Why is it that with so many intriguing bands, you hear they formed without the intention of playing out, that they were just collaborative efforts for the members themselves? Perhaps it's because when artists make art for themselves, there is a sense of integrity, of personal experimentation and ex…
By way of Mexico City, and now living in New York City, Aldo Villegas, a.k.a. Bocafloja, stopped by the KEXP studios for a live in-studio. Rapping in his native Spanish, Bocafloja displayed flows and styles that, even to those ignorant to the language, are filled with tremendous cadences and inflec…
Last year, local label Barsuk Records celebrated its 15th anniversary, and to celebrate we invited three of their artists to the KEXP studios: Nada Surf frontman Matthew Caws, Jesse Sykes, and The Long Winters frontman John Roderick. All three of these artists were celebrating the 10th anniversary …
Each time we've gone back to Iceland over the past five years, we've been fortunate to discover and share with KEXP listeners quite a few bands who might not otherwise leave their shores. For every Sugarcubes and Sigur Rós, we found dozens of others, like Hjaltalín, Ásgeir, Of Monsters and Men (bac…
"Are you digging our laid-back vibe?" Band of Horses band leader Ben Bridwell asked the audience during their recent concert at Seattle's Moore Theatre. Following their recently released live recording, Acoustic at the Ryman, Bridwell and co. chose to perform very loose, rootsy interpretations from…
London quartet Yuck left a big impression on us with their ‘90s-inspired sound of squalling guitar riffs combined with boy/girl vocals. Unfortunately, KEXP left an impression on frontman Max Bloom, too, when he accidentally leaned against a wall of wet paint... d'oh! Thankfully, a KEXP t-shirt look…
It’s always interesting when you learn about an artist’s path to recognition – and it’s even more captivating when it involves details and arcs you’d never expect. This is the intriguing life of singer-songwriter Laura Veirs: she was raised in Colorado in the 70s, where she studied geology and Mand…
Our broadcast during Iceland Airwaves isn't always about the Iceland bands. While we do enjoy spotlighting groups that KEXP listeners might not otherwise hear, we also love to share with our Nordic friends some of our own favorites, like NYC's Caveman, whose lush, dreamy indie pop sound translates …
"I'm glad the tour is going pretty good," Stevie Zoom said to Swedish punk quartet, Holograms. "Pretty good?" challenged bassist/vocalist Andreas Lagerström, "I think it's going great!" It's that youthful energy and defiance that has propelled the young band through their short, but already fruitfu…
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.
