There's a new pop-savvy sheriff in Sub Pop town, and he goes by the name of Cullen Omori, and instead of having to wield a Smith Western to corral a crowd's attention, all he has to do is coo his name. Omori quickly became a wunderkind as one of the instrumental brains of the Chicagoan outfit Smith…
Last week, Seattle sons Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight took their hometown for three straight sold-out nights at the Paramount Theater. It is truly mind-boggling how quickly and how flawlessly ODESZA has skyrocketed over the last three years. The band's debut album Summer's Gone came out only th…
A full bill of local punk rocked Chop Suey Thursday night in a debaucherous whirlwind of moshing bodies. Presented by Sonic Reducer, KEXP's Saturday night punk and hardcore show, the evening was sure to exhibit all the gems Brian Foss brings to any event: great music, great people, and great attitu…
"The Black Keys performing live on stage." That's one of a handful of statements on the Akron, Ohio duo's line of exaggeratedly plain tour merchandise, but it's also an unintentionally spot-on statement about the Black Keys' shows. Not only are their performances built around straightforward versio…
KEXP, the community of Everett, and the Everett Music Initiative banded together over the weekend of May 16th and 17th to bring some powerful sound (more than 50 bands in total!) to Snohomish County's own sleepy fishing town with the inception of the very first Fisherman's Village Music Festival. A…
London's Kitchens of Distinction, like so many bands championed by KCMU, were a promising and critically acclaimed band in the late '80s and '90s that never quite broke as big as they might have hoped, but have maintained a devoted following over the years. Last year, almost two decades after break…
Not sure if it's a compliment to be called a "thinking man's metal band" (or at least, it's not so nice to the other metal bands), but long running alternative metal band Helmet have always made smart music that never loses its punch. Vocalist/guitarist Page Hamilton founded the group back in '89, …
A while back, a producer, a DJ and an MC, each with solid careers of their own, formed a sort of hip hop supergroup to face against rising corporate interests in their fields. Like Gorillaz, Deltron 3030 was high-concept, semi-fictional, character driven project that blew the minds of music fans of…
Few bands have influenced Seattle's sound like Mudhoney. Twenty five years ago, to this month, Mark Arm and Steve Turner rejoined after leaving Green River to form a group that would weather all storms of the so-called "Grunge" scene. Their initial, poorly selling but highly influential single and …
Seattle super-group Walking Papers played a killer session in the KEXP studio for Audioasis, where they shared three songs off their Mike McCready (of Pearl Jam)-produced self-titled debut from October last year, released on Sunyata Records. Such an assured sound from a band that just released a d…
This summer, folk rockers The Lumineers played a special show at Barboza in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood as part of KEXP's VIP Club concert series. The band has gained major momentum in the current thirst for rootsy, soul-stirring music, and this year they're up for two Grammys -- for Best …
David Bazan has a knack for writing dark pop songs. Control, an album he released ten years ago with his former band, Pedro the Lion, is filled with lies, adultery, murder, and some melodies that you'll want to hear over and over again, even while the lyrics give you chills. Bazan and his band perf…
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and we choo-choo-choose Dancing on the Valentine! Now in its twelfth year, this annual event was launched by leukemia survivor Jenny George as a celebration of life and her birthday. All proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Since its launch in…
Week by week, we get closer to MoPOP’s Sound Off! finals on Saturday, March 11th, which will be broadcast LIVE on KEXP's Audioasis! Now in its 16th year, this all-ages "battle of the bands" has introduced us to acts like The Lonely Forest, Naked Giants, Manatee Commune, and more.
Now in its 12th year, the OFF Music Festival in Katowice, Poland has established a place as one of the most unique and enjoyable in Europe. Established in 2006 by renowned Polish musician and self-proclaimed music fan, Artur Rojek, it has grown into a destination for over 15,000 music fans per day …
If you missed the announcement on The Morning Show on KEXP earlier today, we're excited to share the initial line-up for the 2017 Timber! Outdoor Music Festival! Celebrating its fifth year, Timber! invites you to the rural splendor of Carnation, Washington July 13th-14th for another fun, family-fri…
New York synthpop duo Chairlift have shared a surprise, new track called "Get Real" on Spotify. They first mentioned the song on twitter 3 years ago, but it was never officially released, until now. It's a smooth, soulful number that showcases Caroline Polachek's amazing vocals. [SPIN]
Every year, EMP's Sound Off! competition showcases emerging stars in the all-ages music scene. Previous winners have included The Lonely Forest, Dyme Def, Sol, Kithkin, Brothers from Another, Manatee Commune, Fauna Shade, Schoolyard Heroes, Tomten, and Brite Futures, just to name a few.
It's Leap Day, a strange overage of 24 hours that occurs in the Gregorian calendar every four years. Or, if you believe Tina Fey and the TV show 30 Rock, it's a day when a mythical gilled-man named "Leap Day William" trades candy for children's tears. Either way, KEXP has compiled this list of song…
