This first day of live broadcasting from Iceland Airwaves ended with a bang. Kex Hostel was packed to the gills with eager fans of quintessential Icelandic singer songwriter Mugison (full name Örn Elías Guðmundsson). Raised in the small village of Isafjordur and now living in another tiny village, …
We began our broadcast at Iceland Airwaves from KEX Hostel in Reykjavik with familiar faces in a brand new group. Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen have both been featured several times live on KEXP, and not just from Iceland in years past – Ólafur also in Seattle and Austin during SXSW and Janus …
We're talking about Seattle Center today, right? Of course a bajillion huge bands have played Bumbershoot and Key Arena over the years, but the lifeblood of this area – as of the city as a whole – is the underrated local bands. Sure, you saw the Pixies on the Bumbershoot main stage in 2004 with sev…
One of the golden voices of Grizzly Bear (and Department of Eagles), Daniel Rossen came out of hibernation to play a heartfelt set of songs from his 2012 Warp Records solo-release, Silent Hour/Golden Mile. From his songwriting alone, you can tell Rossen loves his work. But performing live on his tw…
Often touted in 2013 as one of the bands you should know, KINS are quickly becoming one of the bands you do know. The Brighton-based band's well-received debut was several years in the making, starting from the original demos Australian transplant Thomas Savage brought with him from Melbourne, and …
iTunes Radio is now streaming Real Estate's brand new album Atlas a full week before its official release. This is the New Jersey outfit's first new collection in three years. Listen HERE. And don't forget: Real Estate will be the next band featured on KEXP's Live Video Stream on Thursday, March 6…
One song from The Clash is hardly ever enough. That's what DJ John Richards admitted to himself last year on this day when one Clash song became two, and then became the rest of The Morning Show on KEXP, and thus International Clash Day was born. And there's no better band to honor worldwide than t…
If Waxwing broke up in 2003, then what are they doing playing live at KEXP? Let’s put this query aside for now –- for, why question the good fortune of hearing the Seattle band, which first got together in 1996, play again? Waxwing, who last released an album in 2002 (but whose members have release…
When asked to describe his music, Zach Saginaw, operating under the pseudonym Shigeto, urges prospective fans to "have a listen". Drawing on his jazz background, instrumental hip-hop and years of drumming to create beat-heavy electronic tracks, Shigeto's music does indeed transcend traditional genr…
After over a decade, Fruit Bats is, um, flying away into the sunset, as mastermind Eric D. Johnston announced this morning: "Hey All. So, after 13 years, 5 albums, bunch of tours, and lots of laughs, Fruit Bats is calling it a day. There is no major or dramatic reason – I’m not gonna launch into o…
Seattle's Beat Connection seem to evolve with grace. As is the case with most young bands, they've had plenty of that evolution in the last three years. Their journey from the early house-driven days of 2010's Surf Noir to the vast, green sound of their 2012 debut LP Palace Garden and even through …
It’s rare that a band has three songwriters. But camaraderie oozes from the Seattle group Hounds of the Wild Hunt – and it seems each member truly appreciates when another can show his stuff on the mic. Ryan Devlin, Jonny Henningson, Nikki O Anderson and drummer Cary Davis make up the band that ca…
Apart from their various shows around the U.S. and Europe, we haven't heard much from Texan lo-fi indie rock band The Baptist Generals since their debut Sub Pop album, No Silver/No Gold ten years ago, but the band is back with the highly anticipated Jackleg Devotional to the Heart. The Baptist Gene…
LA garage pop outfit Bleached have been rising strong on the scene in the last year with a number of fantastic singles and well known strong live presence. The band mixes West Coast surf tendencies with the gorgeous melodic punk of bands like Vivian Girls and Dum Dum Girls, delivered through tight …
Ever since their first show in December 2008, Fitz and the Tantrums have established themselves as one of the hardest working bands on the circuit today. In between the release of their 2010 debut Pickin' Up The Pieces and their sophomore record, More Than Just A Dream (out this week!), the Los Ang…
Few artists resonate so strongly with KEXP listeners and all Seattle music fans as Kurt Cobain. His band, Nirvana, wasn't the first to break out of the Northwest nor did their groundbreaking breakthrough, Nevermind, sell the most among their contemporaries, but Cobain probably represented more of t…
With this short session in the KEXP studio, Karl Wallinger proved once again that the legacy of his one man brigade World Party still lives on. Today, Wallinger's timeless records are as powerful and effective as they've ever been, and in the stripped down setting of our studio, his heartfelt balla…
This month, KEXP’s Community Partnership Initiative, is proud to spotlight Amara, a local nonprofit that prepares and supports loving, adoptive families for children in foster care. For 90 years, Amara has been providing services to families and children, pioneering programs to meet the changing ne…
Holger Czukay, co-founder of the influential Krautrock band Can, has passed away at the age of 79. Cause of death is currently unknown. Via Facebook, his bandmates have written:
We are very sad to confirm that Holger passed away yesterday, in his home, the old CAN Studio in Weilerswist. His wife U-…
Faith Healer, out of Edmonton, Alberta, released their latest release Try;) ahead of our trip out to Montreal so I was able to spend some time with it before they did their session. This was one that I was most looking forward to seeing. Jessica Jalbert, the primary songwriter and guitar player, ha…
