Soul legend Bobby Womack has passed away today at the age of 70. Cause of death is not currently being reported. Womack began performing music in the mid-'50s, and was discovered by Sam Cooke who signed his band, The Valentinos, to SAR Records. The Valentinos' 1964 single "It's All Over Now" was co…
The thrill is gone. Yesterday, B.B. King passed away at age 89. Born Riley B. King in 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi, the legendary guitarist and songwriter became known worldwide for his distinctive voice and nimble finger picking, particularly on his constant companion, the Gibson guitar he named…
Ryan Adams announced that he will be covering Taylor Swift's mega-hit album 1989 in its entirety. Although there's no official release date, he's been posting his progress on twitter. Below you can hear brief snippets of "All You Had To Do Was Stay" and "Out of the Woods." Adam's haunting vocals a…
Part fresh-faced punks, part wise songwriters, Fox and the Law seem to always be creating expectations and then immediately defying them, dashing preconceptions as soon as their rich guitar riffs and vocals rife with sonic time bombs hit listeners' ears. This Seattle four-piece, not even two years …
L.A. ladies Warpaint share a new song... titled "New Song." Well played, Warpaint, well played. The track is slated for their third full-length, Heads Up, which finds the group moving (no pun intended) in a more dance-oriented direction. Vocalist/guitarist Emily Kokal says, via a press release, "W…
The gaudy, sterile synths, the contrapuntal guitar and bass, the party ready drums, and especially the high-ranging, free-wielding, devil-may-care vocals - if you were there in 2005 when Clap Your Hands Say Yeah rose to indie-stardom with their self-titled, self-released debut, you remember it all.…
If the Rolling Stones had started their career in 2014 Chicago, they might have been called Twin Peaks. Having evolved out of their 2010 airy psychedelia origins, the youngsters have released Wild Onion (2014) and Down in Heaven (2016) that demonstrate textures reminiscent of the early 70s era of w…
Scottish trio CHVRCHES share a track from their highly-anticipated sophomore release Every Open Eye. Stream the opening cut from the album below. Every Open Eye hits stores on September 25th via Glassnote, and the band are playing an all-ages show Wednesday, October 14th at The Paramount. [Spin]
One snare hit. That's all the notice the audience received that the curtain around the stage was opening and Jack White was beginning the second of his two nights at the Paramount Theatre with "Fell in Love With A Girl". Just under two minutes later, he was playing the unmistakable riff to another …
Like goths on a beach, the dark sounds of Daughter may seem out of place on sunny summer day, but few bands make "moody" music that's not downright depressing as well as this UK trio. Their atmospheric debut LP, If You Leave, arrives just in time for the warmer weather, and you may find yourself, w…
Today would have been Chris Cornell's 53rd birthday. Since news hit of his death in May, there's been an outpouring of love for Cornell and his music. From Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog to Audioslave and his prolific solo career, he gave generations of fans music to adopt as their own. He gave …
With eight members, it's no surprise that the afro-funk of Seattle's own Polyrhythmics packs a mean punch of energy. Beyond the vibrant wall of sound that struck audience members of our Occidental Park at Upstream, festival-goers were also hit with a massive dose of sheer joy. The highly-danceable …
If you're my age and MTV was a huge part of your musical awakening, this album (or really its hit single "Goody Two-Shoes") was your first exposure to the artist known as Adam Ant. And you probably thought it was pretty cool. But if you were a college radio DJ at the time, and had been enjoying the…
From PWR BTTM to Patti Labelle, music by “out” artists and our allies powers KEXP's DJ El Toro through happiness, hopelessness, and hardship … and always steers me back towards love. 1. The Julie Ruin - I Decide 2. Lisa Prank - Starting Again 3. Alex Anwandter - Siempre Es Viernes En Mi Corazón…
Last month, Street Sounds went old school, featuring veterans of hip-hop Mobb Deep, who've been keeping it real since the early 90's, when New York MC's Havoc and Prodigy first made a name for themselves depicting hardcore street life and became key players in the East Coast rivalry with West Coast…
Considering all of the terrific live sessions Cheryl Waters is witness to in the KEXP live room, it's rare she'd be knocked speechless after a first song. But clearly London Grammar has learned from the best. Through the moody atmospherics of guitarist Dan Rothman and keyboardist Dot Major and the …
It’s great to see that excellent, keenly questioning, perennially rebellious, truly inspiring, and high quality reading/viewing/listening materials keep being published and produced in this extremely DIY economy. Forged in the fires of pre-economic collapse in 2007, Oakland, CA-based PM Press is a …
Time to break out the AquaNet, blue eyeshadow, and leg warmers. Today, we take a trip back in time on KEXP. From 6AM to 6PM, DJs John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole celebrate '80s Ladies Night, a benefit for KEXP's New Home, with 12 hours of music solely from the '80s. Although the show to…
Hop Along frontwoman Frances Quinlan's distinctive voice has been compared to everything from a hurricane to sandpaper and everything in between, but what ultimately makes it so magnetic is its emotiveness, it's ability to sound human and stand out when surrounded by the pointed bluster of her band…
All throughout the Midday Show on KEXP today, DJ Cheryl Waters has been sharing tracks from the forthcoming Cymbals Eat Guitars album, Pretty Years. Miss a few songs? Had to go into a meeting? You can stream the entire album here, via NPR Music. The band will be crashing through (argh, puns! I can…
