle to do my show today, but I’m out of the country traveling, lucky to be with a small group of friends and loved ones from Minneapolis from back in the day, several of whom worked with me at First Avenue, and worked on Purple Rain, …
"You're born naked and the rest is drag." That's one of several RuPaul quotes that Héloïse Letissier has written on her wall, and it encapsulates, in such fitting form, the spirit of her musical identity as Christine and the Queens. A stage identity apart from herself, Christine is a reflection of …
Seattle native Eva is a veteran of the underground music scene both locally and worldwide having toured the globe as an in-demand DJ, spinning in top-tier clubs such as Fabric in London and sharing the same stage as Fatboy Slim, Moby, Basement Jaxx, UNKLE's James Lavelle, Felix Da Housecat, and mor…
Like most of you, we can't wait for the debut full-length from UK trio Hælos to hit the streets. Get a sneak peek with the video for "Separate Lives," a track the band describe as "a reflection on the moment when you are choosing between staying or leaving and the underlying love that keeps you th…
In December 2013, Benjamin Curtis of School of Seven Bells passed away after a battle with T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. This February 2016, his bandmate Alejandra Deheza will release the album SVIIB, featuring parts Curtis recorded before his death. In a post on their website, Deheza writes, "Be…
After a highly successful run in 2014, Project Pabst returns this weekend July 17-19th at Zidell Yards in SW Portland. This year's eclectic lineup boasts several impressive big name performers sure to draw a crowd- for example, Blondie, Weezer, and Passion Pit, alongside indie pop band Alvvays, pun…
This Wednesday, November 16th, Brooklyn is stepping out to pay tribute to the Beastie Boys’ 1989 masterpiece Paul’s Boutique, an album that KEXP dissected last year. The event is being organized by the Hip Hop Loves Foundation, a non-profit based in New York with a worldwide reach, and a mission to…
It's surely no coincidence that a couple of these new releases came out on the eve of the 2016 Presidential Election. Veteran Chicago rapper Common shares his 11th full-length, an album KEXP's Music Director Don Yates calls, "a powerful set of politically charged hip hop with gritty, cinematic, sou…
Ask any musician who's made the rather courageous attempt to take their career seriously and they'll tell you how confusing and complicated the music industry is. Especially in 2017, where the rules are changing at a near-constant speed in an effort to keep up with technology. it can be easy to thr…
Word of Chris Cornell's death late Wednesday night was a blow to the music community, but for Seattle it feels even more personal. Cornell was a cornerstone artist for the Northwest. From Soundgarden to Temple of the Dog and Audioslave to his solo work, Cornell helped define the "Seattle sound" wit…
Windy City singer/songwriter Ryley Walker shares his third album this week, which KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "his strongest and most sophisticated set to date, combining fluid guitar lines, intricate rhythms and elliptical lyrics on expansive songs that masterfully blend elements of folk-…
