Mychal Cohen, lead singer for Seattle band Campfire OK, seems to always be singing behind a wry smile. In fact, each of the band members seem to share this sense of playing through a wink. From keyboard player, to vocals to banjos, bass and drums, the band imbues an aura of comfort and happiness – …
With a name like Dog Mountain, how could you ever fail? The Bellingham indie rock quartet doesn't need the name as a crutch -- they match both the majesty of mountains and dogs by crafting powerful, tastefully arranged guitar-heavy tracks that aptly blend the band's humor with their own introspecti…
“Boy, the come down here was easy, like the arrival of a new day.” That’s how Adam Granduciel chooses to open the new album from The War on Drugs after a minute and a half of dreamscape Americana. As the listener, you could say the same thing. The Philadelphia band have always found a way to worm i…
Being that I was quite young and on the other side of the country in the heyday of Seattle's The Visible Targets, I was not familiar with the band or their legacy until quite recently (I was more of a Moving Targets kid). But fortunately, I didn't have to go far to find a wealth of information on t…
Valerie and Veronica Tapacio left their corporate day jobs to dedicate their time to their Seattle band La Fonda and their vintage clothing shop, Delusional Bird.
Brooklyn-based band Crumb talk about Domenique Dumont's song "Deux Paradis."
The band's first single from their upcoming debut album Sleeping Lessons showcases the band's knack for turning sadness into heart-swelling, relatable anthems.
This week's Review Revue spotlights the album Blessing and Curse by Band of Susans. See what KCMU DJs thought back in the day.
Best known as one-third of the electronic-feminist-punk band Le Tigre and leader of the band MEN, Brooklyn's JD Samson unleashes a non-stop house and disco party on her exclusive guest DJ mix for Midnight in a Perfect World.
DJ Kevin Cole shows up big time with a hard hitting mix of current faves including new Courtney Barnett, Natalie Prass, illuminati hotties, power pop from Philly band Hurry, and psychedic funk rock from Hungarian band The Qualitons, and more awesomeness to blow your mind.
Although the title of the band's new album, We All Come From The Same Place, isn't referring to a specific place, geographic location seemed to be on the minds of Allo Darlin' when they stopped by KEXP in October. The Australian/English quartet's songs shimmered with an honed precision, allowing El…
"I'm glad the tour is going pretty good," Stevie Zoom said to Swedish punk quartet, Holograms. "Pretty good?" challenged bassist/vocalist Andreas Lagerström, "I think it's going great!" It's that youthful energy and defiance that has propelled the young band through their short, but already fruitfu…
Few bands pack the emotional wallop of Cloud Cult. Ever the seekers, the Midwest band has always tackled the big questions, the universal, philosophical and existential one -- who are we, where do we come from, where do we go, what do we do with each other while we're here? Cloud Cult albums are li…
A founding member and leader of seminal British indie rock band The Wedding Present, David Gedge and his music have long been championed on alternative radio, from the late, legendary BBC DJ John Peel in their early years to steady support from KEXP over the past two decades also with his band Cine…
The final day of the KEXP broadcast from Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop in Austin during SXSW. Today’s lineup begins with the legendary and highly influential British psych rock band The Zombies, then up-and-coming 80s-influenced Nashville band Wild Cub, Brookyn-via-Denton post-punkers Parquet Courts, a…
Join Variety Mix host Troy Nelson as he looks back on a remarkable year for music. Awesome sounds from new bands, veteran bands, local bands - you name it. As we welcome 2015, here's a reminder of some great songs we heard in the last year. 1. Smokey Brights - Catacomb 2. Parade Schedule - Weak …
Those Pretty Wrongs frontman Jody Stephens was a key member of the seminal Memphis band Big Star, but while he was behind the drum kit in that outfit, he's front and center on his new project with Luther Russell (The Freewheelers). In this acoustic performance, Stephens and Russell's so…
Ten-year old, eight-piece L.A. based soul/funk band Orgone has that perfect combination of tight refinement raw gut-punching power that is needed to become known, as they have, as one of the baddest funk bands around today. They play an updated take on the spirit of classic groups like The Meters,…
At every great concert, there's a moment where everything, for lack of a better word, clicks. When the audience moves from excited to engaged, when "wow" turns "holy shit". On the closing night of Sleater-Kinney's three-night stand at the Showbox at the Market, that moment was two-and-a-half minute…
The end of the year is the slowest time for most bands to release any music, Radiohead has never been "most bands". On Christmas day, the group, who'd been quiet for a while (hopefully hunkering down on a new album), surprised fans by releasing a song they wrote this year, intended it as the theme …