We caught up with Nila K Leigh and Sam Ford of Goodbye Heart to converse about some new projects, gain a little insight into the band's history and, of course, discuss their fascination with Tina Turner. The Seattle-based synth-pop duo just recorded an album, Restless Nights, with Shawn Simmons at …
This upcoming Record Store Day, April 19th, Jack White will be recording, pressing and releasing the limited edition version of his next single, a live rendition of the title track from his upcoming LP Lazaretto. The entire process will take place at Third Man Records, White's own independent recor…
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…
Understandably, Vancouver band Weed often has difficulty crossing the border. In fact, KEXP's John Richards had to write a letter so they could travel from Canada to perform live with him on the Morning Show last month. But it's really not the sticky green stuff border guards try to sniff out that …
Sufjan Stevens isn't the only one taking on Christmas. The XX covered Wham!'s "Last Christmas" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. It's just how you would expect it: a bit too serious for the cheesy lyrics, but then again The XX can make pretty much anything sound pout-perfectly pretty. And they sound l…
So much music, so little time. Midday Show host Cheryl Waters has compiled a collection of summer songs that she loves, listen to find out why Cheryl always plays more than one Spoon song. 1. Luluc - Without A Face 2. Sharon Van Etten - Taking Chances 3. Sleepy Kitty - Don't You Start 4. Liars - …
Variety host Mel Trejo is your DJ for the 2013 CMJ Preview edition of KEXP's Music That Matters podcast. The mix highlights artists participating in this year's CMJ Music Marathon taking place in New York beginning Tuesday, October 15th, through Saturday, October 19th. The playlist includes choice…
2011's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming didn't just turn M83 into a triple-A critical darling and unexpected commercial success, it pushed the band to become one of the biggest and outright best acts on the live circuit. Taking their records' widescreen ambitions and bringing them to life with a huge, bord…
Tomorrow, Friday, October 6th, Rhino Records are releasing The Replacements For Sale: Live At Maxwell’s 1986, a two-disc set capturing The Replacements at their mid-career best. Last month, KEXP premiered the live version of "Takin’ A Ride," and today, we share the band's ramshackle take on "Color …
Former Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto has shared her take on Tommy James & The Shondells' 1968 song "I'm Alive." Ditto said of the cover: "Being alive is radical right now. So let's live!" Ditto released her solo debut Fake Sugar last year. Catch Ditto at the Showbox on Thursday, March 29. [ SPIN…
Grandaddy released their first album in over a decade, Last Place, back in March and today they've shared a video for the track "Brush with the Wild." The video, directed by Aaron Beckum, follows the story of a heartbroken man who tries to throw out all the things that remind him of his ex, only to…
Danish psych-rock band Mew returned to the KEXP studios in support of their first album in six years, + - (pronounced "plus minus"). It ended up being quite an appropriate title. Plus: the return of founding bassist Johan Wohlert, who left the band in 2006 before the birth of his first child. Minus…
Brooklyn-based popsters The Pains of Being Pure at Heart announce a new EP today, Hell, out November 13th via their own cleverly-named label, Painbow. Today, they share a track from that, a cover of the 1993 single "Laid" from Manchester band James, which you've surely heard on The Morning Show on…
It's been a few years since we've heard from Denver band DeVotchKa, and in that time they've been doing the usual - you know, gardening, making babies, growing beards, writing ballets - just not releasing new material... at least not yet. Between occasional shows and a handful of concerts with the …
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…
Soak up some serious summer vibes this weekend by checking out Cairo's VIBRATIONS, an annual community focused arts and music festival. The festival takes place at Volunteer Park this Sunday, August 16th! The music headliner is local favorite Chastity Belt; others on the lineup include So Pitted, i…
Both Mac DeMarco and Run the Jewels filmed sessions for the Black Cab Sessions video series — sadly, not together, but it's still pretty darn great. Watch our gap-toothed friend perform a solo acoustic version of "The Way You'd Love Her" off his forthcoming Another One, and see El-P and Killer Mik…
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…
Despite the recent years of turmoil that almost resulted in a break-up, the beat goes on for Brooklyn band The Drums. Now stripped down to founding members Jonny Pierce and Jacob Graham, it's been a three-year wait for their latest album, Encyclopedia, out now on Minor Records. As Pierce notes hims…
Directed by bandleader Danny Mekonnen, the Boston-based Debo Band take inspirations from 1960s Ethiopian jazz music, elements of klezmer, funk and rock and roll. They combine these into original instrumentation and create a rhythmic, thoughtful, often trans-like musical narrative. Adding to Mekonne…
