"This is an instrumental about weed," Acapulco Lips bassist Maria-Elena Juarez said pointedly as the band started their set at the KEXP stage. It got giggles at first, but the second they started leaning into their psych-meets-surf jam, the laughter turned into dancing and some serious vibing. It w…
Just when you thought festival season was over with Bumbershoot, another one has jumped in right before the buzzer. This means you've got one more shot to enjoy free outdoor music before the cold weather kicks in. This Sunday, September 17th, Lyft will host their first annual Lyft Fest at the Seatt…
KEXP celebrates Indigenous Peoples' Day, commemorating the importance of Indigenous history, culture, and connection to the lands.
Tuesday night was just another night in the weird, wonderful world of the Crocodile. Some nights, you can see phenomenal jazz and soul, others you'll witness scorching rock shows with face melting guitar solos and pyrotechnics (maybe). Then nights like Tuesday, you'll stand facing the back wall wit…
Much talk surrounding Capitol Hill Block Party's 2016 notes the intentionally electronic turn that the festival made this year with its headlining choices. Of those, the crowning evening of the weekend had to go to Saturday night, where hometown heroes ODESZA played to maybe the biggest crowd ever …
Join KEXP on Monday, September 16th as we celebrate the music of Mexico to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month and commemorate Mexican Independence Day.
Well, can't say we saw that one coming! In the next phase of the ever-evolving state that has come to define them, experimental indie rock chameleons Liars come to us now as... a synth pop band?! Well, perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration. But still, on new record Mess, we find Liars a far cry a…
KEXP, STG, and Starbucks kicked off the new year with another fine edition of our benefit series, Little Big Show. On January 31st, we joined together to raise money for Reel Grrls, a program where girls ages 9-21 can learn media production skills from volunteer professionals and voice their indivi…
Each time we've gone back to Iceland over the past five years, we've been fortunate to discover and share with KEXP listeners quite a few bands who might not otherwise leave their shores. For every Sugarcubes and Sigur Rós, we found dozens of others, like Hjaltalín, Ásgeir, Of Monsters and Men (bac…
Our broadcast during Iceland Airwaves isn't always about the Iceland bands. While we do enjoy spotlighting groups that KEXP listeners might not otherwise hear, we also love to share with our Nordic friends some of our own favorites, like NYC's Caveman, whose lush, dreamy indie pop sound translates …
Though her first band, brother-sister duo The Fiery Furnaces, caught a lot of well-deserved internet buzz, Eleanor Friedberger has truly found her voice alone. Over two albums - Last Summer, 2011's acclaimed solo debut, and the recent Personal Record, sure to be a favorite on critics' year-end list…
Nearly 35 years in music and Bob Mould shows no signs of slowing down! From his early punk roots with Hüsker Dü in the 1980s through his alternative pop years with Sugar in the 1990s, and in the years between and afterwards with his ten solo albums, the veteran songwriter has explored a variety of …
Anyone who got to kick off 2017 with Sleater-Kinney is already very lucky, but it sounds like the show was even better than we could've imagined. For their New Year's Eve concert at San Francisco’s Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium, the ladies paid tribute to artists we've lost this year: David Bowie an…
2016 was an especially brutal year: we lost David Bowie, Prince, Sharon Jones, Leonard Cohen, Lemmy Kilmister, Phife Dawg, and that's just to mention a few. (You can see part one of our list here.) KEXP is celebrating the lives of all these artists on the air, today, Thursday, December 15th from 6:…
2016 was an especially brutal year: we lost David Bowie, Prince, Sharon Jones, Leonard Cohen, Lemmy Kilmister, Phife Dawg, and that's just to mention a few. (In fact, part two of the list can be found here.) KEXP will celebrate the lives of all these artists on the air, tomorrow, Thursday, December…
Closing out a fantastic week of music live from KEX Hostel at Iceland Airwaves Music Festival were London-based power-pop trio Dream Wife. The band is comprised of London-based musicians Alice and Bella, and Icelandic singer Rakel, who are known for their super-fun performances and strange, beautif…
Ever since moving to Seattle from Lansing, Michigan, in 1989, Shomari Shanks (a.k.a. DJ Sho Nuph (f.k.a. Sho Nuff) has been immersed within the local music community, first connecting with seminal 1990s local hip-hop crew Tribal Music before diving into the electronic music scene in the early 2000…
CHVRCHES have teamed up with actress Kristen Stewart for a live version of their track "Down Side of Me," which can be found on the box set 7-Inches for Planned Parenthood (with 100% of the proceeds being donated to Planned Parenthood, natch). In a press release, frontwoman Lauren Mayberry says th…
This morning, it was reported that Oscar-winning film director Jonathan Demme had passed away at the age of 73, due to complications from esophageal cancer. His lengthy filmology includes blockbusters like Philadelphia and The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Direct…
