Seattle artists often talk about the beauty and inspiriting nature of the Emerald City, that leaving town for a while is understandable but there is always that hope of returning home. This is no different for Seattle native J. Pinder, but it's not every day a young rapper has the chance to work in…
For this installment of Immigrant Songs, I was blessed to have Los Angeles group Chicano Batman live in the KEXP studios. They’ve been getting a lot of attention around the country lately, both by doing some killer opening slots during tours with Jack White and Alabama Shakes and by being on the bi…
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, unrealeased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJ’s think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Mo…
Sweatson Klank is the alias of Los Angeles-based electronic producer Tom Wilson, also previously known as Take. He's a veteran of the underground beat scene with releases for revered labels such as Brainfeeder, Project Mooncircle, Alpha Pup, and All City Records. He's consistently evolving his cutt…
It's finally here: the long-awaited sophomore release from KEXP's Iceland discovery Of Monsters & Men! The album was co-produced by the band and Los Angeles-based producer Rich Costey who's worked with artists such as Sigur Rós, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Shins, just to name a very few. (And …
Luminescent UK singer/songwriter Laura Marling shares a video today for the track "Gurdjieff’s Daughter" off her stunning new release, Short Movie. The clip was shot in Marling's East Los Angeles home, and features cameos from Vampire Weekend guitarist Rostam Batmanglij and musician Jonathan Wilso…
The first official Kurt Cobain documentary, Montage of Heck, will have a theatrical run before its premiere on HBO. According to Billboard, the film will debut in Los Angeles, New York, and our very own Seattle on April 24. Rumor has it that the theatrical release will put this highly anticipated …
Hailing from Osaka, Seiho is one of Japan's most enigmatic and charismatic artists that infuses his colorful electronic productions with an adventurous and playful flair that's difficult to categorize. While he's broken through as both an underground force and a major label artist in his home count…
"Seattle owns the future and they don't know it," composer Ron Jones tells a crowd at WaMu Theater during the second day keynote of the Upstream Music Fest + Summit. There's a bite to his words, feeling like equal parts admiration and condemnation. A native to the Northwest who relocated to Los Ang…
Showcasing tracks from their recently released LP, Worship the Sun, Allah-Las pick up the melodic strains of yesteryear and drop them into the comfy confines of the KEXP live room. The Los Angeles four-piece wrap intricate harmonies, complex chord progressions, melodic bass and vintage percussion u…
I never thought the day would come that Miley Cyrus would make the KEXP Blog, but I also never thought she'd perform with The Flaming Lips, like she did this past weekend at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Apparently, Cyrus told the crowd, "I hope I can inspire you guys as much as The Flaming L…
After 14 years together, San Fransisco band Thee Oh Sees have announced an "indefinite hiatus." They've been consistently turning out loads of fresh material over the last five years, but things recently got hectic when frontman John Dwyer decided to move from San Fan to Los Angeles. Their manager…
Kastle is the alias of Los Angeles-based DJ/producer Barrett Richards, a constantly evolving and forward-thinking artist that also runs the hotly-tipped Symbols record label. Initially emerging onto the scene with a fresh club sound that fused house, R&B, bass, and pop in a seamless fashion, hi…
Formerly known under the alias Spazzkid, Mark Redito is a Los Angeles-based electronic artist creating an energetic and emotional sound that finds a perfect middle-ground between pop perfection and club bangers. Recent releases on Cascine, Magical Properties, and IHC 1NFINITY have displayed his evo…
“There’s so many kinds of music I’m interested in that I just never let into my own songwriting, so in a way with this record, it was kind just of like opening the curtains and letting stuff come in,” Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing says of Life of Pause. Continuing with his style of creating a new worl…
Despite keeping busy with Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh, Lou Barlow managed to find time to record a new solo album. The latest, Brace the Wave, hits stores September 4th via Joyful Noise. In a press release, Barlow explains, "Having moved back to Massachusetts (after 17 years in Los Angeles), I recorde…
Following his fantastic third solo album, Singing Saw, Kevin Morby shares a digital 7” single today titled "Tiny Fires." The acoustic track was written and recorded in Morby’s bedroom in Los Angeles, and features two members of his touring band -- Meg Duffy on slide guitar and bass, and Justin Sul…
As a teenager, Jordan Gatesmith fronted the Minneapolis-based band Howler, whose sneering garage-rock sound caught the attention of UK label Rough Trade. (You can check out their KEXP performance during SXSW 2012 here on the blog, and a 2014 in-studio session here.) After two albums, Gatesmith disb…
Los Angeles-based DJ and music scholar Canyon Cody has been showcasing vibrant worldly dancefloor rhythms as both a veteran DJ of both radio and clubs, as well as through his own production and label A&R work. With his hands in cool, cutting-edge spots like Fania Records, Red Bull Music Academy…
Not New York City. Not Los Angeles. Lush’s first U.S. show in 20 years was right here in Seattle. The honor was not lost on the hundreds of fans who lined up early outside the venue to get closer to the stage, and who swarmed the merchandise table immediately upon entering The Showbox, like ravenou…
