There are very few bands that find a way to capture the absolute euphoria of endless, boundless love and affection. Plenty manage to navigate the confusing space between love and infatuation, the infinite battle of reconciling affection and compassion, and find countless new ways to spell the woes …
The boozy blues of obsession and regret never sounded so good... at least not in the last 16 years. It's been that long since The Afghan Whigs released an album and its members turned their attention elsewhere. Yet, while other 90's bands are now cashing in on their notoriety with 20- and 25-year a…
Beach Slang either have terrible luck or are possibly not very good at locking up their equipment. The band announced today that they were, once again, robbed. The unfortunate event happened right here, in Seattle, after their November 11 show at Chop Suey. Their brief statement on Facebook reads: …
Whether it's the goal or method of art to turn complex thought into pure emotion, The Antlers are masters of their craft. The Brooklyn band frequently finds impetus in heady conceits, like on 2009's Hospice, for which vocalist and guitarist Peter Silberman compared an emotionally abusive romantic r…
"We're gonna play 'til they kick us out." Nobunny spoke to the crowd at El Corazon Saturday night, clad in a bunny mask and black briefs with a white poof tail. "Nevermind, they already locked the doors. None of us are getting out alive. This is it. Welcome to Hell, this goes on for your life." If …
Over the weekend, Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic and Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan took the stage at The Neptune Theatre to discuss McKagan's new book, How To Be A Man (and other illusions). After their spirited discussion, none other than Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready introduced the two to perform a cover o…
As frontman and principle songwriter of rock band Eels for over 20 years, Mark Oliver Everett has created a cast of unique characters, but none may be as interesting as the one that is himself. On The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett, the band's eleventh studio album, Everett, or just "E", p…
In a move we can only hope was inspired by KEXP's Six Degrees Day, Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli has covered a song by Sharon Van Etten! Stream his version of "A Crime" below, featuring guest vocals from none other than Ani DiFranco, to add another link to the chain. You can download the track …
On Wednesday, I was excited to begin my fifth time attending Decibel Festival with the Abstract Earth Project showcase at the Showbox at the Market. This showcase featured Wax Tailor, an artist whose work I'd never yet picked up, but hearing some of it recently on KEXP had me saying "oh yeah, this …
Of all of the late night sets at Sasquatch 2015, none was more subtle than James Blake's. Unlike most of the nighttime sets in the Gorge, Blake's performance revealed itself gradually rather than blasting the audience over the head with lights and sound, and it was all the more effective because of…
KEXP Song of the Day alumni "The Legend of Chavo Guerrero" by The Mountain Goats receives the music video treatment today. The clip features none other than wrestling legend Chavo Guerrero himself alongside the band and actor Rob Corddry. Watch below. The Mountain Goats are playing a sold out show…
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…
PJ Harvey has released a new single with Eyptian artist Ramy Essam called "The Camp," along with a video that includes images by photojournalist Giles Duley of displaced children in Lebanon. They hope the song and video will raise awareness and much needed support towards the health and educational…
This year is Wilco's twentieth anniversary, but the posit of Wilco merely being a band for two decades is a somewhat reductive statement – across their career, they've covered as much musical ground (and employed as many personnel) as three or four bands. They started out as alt-country lifers tryi…
For many of us who grew up in the punk era, the sound of the Sex Pistols -- that power, energy, propelled by a sneer -- was life-changing. For me, it was those guitar chords. That sound -- copied over and over by legions of guitarists since -- changed my life on a cold, sunny day in a Victorian hou…
"I just wanna keep very, very quiet," admits Aly Spaltro (a.k.a Lady Lamb) at the end of the fourth verse of "Billions of Eyes". It's not an inaccurate statement, but it also doesn't mean she won't get loud when she needs to. Spaltro builds intricate songs that move through dynamics and lyrics more…
A very cool piece of Northwest history has emerged today. Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie has shared a recording of their very first show in Bellingham at a house venue called the Pacer House from November 22, 1997. Gibbard's friend Trevor Adams had the foresight to record the gig on his dictap…
You know when Hamilton Leithauser is about to hit a key vocal line. Like Arjen Robben dropping his shoulder before shooting on goal or Michael Jordan sticking his tongue out before driving to the hoop, Leithauser pulls the mic away from his face, tightens his shoulders, and then nails it - whether …
It’s a rare opportunity to see a band as hyped as Whitney at a venue as intimate as the Sunset Tavern. Or as frontman Julien Ehrlich noted with an off-the-cuff affect he deploys for most his on stage thoughts, “This show’s been sold out a long time.” No surprise there. With the June release of thei…
