On August 11, 2018, Seattle's own Sub Pop records held their 30th anniversary celebration at Alki Beach in West Seattle. Dubbed SPF30, the iconic label brought artists from their roster to perform for free on the beach.
KEXP was on the scene documenting the legendary affair and livestreaming performances. In conjunction with Sub Pop, we are now sharing videos from these performances – which you can find below.
Sub Pop 30th Anniversary Catalog Count-Up
From March 12 to August 11, 2018, KEXP aired tracks off of every release in Sub Pop's catalog. With over 1,200 releases, the station honored every single catalog number in chronological order over the history of the Seattle based label, including full albums, singles, EPs, compilations, early Sub Pop fan zines, and even a wedding soundtrack.
“This is going to be a really fun pain in the ass!” said KEXP’s John Richards. (He was right.) “We’ll have DJs playing Sub Pop songs an average of 8.3 times a day, 24-7 for the next 4 and a half months — each and every Sub Pop release in the original format whenever possible. Cassette, LP, 7-inch, you name it. It’s going to be a total hassle, and totally worth it to celebrate our friends at Sub Pop.”
Revisit our countdown (or rather, count-up) via the sidebar menu. KEXP also celebrated the band's 30 year history with album retrospectives, interviews, and more, which you can see below.
| AK — Anna Kaplan | AL — Alan Lawrence | DH — Dusty Henry |
| JH — Janice Headley | KF — Kaitlin Frick | MD — Martin Douglas |
| NS — Noel Strange | MH — Matthew Howland | OM — Owen Murphy |
| SW — Sinclair Willman | ZF — Zach Frimmel | GL — Geran Landen |
| DY — Don Yates |
With Rewind, KEXP digs out beloved albums, giving them another look on the anniversary of its release.
After celebrating the influence and legacy for Sub Pop for months, Martin Douglas decided their outstanding sister label should also get some love. Here are five essential songs from the Hardly Art's increasingly storied history.
Three giants of Sub Pop look back at the label's incredible and still enduring run, from Green River to Fleet Foxes.
The New York indie rock outfit talks about their eight years as a band, being signed to Sub Pop, DIY culture, and each members' new projects.
