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 New Artist and Best Americana Album -- for their self titled debut released by Dualtone Records in Nashville. In interviews, the band members say the nominations were completely unexpected, and a little unnerving -- when you're up so high you can only go down, right? But they don't show any signs of going down. The Lumineers have the unbeatable combination of excellent songwriting and a rousing live show, complete with an integrity and love at the heart of the band -- which can be traced back to the loss of drummer Jeremiah Fraites' brother, also close friend of singer/guitarist Wesley Schultz, just before the group's inception eight years ago. That tragedy was the catalyst that shaped The Lumineers and gave them something and someone to play for, if not their ever-growing audience. Check out the performance from Barboza below -- roots-rock at its most foot-stomping, hand-clapping finest.
Dee Dee, songwriter and main force behind the Dum Dum Girls, stopped by the KEXP studio to chat with Stevie Zoom and perform alone with just her heavy-tremolo-ed guitar. Her Girls-less performance is a throwback to the early 2008 to 2010 years, which saw Dee Dee's first CDR release on her own label…
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. Comp…
