We were excited when we heard legendary singer/songwriter Paul Weller would stop by the KEXP studios for an acoustic session, but little did we know, he'd be bringing his five-piece band with him for this very special unplugged set. The intimate performance spotlighted his twelfth solo release Satu…
The latest from Australian band Royal Headache doesn't hurt KEXP's ears: our Music Director Don Yates calls it, "another first-rate set of urgent, soul-steeped garage-rock and post-punk, combining buzzing guitars and energetic rhythms with emotive lyrics and lead singer Shogun’s gritty, soulful voc…
A bad breakup rarely calls for celebration, but it is a cause for Ceremony. The Bay Area band builds their fifth full-length around singer Ross Farrar's recent romantic split, narrating his loss and resulting loneliness almost chronologically. The L-Shaped Man isn't all about doom and gloom, though…
Describing the appeal of Mac DeMarco is like trying to explain the funniest joke you've ever heard to someone half your age. Words will only make you seem hopelessly out of touch. For all his goofball antics, the New York based, Canadian born singer-songwriter writes some catchy and melodious tunes…
To call a band brimming such powerful emotion Holy Esque is like calling Scottish indie music in general "kind of sad". The Glasgow quartet has already built a ton of buzz with their 2012 EP while touring with the equally impassioned (but sadly defunct) Wu Lyf, but they took time since then to deve…
Sufjan Stevens will release the highly anticipated, Carrie & Lowell, on March 31. This is Steven's first studio album since 2010's The Age of Adz. The singer-songwriter debuted the stunning title track today on Mary Anne Hobb's BBC Radio show. The full track can be heard over on BBC Radio 6 at…
Swedish band Little Dragon share a video for the track "Underbart," from their fourth and most recent release, Nabuma Rubberband. Directed by Grant Singer, the clip features a cameo appearance from a wigged-out Don Bolles of the legendary punk band The Germs. Check it out below, and check out the …
With a voice nurtured by her Tennessee church roots, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Valerie June skillfully combines gospel, folk, bluegrass, and a bevy of other genres in her music. Known for her distinct voice, June was determined to succeed as a solo artist and taught herself to play gu…
Late last year, legendary singer/songwriter Joe Henry stepped into the KEXP studios, where he debuted a couple new songs from his then-untitled thirteenth album. Today, KEXP is proud to share the video debut of "Slide," a track from that album, now titled Invisible Hour, released last month on his …
It's a family affair for local artist Noah Gundersen. Accompanied by his sister, brother, and friends, the soft-spoken singer/songwriter performed a dynamic, yet delicate Morning Show session featuring tracks from his then-unreleased debut full-length, Ledges. It comes as no surprise that Gundersen…
Listening to The Lonely Forest is like looking up at the Northern Lights. On a crisp evening, a river rushing behind you, pine trees spotting the landscape, the shimmering aurora borealis hypnotizes. This is what it’s like taking in the grand, pleasantly wavering vocals of Lonely Forest lead singer…
There is nothing extinct about The Dodos. In fact, they've been playing music together consistently since 2005 and are continually evolving. While playing, The Dodos are always changing speeds, messing with time, all the while imbuing an unassuming – yes – confidence, as on their recent single of t…
His posse was on Broadway last night. In what became the worst kept secret appearance in Seattle, local hip-hop stars Macklemore and Ryan Lewis took over the intersection of Broadway and Olive Way in Capitol Hill yesterday to film a video for their song "White Walls", referencing the singer's suped…
The Dodos have announced a new album, Carrier, which will be out on August 27th, and they've shared "Confidence" from that album. Carrier follows the loss of guitarist Christopher Reimer, who joined The Dodos in 2011. Singer Meric Long revealed that Reimer was a big musical influence for him, “seei…
It's Friday night at the Showbox and there's a singer on stage waltzing through "My Favorite Things" from The Sound Of Music and at the end of her final stanza, the band behind her crash in and a Danny Brown verse recited by Spank Rock (perhaps one of the only rappers who could conceivably match Br…
After more than a decade since its release, Seu Jorge set sail to bring back his much-acclaimed 2005 soundtrack to the Wes Anderson film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou to adoring fans. Performing live across the globe, the acclaimed Brazilian singer-songwriter provided not just nostalgia for th…
Last night Death Cab For Cutie played a benefit show for the ACLU and Planned Parenthood at the Paramount. During their performance they paid tribute to Chris Cornell by covering Soundgarden's "Fell On Black Days." Before launching into the song, Ben Gibbard shared a few words about Cornell: “What …
Prolific singer-songwriter Ryan Adams paid homage to Chris Cornell at a show in Auckland, New Zealand this Saturday by covering Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun." The song is arguably Soundgarden's most popular song, topping the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1994, where it spent a total of…
In the liner notes of her latest album, Ivy Tripp, Katie Crutchfield — better known by her recording alias Waxahatchee — has a photo of none other than Dolly Parton. She laughed when KEXP DJ Stevie Zoom asked her about it. "I have Dolly everywhere I go," she smiled. Like Parton, the Alabama-born Cr…
What a great way to kick off 2015: our very first in-studio session of the year was with Canadian musical craftsmen Dan Mangan + Blacksmith. On his fourth album, Club Meds, out now on Arts & Crafts, the Juno Award-winning singer/songwriter expands into new sonic soundscapes with his band, Black…
