Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by John Richards, host of The Morning Show on KEXP, is "Blue (feat. Gabriel Teodros)" by Chris Carroll, a 2021 single on Raindrop Sound.
Seattle-based artist Chris Carroll made a name for himself with his impressive production work on music from Gifted Youngstaz, Ra Scion of Common Market, Entendres, and MADlines. And then in 2019, he began releasing his own music, first under the alias Spoke, and then under his own name. Today's Song of the Day showcases that balance between control and collaboration as he invites local artist (and KEXP DJ) Gabriel Teodros and musician Mario Luciano to the poignant single "Blue." Carroll writes on his Bandcamp page:
I'm honored to have created this track featuring an artist that I deeply admire, Gabriel Teodros. When I was 16, he was the first artist I'd ever heard perform spoken word (alongside Khingz as Abyssinian Creole), and when I was 18, Gabriel gave me my first turntable for a ride home. Little did I know this would set the course of my musical journey on through to adulthood.
This track also features the sample composition of a recent mentor of mine, Mario Luciano, who has been a tremendous influence in the last year.
This song is for all those we have lost during the pandemic, and to those we've become estranged from.
