The hip-hop pioneer was 52-years-old.
The DJ comments on this LP call us back to a dark time when not every album was available everywhere in the world instantly upon its release. Many well-loved bands could only be heard by spending way too much money on physical objects that had been transported in small batches from another country …
Holger Czukay, co-founder of the influential Krautrock band Can, has passed away at the age of 79. Cause of death is currently unknown. Via Facebook, his bandmates have written:
We are very sad to confirm that Holger passed away yesterday, in his home, the old CAN Studio in Weilerswist. His wife U-…
This October was my first visit to the WOMEX Conference, the annual World Music Expo that happens in different European Cities with a focus on International music. Yes, I’ve been involved in the World Music scene for years and it’s a bit odd that I’ve not been before, but I always found the timing …
I'm really glad I was born when I was. The idea of going through teenagerdom without the blistering, angst-laden pounding of Ministry (particularly late '80s and '90s Ministry) as a soundtrack seems too awful to imagine. Apparently billions of pre-gen-Xers managed it just fine and grew into perfect…
Soul legend Bobby Womack has passed away today at the age of 70. Cause of death is not currently being reported. Womack began performing music in the mid-'50s, and was discovered by Sam Cooke who signed his band, The Valentinos, to SAR Records. The Valentinos' 1964 single "It's All Over Now" was co…
Mean Jeans guitarist and vocalist Billy Jeans (Christian Blunda) took the stage for his second set of the night (he also performed in openers Patsy’s Rats). He was joined by Jeans Wilder (Andrew Bassett) on drums, and Jr. Jeans (Richard Messina) on bass. It was late, but the crowd at Chop Suey wasn…
Opening today’s broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves was Finnish singer-songwriter Mikko Joensuu. Over the course of the last year and half or so, Mikko has released a series of three records over the course of a year or so, called Amen 1-3 (Svart records) exploring coming into faith,…
The legendary drummer and lyricist passed away earlier. He was 67.
The iconic soul singer passed away from heart complications. He was 81.
Brooklyn-based artist Mitski shares a video today for the track "A Burning Hill," a stand-out from an already outstanding LP, Puberty 2, out now on Dead Oceans. Director Bradley Gray captures singer/songwriter Mitski Miyawaki around town, wearing a button down shirt as mentioned in the lyrics. Via…
Besides being the director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory, and an associate professor at Berklee, Susan Rogers is also the person who worked most closely with the late Prince during quite possibly his most important period artistically. From 1983 to 1988, it was Susan who …
Next on the Iceland Airwaves broadcast live from Kex Hostel was Icelandic indie-rock artist Júníus Meyvant. Hailing from the remote Vestmann Islands, Júníus Meyvant (the pseudonym used by Unnar Gísli Sigurmundsson) started playing music later than most, after finding a beat-up guitar at his parents…
The last time I posted on The Smiths in this space, I was pretty bummed about the disappearance of various local businesses and the gloomy weather. Good thing those days are behind us, right? Hahahahaha! Ha! Ha. Suffice it to say it's been a while, and there are a number of fine Smiths albums with …
It's not often you get to say you saw a three band gig where all three bands blew you away for completely different reasons. Luckily for those crammed in Neumos basement at the sold out Pallbearer, Sólstafir, and Mortals show Thursday night, that was 100% the case. Each with an entirely different f…
KEXP was excited to present the US radio debut of Brisbane, Australia quintet Cub Sport from our CMJ Broadcast. In fact, it was the young band's first time playing in the States at all! Watch their performance below, and check out our chat with these young Aussies over jealous dogs, vengeful youth …
After an exhausting day shooting four bands at the Porcelain Factory, we piled into our transport vans our sponsors provided, which were a lifesaver, and hit the hotel to clean the dust off our bodies. It was time to hit the OFF Festival! It was our second night so we all felt a little surer of our…
Seattle Center was the place to be last Friday night as Brooklyn band A Place to Bury Strangers brought a sonic thunder to the Mural Amphitheatre stage. As you can see from the photos below, it was an explosive performance! Local trio Wimps kicked off the evening, and Portland's Matt Drenik brought…
