KEXP's Owen Murphy and Troy Nelson break down a cover song for Mariah Carey's Fantasy. Frontman of the band Sky Cries Mary talks about rubbing elbows with the rising stars of the Seattle grunge scene in the late 80s and going on to make treehouses for the rich and famous. Rapper Perry Porter discus…
Mary Lambert, who sings the beautiful hook on the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song about marriage equality, “Same Love”, recently released her solo EP, Welcome To the Age of My Body, on Capitol Records. KEXP caught up with Mary as she was in Los Angeles preparing for the Grammy Awards, where “Same L…
Being that I was quite young and on the other side of the country in the heyday of Seattle's The Visible Targets, I was not familiar with the band or their legacy until quite recently (I was more of a Moving Targets kid). But fortunately, I didn't have to go far to find a wealth of information on t…
From a KEXP Song of the Day in 2013 to a Grammy nomination and Saturday Night Live in 2016 -- it's been fantastic watching the rise of our beloved Courtney Barnett! Over the weekend, the Aussie superstar made her first live TV appearance in the U.S. with "Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the…
We all knew going into the Sub Pop Silver Jubilee that it wasn't going to be a day you might forget, like so many other street festivals and and fairs, which all tend to blend together after you've been to a few. Was it the more than memorable lineup, including J. Mascis, Father John Misty, King Tu…
I might not have gotten on the Odd Future bandwagon back when it began, but that doesn't mean I was going to miss Earl Sweatshirt this year at Sasquatch. He took stage simply - his black Supreme sweatshirt (hood up of course), OF DJ Syd backing him up close behind. Lucky for the audience ("Hey Coac…
There is a place where the sounds and sights of summer are always abounding and where you can sing about the beach all year long. That place, according to Zach Yudin, is Cayucos, California. His project Cayucas (formerly called Oregon Bike Trails) is an unapologetic love letter to the feeling given…
Pieces of Sky, Tomo Nakayama's latest record, is one of the Seattle veteran's most delicate and powerful works, reflecting on the nature of traveling and going through life during chaotic times. Backed by a full band in this session on the Morning Show with John Richards, Nakayama and hi…
I'm really glad I was born when I was. The idea of going through teenagerdom without the blistering, angst-laden pounding of Ministry (particularly late '80s and '90s Ministry) as a soundtrack seems too awful to imagine. Apparently billions of pre-gen-Xers managed it just fine and grew into perfect…
Seattle's own experimental hip hop outfit, Shabazz Palaces take on a dark, post-apocalyptic wasteland in their new "#Cake" video. There's an intense game of chase going on while beautiful, yet terrifying, giants roam the city. Check it out below. [Pitchfork]
Every once in a while, I post an album from a band that's been so minimally documented on the Internet that I feel I'm adding significantly to the body of public knowledge about them with one little blog post. This is dangerous because usually I know next to nothing about these bands. Take Ism, for…
I've covered Beat Happening records in this space before, but it's been just over six years, so I figure the time is ripe to go back to that well. For my previous post, I compared the reactions to the Oly DIY heroes' first and fourth albums. Today we'll split the difference (sort of) and go back to…
Howe Gelb is a goddamn institution. Over the past three decades he has released 25 albums with the mercurial outfit Giant Sand (originally known as Giant Sandworm, most lately known as Giant Giant Sand), and almost as many albums under his own name (#20, Dust Bowl, is available right now). His care…
“That's all I got,” chuckles Marty Stuart after gliding through a gorgeous, breakneck rendition of “Mississippi Railroad Blues” with His Fabulous Superlatives. Notably affable and even more instrumentally impressive, Stuart runs through cuts from his latest album, Way Out West, and trades storie…
When My Bubba entered the studio for their third LP, this year's Big Bad Good, they didn't have any songs, but the Swedish-Icelandic duo didn't take that as a reason to not craft a new set of tunes on the spot. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Studio, Guðbjörg Tómasdóttir and My Larsdo…
Our thoughts go out to members of the band and crew of Twin Shadow, who were injured this morning as their tour bus was part of a multi-vehicle crash in Aurora, Colorado, with heavy fog to blame. Rescuers have brought a dozen individuals to a local hospital to treat minor to severe injuries. [The …
Finally! A reason to go to Spokane! This weekend, September 5th through 7th, launches the First Annual Bartfest, a music festival organized by a new all-ages venue in the small Washington town, The Bartlett. Together, with Nyne Bar located next door, they'll host a three-day indoor festival smack-d…
As major labels continue to exist behind the times, artists and labels with little capital and lesser reputations are producing some of the most innovative, interesting, and inspiring music. Whether it’s creating a new niche in digital technology or looking to once obsolete formats, Agitated Atmosp…
Morning Show host John Richards presents the 6th installment of KEXP's Runner Powered Podcast. 1. LUH - I&I 2. onDeadWaves - Blue Inside 3. Hammock - Everything and Nothing 4. School of Seven Bells - Ablaze 5. Fly Moon Royalty - Grown Man 6. Cullen Omori - Cinnamon 7. Minor Victories - Folk …
Arto Lindsay, the guitaring/singing half of the art-pop duo Ambitious Lovers, is one of my favorite - and one of the most underrated - musical artists of the late 20th century (he has gone relatively quiet in the past decade or so, although some recent posts on his facebook page instill hopes that …
