The iconic soul singer passed away from heart complications. He was 81.
Nordic Soul, the DJ and production alias of Decibel Festival founder/director Sean Horton, kicks off Midnight In A Perfect World with a brilliant mix inspired by the thrilling and mysterious roller coaster known as LOVE. Launching off with a beautiful a capella from The Beatles, Nordic Soul's mix s…
Seattle soul/funk guitarist Jimmy James talks to KEXP about everything from his guitar strings, amp, and pedal preferences, to the impact of good music and the power of individuality.
From his first appearance with the station during SXSW 2011, Charles Bradley has been a longtime KEXP favorite, and it's easy to see why. Talking love, loss, and style with Cheryl Waters in this stunning performance in the KEXP Gathering Space, The Screaming Eagle of Soul shows that only thing big…
Earlier this month, Alice Russell graced KEXP’s studios with her breathy, soulful style. With a rhythmic push tempered like a slow-build, her set kicked off with the song “For A While.” Donning a gold heart-shaped ring on her left hand, Russell belted her heart-felt “Ooos” and “Yeahs” that clutched…
There are moments during Valerie June's return to KEXP where she steps away from the mic and simply begins dancing to the rhythm, regardless if the song in question is a blues rocker or a sparse, country crawl. Performing four varied tracks from The Order of Time, the Tennessee songwriter an…
A public service podcast featuring Public Service Broadcasting, the highs of Hobosexual and the lows of Lo Tom and so much more. It's Morgan playing the role of Cheryl Waters on this episode of the Music that Matters Podcast. ROLLING! 1. Cigarettes After Sex - K. 2. Drab Majesty - Cold Souls 3. Ch…
Northern soul? How about arctic soul? That's yet to be a thing, but if young Icelandic singer-songwriter Júníus Meyvant has anything to do with it, you'll be hearing a lot more similarly soul-stirring melodies from way up north. Júníus Meyvant -- real name Unnar Gísli Sigurmundsson -- has yet to re…
With a jitter in his hands and a song in his heart, a caffeinated Jamie Lidell stopped by KEXP recently for an early show with Cheryl Waters. The British-born (but now Nashvill-based) musician draws heavily from the decadent and unapologetic R&B and funk of the 90's that he'd been hearing on co…
Deep in the heart of this festival weekend, the brave souls that get out of bed before noon and head out in the pouring rain will be joining us for another spectacular day of Icelandic music at Kex Hostel. Though our live broadcast wrapped yesterday, we'll still be streaming live video for four ban…
Even on its way out, 2016 continues to take from us the things we love. Yesterday, we lost George Michael. The 53-year old pop singer reportedly "passed away peacefully at home" and "in bed", in Oxfordshire, England, leaving behind a catalog of songs that inspired as much movement on the dance floo…
Fifty fans christened KEXP's live room during an exclusive tear-soaked performance with José González, all to benefit KEXP's New Home. The Swedish singer-songwriter, whose history with KEXP dates back over a decade, broke listeners' hearts for a full set of gorgeous, heartbreaking bliss, while shar…
Love & Hate, the sophomore release from soulful UK artist Michael Kiwanuka was a fave for many KEXP DJs last year. (It was even a nominee for the prestigious Mercury Award in 2016.) Kiwanuka revisits the release with a video for the track "Cold Little Heart" -- watch below. The video was direc…
It's only appropriate that his debut album is titled Tremors, because this beautiful, intimate session from SOHN had us all aquiver. Born in South London as Christopher Taylor, he had an early interest in music, but it was the groundbreaking Radiohead release OK Computer that led him into electroni…
Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole soars with this mix of new power pop, hip-hop, glam infused soul, and house featuring Katie Kate, Perfect Pussy, Dum Dum Girls, Hercules & Love Affair and more. 1. The Baseball Project - From Nails To Thumbtacks 2. Cheap Star - Kelly Slayer 3. Dum Dum Girls - Ri…
DJ Alex shines a spotlight on 16 artists performing at this year's 11th annual Decibel Festival, Seattle's premier electronic music and arts event, happening all over the city from September 24th to September 28th! As with years past, tune in to get a taste of this year's massive, diverse internat…
The phrase "music is a universal language" is sometimes overused, but is perfectly fitting when it comes to Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate. New York native Driscoll and Guinea-born Kouyate met at a music festival in Marseilles, France and instantly clicked. Despite the enormous language barrier -…
Bust out those seersuckers one last time and enjoy a mix of local, national and international artists as Midday Show host Cheryl Waters presents KEXP's annual preview of Bumbershoot, Seattle's longest running music and arts festival, this year featuring expansive roots twists from Valerie June, so…
There is a place where the sounds and sights of summer are always abounding and where you can sing about the beach all year long. That place, according to Zach Yudin, is Cayucos, California. His project Cayucas (formerly called Oregon Bike Trails) is an unapologetic love letter to the feeling given…
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 …
