Mariachi and punk don’t seem like harmonious ingredients for palatable, let alone outstanding, music, but hardcore punk band The Bronx were creative (and brave) enough to try it out. The unprecedented hybrid punk/mariachi band they formed, named Mariachi El Bronx, had enough talent, appeal and nice…
It's 37 degrees in Reykjavik, and KEXP is setting up at Kex Hostel for four days of incredible live music. Iceland Airwaves festival is just getting warmed up (it officially kicks off tomorrow), but things are already hot here at the hippest hostel in Iceland. We've brought along all the necessary …
For a band celebrating The Age of Fracture, CYMBALS sure form a cohesive sound. On their debut, the UK foursome may shirk "concepts", but their songs are nevertheless about ideas – about "action and desire", "the city", "working", "love" and so much more – but they're even more about dancing and el…
Shortly after their KEXP in-studio session on The Morning Show, Alt-J stopped off at the Late Show with David Letterman for a performance of their bluesy-track "Left Hand Free." The UK group release their sophomore album, This Is All Yours, on September 22nd via Warner Music, and will be stopping …
The light rain didn't keep the crowds away from attending the first day of the 2014 Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival, and the improving weather will only make today more enjoyable. No doubt people will come rain or shine for legendary bands like Big Star's Third and The Replacements, but you m…
Get drunk in tribute to those who aren't old enough to do so! This week, our friends at the Vera Project kick off the 12th Annual A Drink for the Kids, a lost-weekend-long fundraiser for 21+ music lovers to support the beloved all-ages venue, just by drinking at their favorite bar.The opening night…
With all the information passing between people on the internet, I suppose it’s no wonder an amazing band could form via Craigslist – yet, it still comes as a bit of a surprise that JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound came together this way. It’s like hearing the perfect couple met on a dating web site.…
Portland riff-brokers Red Fang recorded a crushing in-studio session for Seek & Destroy's four-year anniversary on October 27, playing songs in from their new album, Whales & Leeches. You can watch the full performance below, and you can also catch them live at their S&D-sponsored, all-…
Born in Zimbabwe, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi came to Seattle for two shows at Jazz Alley, but before those performances, the songwriter stopped by KEXP for a live in-studio with DJ Darek Mazzone. Accompanied by backup singers and an electric bass, Tuku, who also works with Mahube, Southern Africa’s sup…
Directed by bandleader Danny Mekonnen, the Boston-based Debo Band take inspirations from 1960s Ethiopian jazz music, elements of klezmer, funk and rock and roll. They combine these into original instrumentation and create a rhythmic, thoughtful, often trans-like musical narrative. Adding to Mekonne…
Laura Marling has teamed up with directors Fred & Nick on a 20-minute long short film When Brave Bird Saved that features the four opening songs of her forthcoming LP Once I Was An Eagle. According to the directors the film is "directly inspired, informed, and narrated" by those first four son…
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 Af…
Welcome to 'Pacific Notions' with DJ Alex. Every Sunday morning from 6-9 a.m PT, 'Pacific Notions' will showcase the best in neo-classical and ambient music, with explorations into downtempo, new age, post-rock, and other atmospheric styles.
While traditional classical music has long found a home…
"I feel like all 4,000 people in this room should hug right now," the mid-30s woman beside me says to me as the house lights go on after The xx show last Monday night. I nod my head in approval. I understand what she means - not hugs of comfort but hugs of recognition of community and of the beauti…
At KEXP, our love for post-punk sirens Savages knows no bounds. Their debut LP Silence Yourself is without a doubt one of the best introductions of the year. These four women have put together a sound and a vision whose fury and vigil have no equal. Listening to Savages is an experience - it goes p…
"Discover new music". In all we do, KEXP seeks to fulfill that mission and share with you the best new music we can find. But it's a big world! We're fortunate to have many resources at our fingertips, and a lot of great artists come directly to us, yet sometimes we rely on fellow curators whose pa…
It should come as no surprise, but we're not the only ones celebrating the 25th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind. Our Seattle Center neighbors the EMP Museum are hosts to the world's most extensive exhibition of Nirvana memorabilia, a collection commemorated in the book, Nirvana: Taking Punk to t…
Partly-local band Widowspeak has announced the follow up 2015’s All Yours. Their new album is titled Expect The Best and will be released later this summer. Frontwoman Molly Hamilton wrote the songs while she was living in her hometown of Tacoma, Washington. The band, formed in Brooklyn, have under…
Arguably one of the Pacific Northwest's most enigmatic and charismatic artists, Tilson XOXO has carved a singular lane within Seattle's music community with his leading role in party-starting Seattle trio The Saturday Knights and more recently emerging with new solo material that defies easy catego…
After sixteen jam-packed weeks, the art exhibit Genius / 21 Century / Seattle comes to a close at the Frye Art Museum this Sunday, January 10th. The curated collection paid tribute to over sixty-five local artists, all nominated for The Stranger's Genius Award over the years. Since the show debuted…
