The penultimate act on our roster for day one of KEXP's Iceland Airwaves broadcast, live from KEX Hostel in Reykjavik is another fantastic Icelandic band, Valdimar. Both of Valdimar’s albums, Undraland (2010) and Um Stund (2012), have seen quite a lot of commercial success in their native Iceland, …
As Americans we are no longer surprised by European artists who bring their amazing music to our humble shores. The Joy Formidable is another among the ever-growing list of impressive British talent that has taken the US by storm. In 2007, childhood best friends Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan and Rhydian D…
There's one aspect to booking Man or Astro-Man? for an in-studio session that the band didn't reveal until they were on air. "We steal one thing from you guys, and if you figure out what it is, we'll give it back." Well, we don't think they took anything when they stopped by KEXP's studio in March,…
Not many bands can successfully transition from performing a heartfelt lament into a vicious murder ballad, much less on a sunny April morning, but that's exactly what Dublin's Little Green Cars did this past April. Since the last time they played KEXP, the quintet has not only grown by leaps and b…
The moment we all waited for finally came at the very end of Sasquatch - The Postal Service took the mainstage to uproar from a massive audience. Lights erupted, everyone infamous entered the stage, and they started off with "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight". Every song was greeted with audience …
British DJ/producer Simon Green, a.k.a. Bonobo, has been known to tear up the dance floor during his regularly sold-out shows, but when he dropped by KEXP for an in-studio with Cheryl Waters recently, the vibe was breezy and chill. Accompanied by a full band, Green featured songs from his atmospher…
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…
This year's Pickathon Music Festival features Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Khruangbin, Lucius, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and many more.
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.
