One prominent feature of Decibel Festival is the way its schedule breaks down into rather meticulously set showcases. Unlike most other festivals, in which entry to one location likely grants access to every stage, Decibel also sells individual tickets to each show as an alternative to more expensi…
In the liner notes of her latest album, Ivy Tripp, Katie Crutchfield — better known by her recording alias Waxahatchee — has a photo of none other than Dolly Parton. She laughed when KEXP DJ Stevie Zoom asked her about it. "I have Dolly everywhere I go," she smiled. Like Parton, the Alabama-born Cr…
On the eve of the release of their new EP, False Starts, Seattle band The Young Evils stopped by KEXP to squeeze out their brand of infectious sultry soundscapes until our tiny live room walls were dripping in all elements of retro cool. From the rocking spaghetti western whimsy of "Get Your Guns" …
During Decibel Festival, Optical 3: Playful Dischord took place at the Sky Church, this time featuring Berlin's Kangding Ray, Atom™ HD/AV and ending with Oneohetrix Point Never with visual artist Nate Boyce. This stacked line-up explored everything from dance to deep space. Kangding Ray, a former a…
Ever since the album premiere party for the new Shabazz Palaces album, we can't get the new songs out of our head -- especially the track "They Come In Gold." So, thank goodness Sub Pop Records has shared this non-video with us. The new album, Lese Majesty, comes out June 25th. [The Stranger's Lin…
Today, we continue to celebrate Sub Pop Records' 25th anniversary and eagerly await the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee this Saturday, July 13th, with more favorite memories by musicians, employees, and associates of this local institution. Check out Part 1 here and read on as we continue to ask, "What's Yo…
Morning show host John Richards presents a dark, rainy mix of songs for your enjoyment. Featuring new songs from Big Scary, Rose's Pawn Shop, Dean Wareham, Cabana, Eyes & No Eyes and more. 1. Big Scary - Twin Rivers 2. Kevin Morby - The Jester, The Tramp & The Acrobat 3. Elliott BROOD - J…
You won’t believe the golden light you wake up to crawling out of your tent at Pickathon. The tree-lined hills of the Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon make you feel like you are in an other-worldly paradise. Taking a light walk around the Back 40 to enjoy the surroundings, among the sleepy co…
Not New York City. Not Los Angeles. Lush’s first U.S. show in 20 years was right here in Seattle. The honor was not lost on the hundreds of fans who lined up early outside the venue to get closer to the stage, and who swarmed the merchandise table immediately upon entering The Showbox, like ravenou…
Beat the winter doldrums with a trip up north for the 2016 Timbrrr! Winter Music Festival, this Friday, January 29th and Saturday the 30th in scenic Leavenworth, Washington. It may be cold outside, but this year's line-up is extra-hot, featuring Strand of Oaks, Fruit Bats, Grace Love & the True…
The old Ballard clock tower chimed 8 o’clock Monday night and met a persistent and meandering line of excited music fans, waiting to enter the threshold of the Tractor Tavern, for the sold-out show to benefit KEXP's new home with Lucius and NAVVI. Lagunitas was on tap, with a portion of the proceed…
"Girls to the front!" This was the mantra for feminist artist Kathleen Hanna when she fronted the influential punk band Bikini Kill in the '90s. Twenty-five years later, Hanna is on tour, presenting the lecture Riot Grrl: Then and Now, and the girls were down in front at the Neptune Theatre, excite…
It's the most wonderful time of year... if "wonderful" actually means insanely busy. All the more reason to make some time for the music and attend KEXP's 2014 Yule Benefit! It's back and better than ever. This year features an amazing line-up of artists — Strand of Oaks, Cymbals Eat Guitars, S, an…
It's a great weekend for FREE, all ages outdoor concerts (the other being tonight's kick-off show of the Concerts at the Mural series, that is): Seattle vintage-clothing/art-gallery/all-ages-venue Cairo is throwing their annual Vibrations Festival this Sunday, August 3rd at the Amphitheater in Volu…
Since her 2010 album Have One On Me, we haven't heard all that much from Joanna Newsom, except the fact that she is now engaged to her SNL boyfriend Andy Samberg. So it is welcome news to hear she's made a new video for her cover of Sandy Denny's "The North Star Grassman and the Ravens". The vide…
KEXP celebrates the Capitol Hill Block Party, an annual three-day music festival in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
HAIM introduced themselves to Seattle Wednesday night with a show at Neumos, and if you’ve been following anything about this band for the last year, you know that’s no small event. The sold out gig had lines starting up outside in the cold more than an hour before doors (that’s pretty much unheard…
Peter Michel seems to be living in the breezy midpoint in between lying in bliss and getting lost in the moment, so it's fitting that the Seattle' musician and his comrades in Hibou opened the Bigfoot stage on a day that fell into that same feeling. Most of Hibou's catalog runs at a midtempo pace a…
In a manner of speaking, frontmen Tim Jenkins and Tom Crandles are master tightrope walkers. The duo behind Au.Ra balance shared singing duties, varying music styles, and even hometowns (shuttling often between Sydney and London) with striking ease and control. Take “You’re On My Mind”, the first s…
