It's always a delight when psychrock voyagers Wooden Shjips return to dock in the KEXP studios. The band have just released their fourth album, Back to Land, on Thrill Jockey Records, an album that captures the feelings of home from frontman Erik "Ripley" Johnson, who has just thrown down anchor in…
Watching Shovels & Rope perform is almost like stepping into their living room. Married Charleston, SC, duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst perform so lovingly together and write some very intimate ballads that at times you feel like you might be intruding on them. But we've also hosted them …
"Sin Fang in a box", Cheryl Waters called it. It's how Sindri Már Sigfússon solved the problem of taking his Sin Fang project on the road, especially outside of his native Iceland, when he couldn't manage to bring a full band with him. But more importantly, it's also a creative interpretation of hi…
Right before their KEXP in-studio, DJ Cheryl Waters caught the Montreal band BRAIDS in a group hug. It was a sweet moment that defines this young group's history: vocalist Raphaelle Standell-Preston and drummer Austin Tufts met on the playground at the tender age of twelve; together, they met multi…
Don't let the arsenal of electronics fool you -- UK artist Jon Hopkins brings an unexpected warmth to IDM through his inventive sampling of organic sound: hands clapping, hitting things, even using his own voice to build a seductive percussion. It's no wonder his fourth album Immunity, released las…
To say Ian Moore has had a tumultuous career in music is an understatement. He was so popular of a blues guitarist early in his career that once screaming tipped his tour van over, leaving him and his band trapped for hours. He studied musicology in college, once fled to a cave near Krause Springs …
Considered by many to be one of the most influential pop musicians of our time, David Bowie continues to surprise and delight fans and critics alike, with the 2013 secret recording and release of The Next Day, Bowie’s 24th album.
If Waxwing broke up in 2003, then what are they doing playing live at KEXP? Let’s put this query aside for now –- for, why question the good fortune of hearing the Seattle band, which first got together in 1996, play again? Waxwing, who last released an album in 2002 (but whose members have release…
Visually, Wampire are a throwback to the 70’s: button-downs with big collars opened at the top, sunglasses, long and wavy hair. If you didn’t know what year it was, you might think the Doobie Brothers just stepped out of the Mystery Mobile. Musically, Wampire proves worthy of their indie buzz. The …

In 2018, KEXP celebrated the 30th anniversary of local record label Sub Pop with a four-month retrospective, "counting up" every catalog number in their vast discography of over 1,200 releases. Dig into the archives of our catalog coverage, featuring in-depth coverage on the history of their releases.