Song of the Day: Cali Giraffes - All My Life

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 song, featured on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole, is “All My Life” by Cali Giraffes from the 2013 single All My Life on Fin Records.

Cali Giraffes - All My Life (MP3)

Founded in 2010 by Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando, Cali Giraffes (formerly Calligraphers) have an origin story that is just as amazing as the band itself. It all started backstage at a show, where Dando was hit with inspiration. He must have had a pretty charismatic and solid pitch in order to bring a supremely talented musician out of retirement, and that's exactly what Dando did when he added legendary Fastbacks singer and bassist Kim Warnick to the project. Guitarist Mikey Davis (Alien Crime Syndicate) also joined the fun and, as they say, the rest is history. The only little downer to this tale is that due to pesky geographical constraints, Dando had to head back to New York and left Cali Giraffes without a drummer. Fortunately, the band was left in very capable hands. They've had several different drummers perform with them over the years and right now, while they work on their first album, John Freese (A Perfect Circle, Devo, The Vandals, Nine Inch Nails, etc.) is behind the kit. Surprisingly, Warnick had never written songs before, but she be must a quick study if their new single is anything to go by. "All My Life," is an addictive and bubbly jam with a killer guitar riff that one would expect from such renowned musicians.

Due to the fact that the Cali Giraffes have yet to release a full studio album, we have to rely on live performances to really get the chance to take their sheer brilliance. Check out the video below, for their performance of "You Know You're Right" at the Nirvana Benefit for Susie Tennant in 2011. Keep an eye out for any future shows on their website.