Kristian Matsson, better known as The Tallest Man on Earth, doesn’t need much for an introduction. The Swedish born singer-songwriter rocks a style so unique and unmatchable that most who’ve heard him once could recognize his sound anywhere. Blogs often attribute that unmistakable quality to his vo…
As Oli Bayston, a.k.a. Boxed In, says, "Everyone who creates something is a product of their influences" - and he should know. The British record producer certainly has had a wide of array of influences, growing out of his previous work as frontman for the four-piece Manchester rock band Keith and …
Beloved Chicago label Bloodshot Records are celebrating their 20th anniversary with the 2CD or 3LP compilation called While No One Was Looking, featuring bands covering artists from their roster. Indie rock veterans Superchunk chose the Ryan Adams track "Come Pick Me Up," which frontman Mac McCaug…
It's not just because they're young (or high) that brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall consider the "classics" bands like Pixies, Beck, and My Bloody Valentine. JEFF the Brotherhood draw from some fairly obvious influences for their sludgy punk-metal sound, but on their new EP, Dig the Classics, the Orr…
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…
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…
Some bands are really hard to pin down, especially when they sound like they're from another world. Take The Besnard Lakes. The Montreal band's influences are so diverse that listing a few neglects a much wider range. KEXP's Music Director, Don Yates, nearly hits it by describing their latest relea…
Phantogram can't help but fire up your passion. The upstate New York electro pop duo of Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter came on strong with their seductive self-titled EP back in 2009, which they followed with two increasingly alluring LPs quickly in the next two years, but then left us hot and bothe…
Shearwater fans need not worry: they're "not turning into a cover band". So says principle songwriter Jonathan Meiburg, who recently performed a set of covers live in the KEXP studio. Their new album, Fellow Travelers, in fact, consists exclusively of cover songs written by tour companions of the A…
Although it might shift to include Sasquatch and Governor’s Ball next year, there are essentially four music festivals that form the festival season narrative in 2013. Typically, Coachella sets the bar for the rest of the year in April, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza try and outdo it through sheer size …
<pOn any given weekend in Seattle, there are a million amazing shows to see - from jazz at a coffee shop or theater, to a grunge show at a DIY space, to a major act at any one of our large venues. Maybe this weekend you want to try something new, maybe you heard one song by this small electronic…
After selling out their first show (Dec. 12) at Key Arena in just 15 minutes, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis decided to add a second performance on December 11. That one sold out in two hours. The guys have so much love for their hometown that they've now added a third show, this one is set for Decem…
Today, millions of Canadians celebrate Canada Day, their nation's birthday, dating back to 1867, when the four current British colonial provinces joined to form the country consisting of ten provinces and three territories that we know today. We at KEXP feel a particular kinship with our polite nor…
Here's wishing the best seismic health to Southern California this April, as pretty much every current band you'd ever want to see will be in or around Indio, CA, for the weekends of April 12-14 and April 19-21. Why? Because of Coachella 2013. The newly announced lineup is a who's who of indie and …
Previous Mercury Prize-nominees Django Django have shared the second single from their forthcoming album Marble Skies. The track is called "In Your Beat" and comes with a pop-art inspired collage video directed by SKG (Sophie Koko-Gate) with art direction by Brodie Kaman. The band's producer/drumm…
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: …
Angel Olsen is releasing a collection of outtakes and rarities called Phases this Friday, November 10 via Jagjaguwar. Today she's given us the previously unreleased song "Sans," which was written in between Burn Your Fire For No Witness and My Woman. Olsen called the song, "something short and simp…
Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole shares some of his favorites of 2014. Relish in the best of the year and hopefully discover something new and awesome! 1. Júníus Meyvant - Color Decay 2. Mac DeMarco - Blue Boy 3. Temples - Shelter Song 4. Ty Segall - Feel 5. Parquet Courts - Black and White 6. BRO…
It's the quintessential story of grunge, or at least how we've come to know the Seattle music scene of the '80s and '90s. It involves friends, music, an isolated region, heroin, grief and rampant commercialism. It's the story of talent lost too soon before its time, and of the musicians who gathere…
