KEXP Presents: Expansions 14th Annual MLK Unity Celebration

"I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism, but of practical realism. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. To return hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Someone must have sense enough and religion enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil, and this can only be done through love."----Martin Luther King, Jr., 1957

if you attended any of our celebrations in the last 14 years more than once you know why we nickname this celebration 'the love party. out of all the things we know or remember about dr king - more than his tireless activism, or his transcendent observations about the ills of humanity and how it might be healed. or his courage to stay true to his deep vision of peace and justice in a world hostile and violent, or his sacrifice of his life and safety - of all those things and much much more, we remember and celebrate his call to love.love as a 'durable power'. but also a love as a 'practical relaism'. many of us take the next days after the party to volunteer, inspired by the momentum of the new year to nurture our connection with our community, we renew our own activism. and we celebrate it with a party. i can't think of any other holiday where people are compelled to recognize their own humanity and the connectedness to each other, both individual or collectively. a holiday where we reflect about or troubled past, marvel at what we've gained in our present, and are inspired to make a better future.and we celebrate it with a party.

kyle, masa and i hold this event dear partially because try as we might, we only get to play together this once every year.this one night is also the time that we get to enjoy the company of our listeners, meeting many for the first time and seeing many more that we've been privileged to play for , some for the entirety of the time 'expansions' has been on the air. we also never take for granted the forces that paved the way for us to work together and to become friends. so we celebrate our friendship. and we celebrate our gifts, both our own talents and our opportunity to play together. and we celebrate it with a party.

this year we're proud to celebrate this holiday at the columbia city theater, in the past we knew this space affectionately as the 'lish' house. now a converted performance space, bar, and recording studio we remember playing for parties many years when we stretched out and developed our dj prowess . we are especially delighted to return to a space that has gown and matured in much the same we have. and we're delighted to host some new community partners this year. take some time to familiarize yourself with the social justice forum nw and WAPI community services. come and learn about them. come dance with us. come party with us. come love with us

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Tickets are on sale now for the 14th Annual Expansions MLK Unity Party on Sunday, January 19th at Columbia City Theater. $5 Advanced / $7 Day of Show. 21+. Advanced tickets available HERE.