KEXP celebrates Mixtape Week, August 26-30.
Touring heavy records is hard. In today’s day and age, heavy-handed works of staggering genius are hardly appreciated in the album form, let alone trying to communicate that weight in a crowded room facing a loaded bar. But in these heavy times, there are those who brave the difficulties and make i…
Among other things, Matt Berninger is known for making a live show count. Whether it's embodying the introverted distance of his work with The National in straightjacket contortions or diving into furious anger, throwing wine glasses into the air and crushing them under his feet, in all things, Ber…
Last year's Six Degrees honoree Robyn Hitchcock releases his 21st album this Spring. Check out the first single below, titled "I Want To Tell You About What I Want." In an interview with NPR, Hitchcock explains, "The original title of the song was 'My Vision Of World Empathy.' Either we will event…
It's been a year since the release of David Bowie's Blackstar, the #1 Album of 2016, as voted on by KEXP listeners. And to mark what would have been his 70th birthday, an EP has been released featuring some of the last songs this musical icon recorded, including “No Plan”, “Killing a Little Time”,…
When Beth Orton stepped onstage at the Triple Door on a Thursday night, it was a night of great change for the Norfolk singer. Bathed in a gauzy lighting display seemingly pulled straight from an Animal Collective production, Orton acknowledged that it was a quite significant night for her: "My cou…
Ben Harper has defined the sweet spot between reggae and American folk for over two decades now. It's hard for an artist to survive that long while maintaining relevance and staying true to the original sound that hooked listeners long ago while evolving and while shifting and growing - but after r…
Now in its fifth year, the Treefort Music Fest brings its biggest line-up yet to Boise, Idaho. Over the next five days, over 400 bands will take the stage across multiple venues in downtown Boise, including Built to Spill, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Youth Lagoon, Thundercat, Thee Oh…
When we were spinning Rapprocher back in 2011, we knew it was only a matter of time before Class Actress became a full-fledged pop star. There's just something magical about the high tension melancholy Elizabeth Harper has on her records. It's a very "this is where I find myself for better or worse…
From the beginning, much of the praise directed at Courtney Barnett has been centered on her talents as a clever, affecting lyricist. While that praise is completely deserved – you don’t get away with naming your debut Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit unless you’ve got the incisiv…
Angel Olsen has a voice powerful that it belongs on the list of singers compared to forces of nature. Considering that, it's a little ironic that Angel Olsen's Sasquatch set was delayed by an actual force of nature. But the wind and rain that forced a late start ended up playing to in St. Louis son…
It's been a great year and a half or so for writing albums about death. Most recently, Flying Lotus killed on impact with his incredible You're Dead!, but Noah Lennox, a.k.a. Panda Bear, isn't far behind. Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper has been whispered around the Animal Collective spheres for w…
Cambridge's WMBR, in addition to being key to the development of my musical tastes in general, is a big part of my fascination with these old records and what a bunch of college DJs thought of them. There was (and I'm sure still is) a lot to love about the station, but Pipeline!, their weekly local…
Tune in this Saturday, September 13th for another special all-electronic edition of Audioasis as KEXP and the city of Seattle gears up for this year's Decibel Festival happening September 24th through September 28th. Hosted by DJ Alex and co-produced with the help and guidance of Audioasis host DJ …
It took nearly six years, but the members of Tuatara finally heard the shaman's call. The members of the collaborative Seattle collective, led by drummer and producer Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Mad Season, Walking Papers), gathered once again outside of the plain of their ordinary lives to cr…
We've packed the house at Kex Hostel during our broadcasts during Iceland Airwaves over the last few years, but no session was filled with as many fervent Icelandic fans as the performance by Emilíana Torrini. The Iceland native (her father is Italian, if you're wondering about her name) grew up in…
During SXSW this year, KEXP returned to Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop and teamed up with Distiller Promo, Sub Pop Records + Hardly Art, and Merge Records for three days of free showcases featuring Dum Dum Girls, Wye Oak, Black Lips, La Luz, Hurray for the Riff Raff and many others. Between sets, we ask…
Seattle’s feminist rock scene has a beautifully rich history at this point, and it’s a total blast to see where the kids are taking it. Three bands in particular have, hand in hand, brought the noise consistently for the last couple years: Chastity Belt, Tacocat, and Pony Time. These three acts hav…
"There are so many mountains in the world, but not all of them are on the top 10 list... but if you stand on top of one, you feel like you're on the highest point on earth." This is the concept behind super-duo Minor Alps. Multi-talented musicians Matthew Caws of Nada Surf and Juliana Hatfield do j…
Up and coming sister bands Waxahatchee and Swearin’ gave us a lovely night this past Wednesday at Capitol Hill’s Chop Suey. It was a short and sweet set that the audience won’t forget any time soon as they swayed and bobbed to the piercing lyrics and layered instruments - loud in the best possible …
