Eyelids' jangling guitar rock channels elements of American lo-fi and the Dunedin sound, chiming through the indie rock tradition with a DIY scrappiness that certainly comes from the band members' experiences in numerous rock groups (not least, The Decembrists and The Jicks.) Joining John Richards on the Morning Show, the Portland quintet play four songs from their latest record, Or, (and an older tune) and discuss crocheted album covers, band nicknames, and the Sounders/Timbers rivalry. Recorde...
Sep 13, 2017•33 min
They'd previously ripped up Kex Hostel as part of the Iceland Airwaves broadcast, so it should be no surprise that the Reykjavik trio Moji & The Midnight Sons torch the KEXP Live Room in Seattle with the same potent soulful hand grenade of a sound. On the heels of their debut album, What I Saw On The Way To Myself, the trio join Stevie Zoom in the studio to play a quartet of bluesy songs from that record and tell the tale of how the cross-continental collaboration first began. Recorded 6/12/...
Sep 08, 2017•21 min
Crawlspace, the debut album from Tei Shi, is named for the space where the Buenos Aires-born singer would go as a child to confront her fear of the dark, and that bold approach carries through to her skittering, electronic compositions. Joining DJ Chilly in the KEXP Live Room, Tei Shi runs through four tracks from Crawlspace and discusses the origins of her music. Recorded 6/16/2017 - 4 songs: How Far, Year 3k, Justify, Say You Do Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/...
Sep 06, 2017•26 min
When Alynda Lee Segarra first thought of making a record with a concept storyline, she heard a voice in her head telling her she was too lazy to do it. Fast forward and Hurray For The Riff Raff's striking album The Navigator features a collection of vivid songs featuring a young female Puerto Rican protagonist. Performing a quartet of Navigator songs and in conversation with John Richards about growing up in New York City and traveling around the country as a musician, Segarra fills the KEXP Liv...
Sep 01, 2017•29 min
“If the book you want to read doesn't exist, write it.” Quoting the inimitable Toni Morrison, Jamila Woods crafts a story worth diving into on her debut album HEAVN. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Live Room, the Chicago poet and songwriter tells the tale of how she went from singing in her church choir as a child to releasing her solo debut project alongside four HEAVN tracks. Recorded 6/6/2017 - 4 songs: Heavn, LSD, Way Up, Blk Girl Soldier Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnys...
Aug 30, 2017•22 min
The dusty desert-damaged rock of All Them Witches made its debut in the KEXP studios earlier this year, and it only underscores how the wait was too long. The long-evolving Nashville outfit's latest album. Sleeping Through The War, is a fiery, gritty LP that's highlighted in this session with Cheryl Waters, where the band discuss the roots of the project, the benefits of all the band's members not living in the same town, and playing a Rhodes strictly because they'd already paid for it. Recorded...
Aug 25, 2017•36 min
Close Eyes to Exit is the title of the Klangstof's debut album, and listening to their debut session in KEXP's Live Room, it's easy to be inclined to close your eyes and dive into the Amsterdam group's expansive sound. Alternating between echoing post-punk and crashing guitars, the quartet join Larry Rose in the studio to tell their origin story and perform four Close Eyes tracks. Recorded 5/16/2017 - 4 songs: Hostage, Sleaze, Ignore Me, Island Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See o...
Aug 23, 2017•29 min
There are moments during Valerie June's return to KEXP where she steps away from the mic and simply begins dancing to the rhythm, regardless if the song in question is a blues rocker or a sparse, country crawl. Performing four varied tracks from The Order of Time, the Tennessee songwriter and her band bring her astral Americana into the KEXP Live Room with Cheryl Waters and discuss the process of unlocking her “bubble” to get the songs out into the universe. Recorded 6/2/2017 - 4 songs: Astral P...
Aug 18, 2017•35 min
The jazz-inflicted, inspirational dub of Jah9 fills the KEXP Live Room with positive energy in this session. The Jamaican singer leads her band, The Dub Treatment, through songs on her new album, 9, and discusses doing improvisational dub soundtracks to yoga class and linking up with Mad Professor to do a dub version of the record in this session with DJ Miss Ashley. Recorded 6/12/2017 - 4 songs: In The Midst, Greatest Threat to the Status Quo, Unafraid, Steamers A Bubble Support the show: https...
Aug 16, 2017•24 min
Vieux Farka Touré's latest record, Samba, may mean “second boy” in Songhai, but the dazzling guitar work he displays in this session on Wo' Pop is second to none. Playing songs from Samba and paying tribute to his family with his music, Touré brings a snapshot of Mali's rich musical history into the KEXP Live Room. Recorded 5/2/2017 - 4 songs: Ni Negaba, Missing, Samba Si Kairi, Ba Kaitere Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 11, 2017•40 min
During her latest session in the KEXP Live Room, Laura Marling speaks of her music in film metaphors when describing her new record, Semper Femina, to Cheryl Waters. The London songwriter's sixth LP has all the touches of a classic film, filed in with rich scenery (a tight, expansive band) and a thick plot (some of her best songs to date) in this exquisite session. Recorded 4/28/2017 - 4 songs: Nothing, Not Nearly, Wild Fire, Next Time, Daisy Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omn...
Aug 09, 2017•21 min
One of the most gorgeous and sweeping sessions recorded in the KEXP Live Room to date, Jóhann Jóhannsson - best known as the soundtrack composer for Arrival, Sicario, and Blade Runner 2049, among others - leads the American Contemporary Music Ensemble through songs from his latest album, Orphée, and discusses the value of music as a communicative tool in film with Kevin Cole on the Afternoon Show. Recorded 4/20/2017 - 4 songs: A Song for Europa, De Luce Et Umbra, A Sparrow Alighted Upon Our Shou...
Aug 04, 2017•49 min
“That's all I got,” chuckles Marty Stuart after gliding through a gorgeous, breakneck rendition of “Mississippi Railroad Blues” with His Fabulous Superlatives. Notably affable and even more instrumentally impressive, Stuart runs through cuts from his latest album, Way Out West, and trades stories with Don Slack on a relaxed and dazzling set on Swingin' Doors. Recorded 5/22/2017 - 4 songs: Mississippi Railroad Blues, Whole Lotta Highway (With a Million Miles To Go), Old Mexico, Time Don't Wait Su...
Aug 02, 2017•25 min
Twenty two years after its release, Jeremy Enigk's Return of the Frog Queen continues to enrapture with its baroque arrangements and Enigk's inimitable songwriting. Performing four cuts from the album alongside a new song on KEXP's broadcast from the Upstream Music Festival with a full band (including a string quartet), the return of Jeremy Enigk sounds as vibrant as ever. Recorded 5/11/2017 - 4 songs: Abigail Anne, Return Of The Frog Queen, Carnival, Fallen Heart, Ancient Road Support the show:...
Jul 28, 2017•19 min
The Seattle soul trio Delvon Lamar Organ Trio (a.k.a. DLO3) speaks volumes without a singer. The warm chemistry of Lamarr's organ, Jimmy James' slick guitar, and David McGraw's tight, reflexive drumming is a joy to behold on this session from the Upstream Music Fest + Summit featuring tracks from their latest LP, Close But No Cigar. Recorded 5/13/2017 - 7 songs: Move On Up, Memphis, Untitled. Concussion, I Don't Want To Play That, Tacoma Black Party, Top Going Down, Bottom Going Up Support the s...
Jul 26, 2017•40 min
The Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi breaks cultural and musical boundaries on her own terms, bringing in traditional Tunisian sounds with modern production and protest themes on her latest album, Ensen (English: Human.) Joining Darek Mazzone on Wo' Pop, Mathlouthi performs four songs from Ensen and discusses her music during the Arab Spring and breaking down Tunisian identity as a person and as an artist. Recorded 5/15/2017 - 4 songs: Dfina (Burial), Lost, Thamlaton (Drunkeness), Kelmti Horra (M...
Jul 21, 2017•36 min
A trio of Pacific Northwestern veterans gathered together to give thanks for angular rhythms and chrome-streaked guitars, The Gods Themselves' ineffable cool is only matched by their space-smart songwriting. Joining Sean Nelson on Audioasis, the band run through four cuts from their latest LP, Be My Animal with stylish, kinetic aplomb. Recorded 3/25/2017 - 4 songs: Be My Animal, Tech Boys, Dance With Me, Love Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...
Jul 19, 2017•29 min
For their fifth session (and first in KEXP's new Live Room), longtime station favorites Alt-J went intimate to match the insular tone of their latest LP, Relaxer. With a pared-down semi-acoustic setup, the English trio play a pair of new tracks and a trio of old favorites in reworked fashions on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole. Recorded 4/28/2017 - 5 songs: 3WW, Tessellate, Warm Foothills, Dissolve Me, In Cold Blood Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for...
Jul 14, 2017•29 min
One of Wo'Pop host Darek Mazzone's most anticipated sessions in recent memory, Le Mystery des Voix Bulgares fill the KEXP Live Room with the power of a 23-person choir using open-throat singing to perform traditional Bulgarian music with contemporary arrangements. Running through a half hour of intricate and mellifluous vocal arrangements, the Prof. Dora Hristova-led ensemble perform a stunningly beautiful set alongside an interview between Hristova, Mazzone, and Jazz Theater's John Gilbreath. R...
Jul 12, 2017•40 min
Even if the definition of "Northwestern band” has to be stretched a little to include the Alaskan outfit Portugal. The Man, they have plenty of Northwest ties. Returning to the KEXP studios for a session featuring songs from their last three albums (all of which had a portion recorded in Seattle), they join Cheryl Waters for a recap of their last few years, including stories from working with Danger Mouse and Mike D. Recorded 3/6/2017 - 4 songs: Purple Yellow Red and Blue, So American, Modern Je...
Jul 07, 2017•24 min
Mellifluously melodious and dripping with rich vocals, Front Row Seat to Earth, Weyes Blood's latest album, is her most shimmering and accomplished to date. Laced with intimate lyrics and an atmospheric shine, Natalie Mering and her band enter the KEXP Live Room to play four songs and discuss the art of wild herb crafting with DJ Troy Nelson. Recorded 2/24/2017 - 4 songs: Used To Be, Seven Words, Generation Why, Do You Need My Love Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com...
Jul 05, 2017•26 min
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best and Seattle's Bread & Butter like to keep it free and easy with big, crunchy chords and juicy power pop hooks. The quartet are no joke though - the crashes and choruses on their debut album are plenty effective and sound best turned up loud. Palling around with DJ Kevin Cole on the Afternoon Show, the group discuss making their debut LP, pressing “butter” colored vinyl, and post-practice Youtube parties. Recorded 4/14/2017 - 5 songs: Worst Of Times...
Jun 30, 2017•25 min
Father John MIsty's songs have always been filled with vivid (and often flawed) characters, but he's never been as starkly human as he is on his latest full length, 2017's stunning Pure Comedy. The longtime KEXP favorite's newest LP is a sprawling, sometimes dark opus, but in this stripped down session on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, the artist sometimes known as Josh Tillman is more revealing than he often is in conversation and across four Pure Comedy songs. Recorded 5/24/2017 - 4 songs...
Jun 28, 2017•41 min
Loud and proud, Seattle queer punk band waste no time with introductions, blasting out hardcore tales of love, loss, and queer life in Seattle at a hundred miles a minute. Joining DJ Larry Rose in the KEXP Live Room, the Seattle quartet thrash through four songs from their forthcoming debut with equal parts speed and style. Recorded 6/9/2017 - 4 songs: Call Me Tania, Rainbow Crosswalks, Brosexual, Skinny Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Jun 23, 2017•14 min
The compositions of the Iraqi oud composer and performer Rahim AlHaj do not have lyrics, but the tension, force, and vitality of his songs speak volumes about the power of music in the face of terrible strife. Backed by a string quartet and bassist on Wo' Pop, AlHaj speaks boldly about valuing different cultures and keeping an empathetic, open mind towards them in the face of challenges, both in conversation with Darek Mazzone and through songs from his latest collection, Letters From Iraq.Recor...
Jun 21, 2017•44 min
Embodying the sounds and spirit of New Orleans' French Quarter for more than four decades, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is nothing short of an institution of American jazz music. Still touring extensively, the energy of the New Orleans-style jazz compositions is as vibrant as ever, certainly during this performance in KEXP's Gathering Space to a packed room. Recorded 4/17/2017 - 6 songs: So It Is, Santiago, Convergence, La Malanga, One Hundred Fires, Mad Support the show: https://www.kexp.org...
Jun 16, 2017•37 min
Louder, Faster, Better, and More Romantic, Cataldo leader Eric Anderson took a few cues from the bliss of his long-term relationship on his new album Keepers, and the LP's rich, buoyant tone both embodies the satisfaction Anderson has in his own life while carrying the torch of Pacific Northwestern indie rock. Returning to the KEXP studios, Anderson joins Sean Nelson on Audioasis for four Keepers tracks with a full band. Recorded 4/8/2017 - 4 songs: Photograph, Person You'd Be Proud Of, Little H...
Jun 14, 2017•25 min
“This is my work. This is what I do.” Mitski Miyazaki lays her manifesto out early on in her return trip to the KEXP Live Room with a full band to follow up the solo session she performed shortly after the release of 2016's masterful Puberty 2. A year on the road has only made her sharper, and the results of her touring show in this session with DJ Morgan where Mitski plays three Puberty 2 tunes, an old favorite and discusses the advantages of playing a portable instrument. Recorded 4/8/2017 - 4...
Jun 09, 2017•19 min
The Kyiv folk quartet DakhaBrakha created their latest album Шлях (English: The Road) as a tribute to their Motherland, and in this vital session, it's easy to hear the multitude of voices both figurative and literal that make up a stirring snapshot of a people pushing forward during a difficult time in their country's history. The Ukrainian folk outfit return to KEXP's Live Room for a moving set of kinetic songs on Wo' Pop with Darek Mazzone. Recorded 4/23/2017 - 4 songs: Vesna, Carpathian Rap,...
Jun 07, 2017•33 min
It's impossible to say the name of the Melbourne sextet King Gizzard & Lizard Wizard without conjuring images of fantastical garage fury and on each of their records, the prolific group have only further honed their scuzzy, slashing rock with tones both spacious and slaying. The band with the best name in the world returns to KEXP's live room to play four songs from their new (also well-named) album Flying Microtonal Banana and talk about the pronunciation of the word “banana” with DJ Cheryl...
Jun 02, 2017•24 min
