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…
Who would be in your dream band? If you could put together some of your favorite musicians into a fantasy project, you might very well have come up with Divine Fits. Britt Daniel of Spoon and Dan Boeckner of Handsome Furs and Wolf Parade have teamed up up with powerhouse drummer Sam Brown of New Bo…
During a two-night stand at Manchester’s O2 Apollo this past weekend, The National paid tribute to hometown heroes New Order with a cover of the band's 1985 single “Love Vigilantes.” Watch as frontman Matt Berninger does his best Bernard Sumner impersonation, and even walks down to the audience. T…
If the Fremont Abbey and its team are known for anything, it's for finding new visions for how we see intimate shows in Seattle. For a singular example, earlier this year, the Abbey hosted Baltimore dream pop band Beach House for the smallest show the band has put on in Seattle almost a decade. Sho…
The deeper we get into Animal Collective's Painting With chapter, the more it feels like a real renaissance for the band. As the band themselves described it, the process for the new record felt natural and fun - a far cry for the laborious process it took to put forth Centipede Hz. Spending time i…
For almost five years now as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ruban Nielson has been learning how to give himself away. On his eponymous debut, it was from behind the closed door of a bedroom, where we heard psychedelic funk gems muffled through the wall and wanted to know more. On 2013's II, the door cra…
One of the most iconic bands in Latin America is back with a new long-awaited album. Li Saumet and Simón Mejia join KEXP's Albina Cabrera to talk about Deja, and the impact their KEXP sessions has had throughout their career.
KEXP is excited to present an intimate session with high-energy, psych-tinged garage-rockers Thee Oh Sees in the KEXP Gathering Space at 1 PM. The insanely prolific West Coast band are on tour in support of their latest LP, A Weird Exits, out now on Castle Face Records, and are playing an all-ages …
Few bands worked Sasquatch's main stage better than Chicano Batman. The L.A. four-piece played a lively set on Sunday afternoon, infusing latin rock with elements of psychedelia, funk, and soul in an hour-long performance.
Give me water, yes, and maybe an overpriced Slurpee, but I'll still contend that there's little more refreshing than seeing a band truly enjoy themselves onstage. Norwegian rock group Klangstof did just that at the Yeti stage, delivering one of the most fun and adventurous sets of the weekend so fa…
August kicks off with some strong new releases, like the latest from local group Iji. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says, "the latest album from this Seattle band led by Zach Burba (and currently also featuring members of Sick Sad World, Pill Wonder and Neighbors) is a fine set of wistful, '80s-ste…
On Thursday, December 3rd, Seattle pays tribute to the music of New Order with Every Little Counts at Neumos. The Manchester-based band have held an influential place in music since the '80s, and local fans Marco Collins and Mike Lucero have curated an evening celebrating their songs.
Since their inception in 2011, Nightmare Fortress has kept KEXP under a spell. Today, we're excited to bring you an exclusive premiere of the Seattle band's dark debut full-length, The Wanted, self-released next Tuesday, May 12th.
It was reported on Facebook yesterday, Ian Allen, longtime member of influential group Negativland, passed away on January 17th at the age of 56 following complications from a heart valve replacement surgery. The band's founding member Mark Hosler writes:
I know I've tried to think of a name for this phenomenon before – maybe even on this very blog – but what do you call a super group in reverse; i.e., a relatively obscure and unsuccessful band whose members go on to achieve great things? How about a pour grepus? (Think about it.)
If you loved seeing live music at Hilliard’s Beer Taproom during KEXP's last Hood-to-Hood broadcast, then you'll love this great bill happening on Saturday, June 28th.
Looking forward to being back in The Roadhouse tonight with lots of new music that includes blues-rock brow beaters, a new breezy JJ Cale-like band called Los Colognes, and a preview of some of the artists playing in the Hatties parking lot in Ballard this weekend. And I got the new one from young…
Eric Carnell, a.k.a. the head honcho behind Independence Printage, has been a fan of The Clash for most of his life. His love for the band runs so deep, in fact, that he’s done KEXP the favor of curating and illustrating our artwork for International Clash Day for years, drawing on an eclectic grou…
Sleater-Kinney's 2005 album The Woods is a highlight of Sub Pop's vast catalog, as well as a complex finale to the band's initial tenure. KEXP looks at the album's continued relevance and layers of critique.
This year's Pickathon Music Festival features Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Khruangbin, Lucius, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and many more.
