Joining us in the studio for this year’s final Bumbershoot Secret Stage show is rising Nashville rising star Margo Price, who released her debut record A Midwest Farmer’s Daughter on Third Man Records earlier this year. Hers is an archetypal country star story: Price grew up in a small midwest town…
Droning feedback. Static. The mechanical thrust of distorted, blown out drums. These are the first few sounds you hear on CHARMS’ debut album, Human Error, out June 16 on Killroom Records (which you can stream below). Even before the song descends into a flurry of manic, sharp riffs and guttural sy…
As a teenager, Jordan Gatesmith fronted the Minneapolis-based band Howler, whose sneering garage-rock sound caught the attention of UK label Rough Trade. (You can check out their KEXP performance during SXSW 2012 here on the blog, and a 2014 in-studio session here.) After two albums, Gatesmith disb…
While most of the well-known Minnesota bands hail from Minneapolis, out on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior is the city of Duluth, hometown to the band Low. In the early '90s, the local sound was loud, abrasive, and grunge-inspired. Someone made the joke, what if a band were to play quiet musi…
For the uninitiated, Kyle Craft can sing. At once raspy, evocative, and grandiose, Mr. Craft's voice sounds straight from his soul, imbuing his music with an immediate punch and anchor. His voice was the clear focal point of an excellent performance at Day 3 of Sasquatch Music Festival at the Yeti …
Tonight, Thursday, April 20th, KEXP and Goodwill team up to present Break Up 4 Good, part of Goodwill's Sustainable Sounds series. Local faves Acapulco Lips, Cataldo, Prom Queen, Star Anna, and Goodbye Heart will take the stage of the Tractor Tavern, covering some of the best break-up songs. (Prom …
Get ready for some two-fers on The Midday Show on KEXP: the new Spoon album is finally here! KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, the "Austin band's ninth album finds them tweaking their sound with more prominent dance beats, electronic textures and adventurous sonic touches, while still providing …
New Beck songs! Well, new-ish. Back in 2011, Beck contributed two original pieces for the film soundtrack to D.J. Caruso’s thriller, I Am Number Four. Over the weekend, Caruso shared two of those songs online, which you can stream below. No definite news on the long-awaited follow-up to 2014's Mor…
Seattle-based DJ Joey Webb has been bringing his charismatic energy to the turntables as a steady sound selector behind a wide variety of house, funk, and soul nights. Gaining wisdom and a deep collection holding down parties in previous home bases of New York, Texas, and California, Joey is curren…
Kyle Craft leads a storied life. The Portland-based singer-songwriter trails with him a cast misfit characters and messed up relationships from his former home in Shreveport, Louisiana, to populate is his rollicking full-length debut, Dolls Of Highland. He also carries with him a sound with a past …
Montreal-based electronic producer, DJ, and record label runner Tiga has been a key figure in the post-millennium electronic/club world, emerging on the scene with his first single in 2001 and proceeding to unleash two albums, countless singles, as well as high-profile remixes along the way. His ex…
Late last year, Wavves frontman Nathan Williams launched a label, Ghost Ramp, and for 2016, their kicking off their subscription series in an awesome way: a split 7" single featuring his band on one side, and Best Coast on the other side, covering the Nirvana track "Dumb." Listen to a vinyl rip be…
It's been over four years since Fleet Foxes dominated KEXP's Top Albums of 2011 countdown, and we haven't heard much from them since frontman Robin Pecknold left Seattle for Columbia University in New York. But, over the holiday weekend, he shared a cover of the 1956 single "Out of Sight, Out of M…
When it comes to young bands making self-assured, thoughtful and influence-referencing music, Ought already do. The Montreal-based four-piece formed just three years ago amid a burgeoning DIY scene in the city's Mile End district and, while drawing heavily from sonic inspirations like Talking Heads…
This week's highlights include the latest from Hudson Mohawke. The Scottish producer, a.k.a. Ross Birchard, shares his sophomore full-length, and KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes the release "finds him bringing a bit more restraint to his maximalist blend of various electronic styles with R&…
Armed with a fine assortment of tracks from their new Seattle-recorded release, Ohio band The Sidekicks unleash their brand of hooky rock in the KEXP live room. On Runners in the Nerved World, they've branched out from their punkish roots and now take pleasure in crafting out songs that are invigor…
Our first live Iceland Airwaves show of the day from Kex Hostel in Reykjavik was Icelandic indie-folk quintet Árstíðir. Formed in 2008 as a guitar-based group, they've since added piano, violin, and cello to the mix. They incorporate classical, minimalist, and even some prog rock elements into thei…
"It's what turns the kids on," guitarist and vocalist Chuck Cleaver said, defending a bit of questionable narrative during a recent in-studio. We've been fans of Wussy since their first LP, but this year's Attica! is easily one of the year's best. Even if the kid's aren't listening to it, we're gla…
With their latest album, Shiver & Shake, local trio My Goodness shrug off earlier comparisons to the White Stripes and The Black Keys with their dynamic new songs. During their recent in-studio performance at KEXP, frontman Joel Schneider explained to DJ Cheryl Waters that they were really able…
Vancouver/Toronto-based band Gold & Youth continue in the Canadian tradition of bands like Stars and Broken Social Scene, combining boy/girl vocals over danceable pop beats. Released on the iconic Arts & Crafts label last year, their debut full-length Beyond Wilderness captures '80s-style s…
