Sunday at Bumbershoot 2013 was just about as good as it gets at Seattle’s hometown festival. Beginning with Kithkin’s tribal hair-cutting and ending with an incredible turnout in Key Arena for Death Cab For Cutie’s 10th anniversary performance of Transatlanticism and packing pretty much everything …
If you're not spending your lunch time downtown, you're missing out. On Wednesdays and Fridays at noon, the Metropolitan Improvement District in cooperation with Downtown Seattle Association presents the Out to Lunch Summer Concert Series, featuring a diverse lineup of bands and artists performing …
Hey, guess who I'm going to see next week in Seattle? Just guess! You'll never - oh, wait, you totally guessed My Bloody Valentine, didn't you? Dang it. Well, it's true. Some might say I'm at least 20 years too late to be seeing this influential, semi-reclusive band for the very first time, but rep…
UK post-punk band The Vaccines took a more somber turn last year with their excellent album Come of Age. After their pitch perfect indie rock masterpiece of a debut, Come of Age was a surprise to most – a melodic turn towards introspection and harsh reality rather than reckless lust for youth. With…
KEX Hostel, our friendly hosts for KEXP's Iceland Airwaves broadcast each year, are throwing a party tomorrow honoring our ongoing collaboration. The aptly named KEXPort features a marathon set of 12 bands in 12 hours, barely scratching the surface of the available talent in Reykjavik, and includes…
The giant rock sound of Flight to Mars, a tribute band to the 1970’s group UFO, will fill the Showbox at The Market stage this Friday, May 10th. Highlighted by the virtuoso guitarists Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) and Tim DiJulio (HalloQueen), the 11th annual performance will benefit Crohn’s and Coliti…
It was there and now it's gone. First, a sample of the forthcoming single "Full of Fire" by Swedish band The Knife was available on Amazon before being removed. Then, the song was teased out in 30-second clips by London's Juno Records before removing it entirely. Though you may find wisps of the so…
Factory Belt: A Night of Uncle Tupelo is a benefit show happening this Thursday, January 17th, at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. Get your tickets here. The event is going to feature a whole slew of Seattle bands playing Uncle Tupelo songs and will be hosted by KEXP's own Don Slack of Swingin' Doo…
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. Each and every Friday we offer songs …
Montreal trio Paupière was the only Francophone artist that we filmed during our time at Breakglass Studios and Pop Montreal. Québec is a Francophone province with a vast majority of the population speaking French as their primary language. I spoke with many of the bands from Montreal about the dif…
Next on the video stream live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was Icelandic atmospheric metal band GlerAkur. The solo project of sound designer for National Theater of Iceland Elvar Geir Sævarsson, creating post-rock flavored metal. His debut record The Mountains Are Beautiful No…
This past weekend in Portland, a benefit concert was held for beloved local artist Scott McCaughey, who suffered a stroke back in November. As we mentioned last month here on the KEXP Blog, the two nights (Friday at the Star Theater, Saturday at the Wonder Ballroom) featured an all-star bill includ…
From PWR BTTM to Patti Labelle, music by “out” artists and our allies powers KEXP's DJ El Toro through happiness, hopelessness, and hardship … and always steers me back towards love. 1. The Julie Ruin - I Decide 2. Lisa Prank - Starting Again 3. Alex Anwandter - Siempre Es Viernes En Mi Corazón…
Variety Mix host DJ Shannon brings you songs from the bands she's championing on her show, including The Crookes, Sticky Fingers, Man of Moon, Oh Malô and more. 1. The Crookes - I Wanna Waste My Time on You 2. Sticky Fingers - Outcast At Last 3. Balthazar - Then What 4. Telegram - Follow 5. The …
Halfway through the American Football show at Neptune Theatre, the band is tuning up guitars and getting ready to launch into another number, and there's a small, singular moment of silence. Then, from somewhere in the throng of voices, someone yells out, "I still can't believe this is even happeni…
"I feel like all 4,000 people in this room should hug right now," the mid-30s woman beside me says to me as the house lights go on after The xx show last Monday night. I nod my head in approval. I understand what she means - not hugs of comfort but hugs of recognition of community and of the beauti…
A year after his debut album release, it is no doubt that Benjamin Booker is a rockstar. He's played the festival main stages, toured across the country, and even guitar dueled with Jack White. It's deserved notoriety for a man who makes such a unique blend of punk, rock, blues and folk. And even w…
At KEXP, our love for post-punk sirens Savages knows no bounds. Their debut LP Silence Yourself is without a doubt one of the best introductions of the year. These four women have put together a sound and a vision whose fury and vigil have no equal. Listening to Savages is an experience - it goes p…
The best collection of rock and roll comics of late recently premiered at the Emerald City Comic Convention in Seattle this past weekend, but won’t be available en masse from publisher Fantagraphics Books Inc. till May 17. Be sure to pre-order Peter Bagge’s Other Stuff soon though, because it is an…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of 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. Today’s song, featured on the Midd…
