Okay, let the "slappin da bass" jokes commence! Icelandic disco outfit Boogie Trouble get down to some serious grooves (in the funnest possible way) and really showcase the talent of bass player Ingibjörg Elsa Turchi (also of Rökkurró) as you'll see in the videos. But everyone in Boogie Trouble is …
Grant Hart, drummer , songwriter, and co-lead singer for the influential rock band Hüsker Dü, has died. He was 56 years old. The cause of death has not been announced, but he had reportedly been fighting cancer. Bob Mould confirmed the news via Facebook. The Minneapolis band was formed in 1979 by H…
Charly Bliss has shared a new video, perfect for Friday the 13th, for Guppy track "Scare U." Directed by lead singer Eva Hendricks and Andrew Costa, the clip is inspired by an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer called "Doublemeat Palace" from season six of the show. It casts Hendricks as a trainee…
Windy City singer/songwriter Ryley Walker shares his third album this week, which KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "his strongest and most sophisticated set to date, combining fluid guitar lines, intricate rhythms and elliptical lyrics on expansive songs that masterfully blend elements of folk-…
7/14 update: The GoFundMe has since been removed. Soulful singer/songwriter Shawn Smith has come across bad times. The vocalist for Pigeonhed, Brad, and Satchel, to name a few, is currently "homeless" (i.e. he has temporary housing, but friends aren't sure how long that will last). A longtime frie…
When Courtney Barnett sings about "Three Packs a Day," she's not talking about smoking. (I mean, c'mon. Haven't you listened to the lyrics of "Avant Gardener"? She's not that good at breathing in.) Instead, the brand-new single from the Australian singer/songwriter is an ode to ramen. While dietit…
There have been so many excellent summer festivals, it's been hard to keep up, but one line-up you shouldn't miss is the one at the 33rd Annual West Seattle Summer Fest! From Friday, July 10th to Sunday, July 12th, the West Seattle Junction will be bustling with entertainment, shopping, and fun for…
The second act up for our live streaming broadcast from Kex Hostel at Iceland Airwaves was rock and post-punk band Börn. They have a darker, gloomier sound influenced by the Icelandic punk movement of the 80s. Lead singer Alexandra is a total badass. She came adorned in black lipstick, a bright gre…
'90s-revivalists Speedy Ortiz go all the way back to the '70s for their cover of the Sibylle Baier song "Lost Something In The Hills." The obscure German folk-singer had recorded songs at home on a reel-to-reel recorder, and when none other than J Mascis got his hands on a copy, he helped Baier's …
For almost two years, Cumulus kept the tracks for their debut album hidden. After beginning their songwriting process in 2011, the group, led by singer/guitarist/songwriter Alexandra Niedzialkowski, slowly but surely put the pieces together while recording in Anacortes, WA, with Phil Elverum. The r…
This week, KEXP is broadcasting for the third year in a row, during Iceland Airwaves Music Festival. Now through Friday, November 1, we're bringing you five bands a day performing live at KEX Hostel in Reykjavik, including Emilíana Torrini, Moses Hightower, Petúr Ben, John Grant, Ásgeir and many ot…
Zach Yudin's music endeavors as Cayucas have been gaining some serious momentum since his band's tour with Ra Ra Riot this past February. With their full length debut, Bigfoot, out now on Secretly Canadian, and some favorable reviews from Fader and the like, Yudin is back out on the road headlining…
Iron and Wine, the music project of singer/songwriter Samuel Beam, delivers simple, folk ballads that evoke powerful complex emotions. With each album Beam seems to be reinventing himself; from the minimalistic, soulful melodies of The Creek Drank the Cradle and Our Endless Numbered Days to the mor…
Crime and the City Solution are one of many Australian bands that never really got their international due. For example, I first heard of them via their appearance in Wim Wenders' film Wings of Desire. My attention was further drawn to them by the involvement of Mick Harvey, whose name you might no…
Lackadaisical singer/songwriters Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile joined forces last month release the collaborative album Lotta Sea Lice. Since then they've been on tour and last night were the musical guests on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. They performed "Over Everything" on the broadcast s…
DJ Miss Ashley celebrates Women's History Month, featuring new tracks from some very talented female artists, including Madrid-based, all-female quartet Hinds, sister duo Bleached, local reggae singer and multi-instrumentalist Chava Mirel of Clinton Fearons Boogie Brown Band, and many other leadin…
If you're only aware of one Daniel Johnston album, Hi, How Are You is probably that one album - whether you've heard it, heard of it, or seen its cover image on a t-shirt worn by Kurt Cobain. As far as I can tell this was the first of his cassettes to receive wide release as an LP (five years after…
Kristian Matsson, better known as The Tallest Man on Earth, doesn’t need much for an introduction. The Swedish born singer-songwriter rocks a style so unique and unmatchable that most who’ve heard him once could recognize his sound anywhere. Blogs often attribute that unmistakable quality to his vo…
I've covered a few Australian bands in this space over the years, the majority of whom appear to have been related to this Australian band. The Eastern Dark, the Internet tells me, contained ex-members of both The Celibate Rifles (Eastern Dark founder and singer James Darroch) and The Lime Spiders …
White Lung's frontwoman Mish Way is nothing less than a singular, commanding singer, but the ferocious spirit that fuels her performances is empowering, not intimidating. On the band's latest album, Deep Fantasy, Way and guitarist Kenneth William, drummer Anne-Marie Vassiliou, and bassist Hether Fo…
