Happy 2015! As always at the beginning of a new year there's been a lot of looking back at the year that just passed, but in this series I tend to cast my glance a bit farther back. So let's take a trip to 1984, and a little straight edge hardcore band from Boston called D.Y.S. I'm actually pretty …
Every Saturday evening, I look forward to playing you some of my favorite songs. I remember discovering our Northwest music scene: I was lucky enough to stumble on a host opening on the local show at my college station, KGRG FM. I trained with the original hosts of the show a couple of times, and t…
New York based Freelance Whales may have gotten their start playing on subway platforms in 2008, but now they are one of the most critically acclaimed indie rock bands in years. Judah Dadone, Doris Cellar, and company stopped by the KEXP studio in October to play some tracks off of their Diluvia al…
Thurston Moore has nothing to prove after decades spent as part of one of the most influential bands of all time, Sonic Youth. The guitarist, singer, and songwriter has long been worshiped by SY fans and adored by critics as Sonic Youth evolved from brash indie upstarts in the 80s, to semi-commerc…
In the lead up to Dave Depper's performance at the KEXP stage, we mentioned quite a few times on this blog how he's known to be a utility player for a number of bands -- most notably joining Death Cab for Cutie as a full-time member. However, his performance at the Bumbershoot Music & Arts Fest…
"This is an instrumental about weed," Acapulco Lips bassist Maria-Elena Juarez said pointedly as the band started their set at the KEXP stage. It got giggles at first, but the second they started leaning into their psych-meets-surf jam, the laughter turned into dancing and some serious vibing. It w…
It's easy to lose context with how massive grunge was in the early '90s. Bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Nirvana are so ubiquitous with the region at this point that it's hard to imagine what the Northwest was like before they came barreling through with heavy punk riffs with lots and lots o…
Australian psych band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard set a lofty goal at the beginning of the year to release five albums this year and by George, they just may do it. So far they've released three: Flying Microtonal Banana, Murder of the Universe, and Sketches of Brunswick East. Today they'…
There's very little surprise in seeing a two night Growlers stint at the Crocodile sold out as can be. The California surf rock band has seen some pretty stellar years of growth as of late, culminating in their excellent latest LP Chinese Fountain, seeing the band at their strongest and cleanest ye…
Marshall Law Band has been the de-facto house band for the ongoing Seattle protests that began following the death of George Floyd. The band is out with a new album, 12th and Pine, representing their experience at the heart of the protests and the resounding messages they carry.
Here Comes Your Man: when Joey Santiago, guitarist for Pixies, answers the phone, he is immediately warm and friendly. Where is My Mind? Well, in utter disbelief that I'm getting to chat with the guitarist for one of the most influential bands of my time.
As the lights went up on the Sasquatch! Music Festival main stage, James Murphy, founder, frontman, and mastermind of LCD Soundsystem, sauntered out from the wings, sipping a glass of white wine. There’s cause to celebrate: he shared with the audience that the band finally finished their highly-ant…
Back in February, Capitol Hill Block Party teased its 2016 lineup with 25 great artists. Today, they released the full roster, featuring over 50 bands, adding such terrific acts as Washed Out, Woods, Emancipator, Laura Gibson, Pillar Point, DoNormaal, Prism Tats and many others.
KEXP and Goodwill Seattle have teamed up yet again to honor the month of Earth Day and a night of amazing music! Join us at the Tractor Tavern on Monday, May 2nd for Sustainable Sounds featuring local bands Ivan & Alyosha, Lemolo, and Evening Bell.
On every Wednesday this month, the Northwest Film Forum presents the Offbeat Music Films Series: five cinematic captures of the bands themselves, labels, fans, and more. All these unique films are premiering for the first time ever in Seattle, and most are one-night-only engagements, so you won't w…
Summer just got hotter, as the Capitol Hill Block Party has announced the first wave of bands playing their annual festival, scheduled for July 24th through July 26th in Seattle. The sidewalks are gonna sizzle with headliners like TV on the Radio, The Kills, RATATAT, Toro Y Moi, Built to Spill, and…
Seattle's Cabana is playful and childlike in a raucus, garage-rock way. They're joyous and yet lo fi. In a way, they're all the great things that music is about. Because of this, we wanted to catch up with singer Roan Hartzog and ask him a bit about the band and what's coming up next.
The acerbic, poetic Stephin Merritt is simply too prolific for just one band: when not writing for Magnetic Fields, he also dabbles in side projects like The 6ths, Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes, who are performing this Friday, July 12th at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard.
The Seattle psych rockers release their latest album, Destroy The Sun, on Aug. 3 via Swoon Records. KEXP shares an advance stream and catches up with the band about making the record, learning to let go, and the capitalist structures they would utilize to actually “destroy the sun.”
