For as good natured a duo as you're like to find, Cary Ann Heart and Michael Trent can get darker and more dangerous than you can imagine. As Shovels & Rope, they play gritty boot-stompin' roots-rock that spans between rousing sing-alongs, heartwarming ballads and harrowing tales of vengeance. …
Michael Azerrad, author of the 1993 biography Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, joins us to talk about his relationship with Kurt Cobain.
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It's the end of the year, alright, but I don't know how fine you're feeling. R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe joined Stephen Colbert and actor James Franco for a spirited, updated rendition of the 1987 single "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" last night on CBS' The Late Show with S…
The Hood-to-Hood artist with the shortest commute today was West Seattle's own Michael Lerner, aka Telekinesis. For his stripped-down set from the Junction, Lerner stepped on stage with a guitar and an old-school four track machine, and charmed his neighbors with a short n' sweet set. The set kicke…
The fabulous Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are back with their latest garage-rock freak-out Freedom Tower – No Wave Dance Party 2015, out March 24th via Mom + Pop. The boys go drag in this John Waters-inspired video for the track "Betty Vs. The NYPD", directed by Michael Lavine. Check it out below, …
Watching Shovels & Rope perform is almost like stepping into their living room. Married Charleston, SC, duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst perform so lovingly together and write some very intimate ballads that at times you feel like you might be intruding on them. But we've also hosted them …
Tune in to KEXP on Wednesday, March 23rd, from 6-9PM, for a special edition of The Roadhouse with Greg Vandy, spotlighting John Fahey and his legendary label, Takoma Records. During the show, we'll also featuring a unique in-studio session that bridges generations of guitarists exploring folk, blue…
Trumpeter Owuor Arunga is one of the handful of Seattle natives joining Macklemore & Ryan Lewis when they play Key Arena on Dec 10-12. Owuor, along with Ray Dalton, Mary Lambert, Michael Wansley, Andrew Joslyn are just some of the cast of characters, who, for the last year, have been on a world…
OK, you're all in trouble. Why am I only just now learning about Happy Flowers? Noisy, disturbing/hilarious songs written from the perspective of a toddler? Band members named Mr. Anus and Mr. Horribly Charred Infant? Covers of Big Star, Michael Schenker, and Silver Apples on the same album? These …
National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of volunteer service. .
There are infinite ways in which musicians reveal their talent, and fans need only listen to the first track of Ad Infinitum, the fourth album by Seattle's own Telekinesis, to realize what we now have on our airwaves is a truly stand-out record. Combine several years of early, steady, success with …
"Only 340 more songs to go," said Icelandic soul singer Júníus Meyvant, hiding a sly grin under a thick red beard at the start of his set at the KEXP Gathering Space Stage on Saturday evening. Fans on the concrete floor in front of him, sitting like children arranged around a teacher, chuckled. Tho…
Today's Holiday Song of the Day, as chosen by Brian Foss, host of Sonic Reducer on KEXP, is "Humans Are Not Worth Saving (Merry Christmas)" by Michael M, from the 2020 self-released album A Digital Christmas Gift For You.
Surprise! Baltimore duo Wye Oak have sprung an EP on us titled Tween, out now digitally and available physically on August 5th via Merge Records. The title reflects the contents: via a press release, they explain the songs "don’t make sense for album number five," but "just because they don’t belo…
We shared the first wave of line-up announcements from Iceland Airwaves Music Festival, and today, they've rolled out the final list. Fufanu, Reykjavíkurdætur, Sóley, and Gangly have been added to the festival, which already boasted great guests like Fleet Foxes, Michael Kiwanuka, Àsgeir, Aldous H…
The nominees are in for this year's prestigious Mercury Prize, unfortunately now known as the "Hyundai" Mercury Prize. Heavy hitters David Bowie and Radiohead lead the shortlist, alongside Michael Kiwanuka (above), Anohni, Savages, and more. Not only has the name slightly changed, but so has votin…
Another light summer week of new releases, but there's a handful hitting shelves today that you'll definitely want to check out. Portland singer-songwriter Alela Diane tops the list with her fourth album of heartbreaking (and broken) folk-pop, highlighting her rich voice and often personal lyrics. …
Recently, David Schelzel of The Ocean Blue stopped by the KEXP studios to play a live acoustic set, which included a cover of Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without A Face.” Stripped down – accompanied only by one other guitarist for the final tune (Schelzel’s friend Michael Morris) – and in preparation for a …
Guillermo Scott Herren's early releases under his Prefuse 73 alias at the turn of the century proved to be groundbreaking, his fusion of intricate electronic production with high-quality instrumental hip-hop beats yielding a refreshingly innovative and highly influential sound. The current NYC-base…
