On August 11, 2018, Seattle's own Sub Pop records held their 30th anniversary celebration at Alki Beach in West Seattle. Dubbed SPF30, the iconic label brought artists from their roster to perform for free on the beach.
KEXP was on the scene documenting the legendary affair and livestreaming performances. In conjunction with Sub Pop, we are now sharing videos from these performances – which you can find below.
Sub Pop 30th Anniversary Catalog Count-Up
From March 12 to August 11, 2018, KEXP aired tracks off of every release in Sub Pop's catalog. With over 1,200 releases, the station honored every single catalog number in chronological order over the history of the Seattle based label, including full albums, singles, EPs, compilations, early Sub Pop fan zines, and even a wedding soundtrack.
“This is going to be a really fun pain in the ass!” said KEXP’s John Richards. (He was right.) “We’ll have DJs playing Sub Pop songs an average of 8.3 times a day, 24-7 for the next 4 and a half months — each and every Sub Pop release in the original format whenever possible. Cassette, LP, 7-inch, you name it. It’s going to be a total hassle, and totally worth it to celebrate our friends at Sub Pop.”
Revisit our countdown (or rather, count-up) via the sidebar menu. KEXP also celebrated the band's 30 year history with album retrospectives, interviews, and more, which you can see below.
| AK — Anna Kaplan | AL — Alan Lawrence | DH — Dusty Henry |
| JH — Janice Headley | KF — Kaitlin Frick | MD — Martin Douglas |
| NS — Noel Strange | MH — Matthew Howland | OM — Owen Murphy |
| SW — Sinclair Willman | ZF — Zach Frimmel | GL — Geran Landen |
| DY — Don Yates |
With Rewind, KEXP digs out beloved albums, giving them another look on the anniversary of its release.
Sleater-Kinney's 2005 album The Woods is a highlight of Sub Pop's vast catalog, as well as a complex finale to the band's initial tenure. KEXP looks at the album's continued relevance and layers of critique.
Hell and heartbreak run deep through Dum Dum Girls' End Of Daze, perhaps the band's finest work. As a part of the Sub Pop 30 count-up, we revisit this landmark EP in the band's catalog.
From the lit ashes of Fastbacks rises Kurt Bloch's Full Toilet 7", a Seattle punk massacre well hidden amongst the Sub Pop back catalog.
