The band name of Lonesome Shack came from frontman Ben Todd’s experience living in, well, a lonesome shack that he built himself in New Mexico. In it, Todd learned Mississippi Fred McDowell songs and honed his facility on stringed instruments like bass, banjo and guitar. It is impossible not to not…
Back in October, we took the first opportunity we had to bring Scottish group Django Django live on air. Their self-titled debut, soon to be nominated for a Mercury Prize, had been released just the day before, and a full U.S. tour was still a dream, but the band was able to drop by the Cutting Roo…
It's reissue season, and this week brings us deluxe versions of Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, Tori Amos' Boys for Pele, Ween's live album, and R.E.M.'s now-classic Out of Time, whose deluxe edition features new liner notes, 19 never-before-heard demos, an unreleased 1991 live show, plus eight music…
LA based indie rockers Local Natives have been flying under the radar since their 2013 album Hummingbird. But today, they're back with a luminous new song titled "Past Lives." It's a real stunner. Fingers crossed that this means there's a full, studio album in the works. [CoS]
It's been 57 years since a plane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa took the lives of musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, but their music and influence live on, as strong as ever. Called "The Day the Music Died," after a lyric from Don McLean's tribute single "Ameri…
What other band is even nearly as iconic to KEXP DJs and listeners as Pixies? Their early independent spirit sent a beacon for other artists to follow and their eventual rise from arty cult rockers to alternative music mainstays proved that unique and uncompromising artists could make a huge and la…
With a jitter in his hands and a song in his heart, a caffeinated Jamie Lidell stopped by KEXP recently for an early show with Cheryl Waters. The British-born (but now Nashvill-based) musician draws heavily from the decadent and unapologetic R&B and funk of the 90's that he'd been hearing on co…
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part of our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s selection, featured on the…
