When every member of a band comes from other (and sometimes more commercially successful) bands, it's usually a sign that the members are either doing it as a lark or following a true passion. In the case of Portland, OR's Black Prairie, the five bandmates seem truly to be loving what they do. Comprised of three members of The Decemberists (Chris Funk, Nate Query, Jenny Conlee) plus violinist Annalisa Tornfelt (The Woolwines, Bearfoot) and guitarist Jon Neufeld (Jackstraw, Dolorean), the group draws its roots in American bluegrass and European folk, following rather than contemporary pop a more traditional meaning to the word "popular" -- as in, of and for the people. Their mainly acoustic, mostly instrumental songs are as likely to lead you through the dark woods as lift your spirits, but they'll always get into into a foot stomping mood. Though we've caught them before in streets of Portland during MFNW 2010 and at our studios back in January of 2011, they returned for another stellar performance following their 2012 release, A Tear in the Eye Is a Wound in the Heart. Watch the session here:
Full Performance:
This summer, folk rockers The Lumineers played a special show at Barboza in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood as part of KEXP's VIP Club concert series. The band has gained major momentum in the current thirst for rootsy, soul-stirring music, and this year they're up for two Grammys -- for Best …
Watch, in the latest Funny or Die video, as local hip-hop duo, and apparent shoeless drifters, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis sell out:
Tom Krell sure had one hell of a year last year. The new How To Dress Well record, Total Loss, was almost unanimously well received for its bare bones mixture of R&B and electronica. It also helps that it was a heartfelt, heartbroken record that tells the true story of Krell's last year (read m…
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. Today’s selection, featured on the Af…
