Brix Smith seems to have led a fascinating existence. Perhaps having been a member of the Fall isn't a huge claim to fame (not many bands have Wikipedia pages specifically dedicated to listing their past members, after all). But how many people can say they've played with the Fall, the Bangles, and…
Summing a two-song barrage in the KEXP studio by New Zealand's Salad Boys, DJ Kevin Cole exclaimed that they sound like "the best of The Feelies, Velvet Underground and Yo La Tengo in one song". While they certainly make a lovable racket channeling those and other legendary bands from their hometow…
SMooCH was a smashing success. This year the Nordstrom family, with the help of KEXP, Sub Pop Records, and many generous donors, raised nearly $3 million for Seattle Children’s Hospital uncompensated care fund. The money will directly help to pay for critical care for sick kids, regardless of their…
It's a holiday week, so for new releases, we get a cornucopia of reissues, remixes, retrospectives, and more. Husband-and-wife duo Shovels & Rope share a surprise covers album that KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes features appearances "ranging from Shakey Graves and JD McPherson to Lucius an…
Dream-pop quartet Enchanted Hunters was formed in Gdańsk, in north Poland, by Małgorzata Penkalla. What originally started as a solo project truly flourished with the addition of new band members: in 2012, they released their debut Peoria, followed by the Little Crushes EP last year. Their music ha…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. This week, we are featuring artists p…
There's a highly discernible trajectory between the first four albums by Baltimore dream pop act Beach House, from the bedroom whispers of their debut to the mountaintops of Bloom, the duo have, with each subsequent effort, come a bit more out of their shell, turning up the volume, fleshing out tex…
Of Monsters and Men are no longer the undiscovered artists who charmed audiences across the web back in 2010 with their intimate, stripped back living room performance, recorded by KEXP, of “Little Talks”. Since signing to a major label subsidiary, Republic Records, for their debut album in 2011, t…
Local hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis return with the sentimental track "Growing Up," dedicated to Macklemore’s baby daughter, Sloane. He says on his website, "When you try to escape yourself, life has an interesting way of creating situations that force you to come back. To look at who yo…
It's that time again: KEXP & Seattle Center are teaming up to bring you Concerts at the Mural! Now in its 8th year, the concert series continues the KEXP and Seattle Center tradition of starting the summer weekends off with a blast of engaging, all-ages culture. This August, join us at the Mura…
This Thursday, KEXP is teaming up with Starbucks and STG for Little Big Show #12 at Neptune Theatre with Cloud Nothings, Tacocat and Chastity Belt! So far, Little Big Show has raised more than $100,000 for non-profits since being conceived in 2012. This time, all ticket sales will go to Teen Tix, w…
I guess they can't all be as crowd-pleasing as Executive Slacks (that might be the first time that phrase has been uttered). Which is good for me, because honestly this blog series is a little more interesting when there's some dissent, a frisson of debate, even the occasional "I HATE THIS." This U…
The otherworldliness of Iceland's landscape is never lost on those who live or travel there. Not just a land of fire and ice, it is also a land of light and dark, starkness and majesty, community and isolation. The only thing that isn't a wonder about Iceland is how artists of all kinds echo its un…
This Saturday, November 1st, KEXP’s Audioasis Community Partnerships Concert features local hip-hop acts Gifted Gab, Hightek Lowlives, and Nu Era. They'll bring the beats to the Vera Project for an all-ages show to benefit East African Community Services. East African Community Services prepares K…
It's not just because they're young (or high) that brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall consider the "classics" bands like Pixies, Beck, and My Bloody Valentine. JEFF the Brotherhood draw from some fairly obvious influences for their sludgy punk-metal sound, but on their new EP, Dig the Classics, the Orr…
With a name like King Tuff, you gotta deliver a bad-ass video, and the west coast garage-rocker does just that with his clip for "Black Moon Spell," the title track from his new Sub Pop release. Directed by Jared Eberhardt, the video has it all: snakes, witches, beer. What more could you ask for? …
Today, Bruce Springsteen turns 65 years old. SIXTY-FIVE. After a seven-year-old Bruce saw Elvis Presley performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, he knew he wanted to be a musician. Even as a teenager, he played concerts at Jersey trailer parks and at the Elks Lodge. And, somehow, over fifty year…
Pinch yourself, because this is really happening. Not only are The Dream Syndicate back in Seattle for the first time in 25 years - they also are playing an additional set for the KEXP Music Lounge to bring us as close as possible to this timeless and influential act. From their debut EP through fo…
"If you ever woke up in a bed without somebody, and you didn't know the bed or the room or the city, this song might be for you," says guitarist and vocalist Brad Barr of the new song we're premiering today by The Barr Brothers. Any discomfort, though, is less than temporary. "Even the Darkness Has…
Firing on all cylinders, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley of Drive-By Truckers zipped over to the KEXP studio to play a couple of their songs off their newest album, English Oceans. With an eight-string, robust Kay Vintage guitar and silvery crooning, the two displayed their stripped-down prowess, il…
