Since the mid-'90s Omaha, Nebraska natives, The Faint, have been composing within the dance-punk tradition, but not without a distinctive tinge. On their website, they state that, they're "disinterested in making anything except what their own inspiration drives them to make." This philosophy, albe…
You won’t believe the golden light you wake up to crawling out of your tent at Pickathon. The tree-lined hills of the Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon make you feel like you are in an other-worldly paradise. Taking a light walk around the Back 40 to enjoy the surroundings, among the sleepy co…
Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley of Georgia based Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers give KEXP listeners a taste of their 12th album, “English Ocean”, with a stripped-down acoustic performance. Recorded 04/23/2014 - 4 songs: Primer Coat, The Part of Him, First Air of Autumn, Pauline Hawkins.
Although they've been local stars for some time now, Ravenna Woods just stepped it up a notch. The trio of singer/guitarist Chris Cunningham, drummer Matt Badger, percussionist Brantley Duke, are now joined by keyboardist Sam Miller for their forthcoming release, adding another layer to their alrea…
Set against the illuminated backdrop of the many pallets of Chrome Satan at the Hilliard's Beer Taproom, The Faint, during their performance, looked like dance-punk dictators, rulers of some Mad Max dystopia in which beer's more valuable than gold. In case you missed it, or in case you just wanted …
Get ready, Ballard: Market Street is gonna shake with the Macefield Music Festival, October 2nd through 4th in this beautiful, historic 'hood.
In this edition of Rewind, Martin Douglas explores Shabazz Palaces' odyssey-like sophomore album, which surveys its environment with more street savvy than the group is often given credit for.
With their shifting, phased-out sound, local urban poets and Cloud Nice members Kingdom Crumbs have become of the 206's leading hip hop groups. (In a recent Stranger piece, our own Larry Mizell, Jr. called the group "hands-down full-stop one of the very very best groups our town has.") The Seattle …
Inspired by Sufi poetry, their obsessions with writing, and limitation, Benjamin Verdoes and Nathan Quiroga, the creative masters behind Iska Dhaaf (a Somali phrase which roughly translates to "let it go"), have been collaborating for the past couple of years with impressive results. At first glanc…
Having just played an exquisite showcase for the Ballard Day Hood-to-Hood Celebration, Nila Leigh and Sam Ford of Goodbye Heart are ready to take over Seattle and its surrounding areas, provided you let them. Well-versed musicians, the outfit has been making music since 2007, back when they lived i…
It's difficult to imagine Iska Dhaaf as only a two-piece, even when they're right in front of you. The sound of their full-bodied post-punk is supported by Benjamin Verdoes' (Mt. St. Helen's Vietnam Band) unique ability to simultaneously play the keyboard and drums. It takes a talented musician to …
Named after a race of diminutive creatures in Magic: The Gathering, Kithkin's energetic, uplifting indie rock is the type of music that gets the cops called over to house shows (in the best way possible). Although the band's aesthetic is clearly a fantastical one - the self-described "Cascadian you…
The Drive-By Truckers have never shied away from writing about social themes, but in the light of recent events, the long running Georgia outfit recorded one of their most striking and overtly political records to date in 2016's American Band. Joining Greg Vandy in the Roadhouse, the band pla…
Representing his experience as the son of Zimbabwean musicians, a father, a soon-to-be husband, and a man from Seattle's South End, Draze poured himself into Seattle's Own, the Emerald City MC's proper debut that finds him reflecting on his changing life and his changing hometown. Joining Larry Mi…
This past weekend in Portland, a benefit concert was held for beloved local artist Scott McCaughey, who suffered a stroke back in November. As we mentioned last month here on the KEXP Blog, the two nights (Friday at the Star Theater, Saturday at the Wonder Ballroom) featured an all-star bill includ…
Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole proves that the world is a beautiful musical place with a diverse set of new sounds that span the globe, including music from Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, Australia, Sweden, Scotland, Niger, and Connecticut's The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Af…
KEXP's Expansions host, Masa, has done a radio special on Detroit's Electronic Music Festival for many years and now brings you his very first podcast focused on the festival. It's a 12 track celebration and spotlight on Detroit based and inspired electronic artists performing at the festival this…
Firing on all cylinders, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley of Drive-By Truckers zipped over to the KEXP studio to play a couple of their songs off their newest album, English Oceans. With an eight-string, robust Kay Vintage guitar and silvery crooning, the two displayed their stripped-down prowess, il…
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…
