One thing's for sure about the Pacific Northwest — we love our outdoor music festivals! And this morning, the line-up was announced for the 14th Annual Summer Meltdown Festival, held at the beautiful Whitehorse Mountain Amphitheater in Darrington, Washington, just 90 minutes northeast of Seattle.
Check out some of the KEXP DJ’s favorite artists from the Pacific Northwest and around the world on-the-go. KEXP’s Music That Matters weekly podcast brings you an exclusive mix of new music from the world’s best independent artists.
Soulful singer/songwriter Leon Bridges talks to KEXP about his early days as a young musician at open mics, how he developed his other-worldly voice, and what he thinks about love at this stage in his life.
Phoenix-based electronic producer Kareem Ali continues his breakthrough year with a guest DJ mix for Midnight In A Perfect World that showcases his love for hypnotic deep house rhythms while also placing a spotlight on Black producers in the contemporary underground electronic community.
Harlem-based musicians Dezron Douglas and Brandee Younger tap into their shared love of timeless jazz, soul, R&B, and funk on their exclusive guest DJ mix for Midnight In A Perfect World.
Seattle songwriter Jen Wood returns to KEXP to deliver a dreamy set of tunes from her 2014 LP, “Wilderness”. Wood is backed by an excellent cast of Seattle musicians including Carissa's Wierd guitarist Jenn Ghetto and bassist Lesli Wood for this electrified in-studio performance. Recorded 11/…
This week's picks for Song of the Day were chosen by Kevin Cole, host of The Afternoon Show on KEXP, highlighting standout artists from the 2020 Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, Netherlands. Today's Song of the Day is “Dystopian Boy” by Sólveig Matthildur, from the 2019 album Constantly In Love on …
Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be a phenomenally awesome trend happening right now where dance bands are accompanying thumping tracks with a lyrical message of higher understanding and deeper self-knowing. Last fall, Cut Copy gave us Free Your Mind, a record musically inspired by rave cultu…
UK electronic chameleon Zomby is one of those few artists from whom we've only seen improvement since his beginnings. Back in 2008, Zomby's full-length debut came in the form of Where Were You in '92?, an over the top, muddy 90s rave soundtrack that played excellent tribute to the scene of days pas…
Brooklyn-via-Alabama singer/songwriter Katie Crutchfield, better known as Waxahatchee, shares a lovely new video for the track "La Loose," a single from her recent Merge Records release, Ivy Tripp. The clip was directed by Naomi Yang (Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi) who says in a statement: "I wan…
Thank you to everyone who came out Saturday night for a sold out sixth annual SMooCH: Seattle Musicians for Children’s Hospital. Those in attendance were treated to new music from headliner Father John Misty, who told the audience, the follow-up to last year's I Love You, Honeybear is done. Songs …
Love & Hate, the sophomore release from soulful UK artist Michael Kiwanuka was a fave for many KEXP DJs last year. (It was even a nominee for the prestigious Mercury Award in 2016.) Kiwanuka revisits the release with a video for the track "Cold Little Heart" -- watch below. The video was direc…
Although they hit you immediately, the depth of Unknown Mortal Orchestra's songs belies their urgency. Underneath a pulsating rhythm or Ruban Nielsen's expressive vocals is always a subtle, just-as-infectious keyboard melody or a texture that alters Nielsen's voice. On the Portland group's latest a…
During a two-night stand at Manchester’s O2 Apollo this past weekend, The National paid tribute to hometown heroes New Order with a cover of the band's 1985 single “Love Vigilantes.” Watch as frontman Matt Berninger does his best Bernard Sumner impersonation, and even walks down to the audience. T…
When I'm not playing records or working behind-the-scenes at KEXP, I love doing crafts. Right now, I'm reproducing Lou Reed's Transformer in needlepoint. And yesterday, I convinced Chris and Cheryl to make thank-you cards by hand for Midday Show donors because I was inspired by this message from My…
Attention shoppers: For a holiday gift that ticks the experiential and charitable boxes, pick up a Dancing on the Valentine X ticket for a friend or loved one – plus one for yourself, of course – and mark your calendars for Friday, February 13th at Neumos.
Eric Carnell, a.k.a. the head honcho behind Independence Printage, has been a fan of The Clash for most of his life. His love for the band runs so deep, in fact, that he’s done KEXP the favor of curating and illustrating our artwork for International Clash Day for years, drawing on an eclectic grou…
Each week KEXP's Music Director Don Yates shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from The Love Language, Alejandro Escovedo, Spider Bags, and more.
