All the way back in August, when Father John Misty was on his Pure Comedy tour, he recorded an episode of Austin City Limits for PBS. Recorded at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin, he delivered a shorter set than the other shows on his tour (his Seattle show at the Paramount was over two hours l…
Composing great dance music is more than just choosing the right beats per minute and finding a catchy synth patch. It's about capturing an emotional impulse in the groove – that indescribable, wordless "something" that resonates beyond how it booms out the speakers. It's an idea that Seattle produ…
They say there's a day for everything, and maybe they're right, because today happens to be National French Fry Day. It's been said that french fries date back to the 1600s, when the residents of a region formerly known as the "Spanish Netherlands" (currently: Belgium) had the custom of accompanyin…
It's hard to believe, but west coast one-time wunderkind Beck turns 45 years old today. The junior high school dropout has gone from self-released cassettes, to a surprise smash hit with "Loser", to Grammy Award-winning artist. He's tackled styles from the soulful slide of Midnite Vultures to the N…
10:15 on a Thursday morning, and today happens to be the birthday of Robert Smith, godfather of goth (even though he hates that term) and legendary frontman of The Cure. It's hard to believe, but The Cure will be here Memorial Day weekend, headlining the 2016 Sasquatch! Music Festival. Throughout h…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. This week, we are featuring artists p…
Everyone's recovering from the long Memorial Day weekend, including the music industry, but there are still some excellent new releases awake today. One of the highlights is the third full-length from Portland band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "an adventurous, im…
Today, Bruce Springsteen turns 65 years old. SIXTY-FIVE. After a seven-year-old Bruce saw Elvis Presley performing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, he knew he wanted to be a musician. Even as a teenager, he played concerts at Jersey trailer parks and at the Elks Lodge. And, somehow, over fifty year…
Pinch yourself, because this is really happening. Not only are The Dream Syndicate back in Seattle for the first time in 25 years - they also are playing an additional set for the KEXP Music Lounge to bring us as close as possible to this timeless and influential act. From their debut EP through fo…
This is old news to you if you were listening to The Morning Show on KEXP this morning when DJ John Richards presented the world radio debut, but today we've got a new song from local faves Deep Sea Diver. Frontwoman Jessica Dobson stopped by the station this morning to share the track "One By One…
Last weekend, the Fremont Fair launched their inaugural Solstice Concert Series. We shared photos from Friday nights show here, and today we have photos from Saturday, when Cascadia '10, The Flavr Blue, The Physics, and Blue Scholars brought the beat under the sun. We're already looking forward to …
"If you ever woke up in a bed without somebody, and you didn't know the bed or the room or the city, this song might be for you," says guitarist and vocalist Brad Barr of the new song we're premiering today by The Barr Brothers. Any discomfort, though, is less than temporary. "Even the Darkness Has…
This week, KEXP is broadcasting for the third year in a row, during Iceland Airwaves Music Festival. Starting this morning at 6AM, and running through Friday, November 1, we're bringing you five bands a day performing live at KEX Hostel in Reykjavik, including Emilíana Torrini, Moses Hightower, Pet…
If it seems like everyone is reuniting lately, it's true, because now The Postal Service is back with a show and a re-release. Today we found out that not only will the band be releasing the Deluxe Tenth Anniversary Edition of Give Up on Sub Pop featuring two new tracks, "Turn Around" and "A Tatter…
Car Seat Headrest have unveiled a (sort of) new song today, "Beach Life-In-Death." The 13-minute single is actually an updated version of a song of the same name off of Car Seat Headrest's 2011 Bandcamp album Twin Fantasy. The previous version was a fan-favorite and the new one is a sprawling epic …
Wilco are about to release reissues of their first two albums, 1995's A.M. and 1996's Being There. On both reissues are unreleased tracks and today we've received one from the Being There sessions called "Dynamite My Soul." The acoustic track features vocals from frontman Jeff Tweedy and his acoust…
Next on KEXP’s broadcast live from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival was Icelandic electronic band Gus Gus. Formed in 1995 by filmmakers Stefán Árni and Siggi Kjartansson as a film group and acting collective, the group’s purpose quickly changed with the addition of programmer Biggi Thó…
Last year, The Shins released their fifth album called Heartworms. Next week, they're releasing a flipped version of the album entitled The Worm's Heart, featuring reworked versions of all the songs on the album. The basic premise is that all the songs keep the same lyrics and melodies but the slow…
tUnE-yArDs are returning next week with a new album, I can feel you creep into my private life, and today we've received the third single from the album, "Heart Attack." The fun, upbeat track shows the new, more accessible direction the band is taking. This will be the first album where the band, p…
Destroyer, aka Dan Bejar, shared a new video today for "Stay Lost" from his 2017 album ken. Directed by and starring Maxwell McCabe Lokos, formerly the keyboardist of Deadly Snakes, the clip seems initially to focus on a man likely building a house but as the video continues we see that he's on to …