On A Deeper Listen, host Emily Fox and other storytellers from KEXP talk with artists about the stories behind their songs and the experiences that inform their work. Through each conversation, we uncover the humanity behind the music, allowing us to hear it in a whole new way.
This year’s Superbowl halftime show features Kendrick Lamar, who is in a long running beef with Drake. Seattle hip hop historian Daudi Abe talks with contributor Hans Anderson about the history of hip-hop beefs and how Kendrick Lamar’s beef made its way into the biggest music event of the year. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The English electronic duo Maribou State released a new album, Hallucinating Love on January 31st. KEXP's Tia Ho talked with the band about the hardships they faced during the recording process, including getting diagnosed with a rare brain condition, and how it's all reflected in their most personal album to date. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Matt Cameron is the drummer for Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Before then he played in the influential Seattle bands Bam Bam, Skin Yard, and Temple of the Dog. Cameron talks about his career and how he’s been able to keep at it for more than 40 years. Learn more about Bam Bam: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vision/2021/3/2/tina-bell-unsung-goddess-grunge/ Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Twin sisters Kehinde and Yeye Taiwo Lijadu performed as The Lijadu Sisters from the 1960s to the 1980s in Nigeria, but their influence is still felt globally today. Their hits include songs like "Come On Home" and "Life's Gone Down Low." The surviving sister of the duo, Yeye Taiwo Lijadu, joins A Deeper Listen to talk about being one of the only female groups making music in Nigeria in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, and how they addressed issues of government corruption in their music....
OMBIIGIZI is a collaboration between Daniel Monkman (of the band Zoon) and Adam Sturgeon (of the band Status/Non-Status). They are Anishinaabe artists who explore their cultural histories through sound. Kevin Sur, co-host of KEXP's Sounds of Survivance, talks with OMBIIGIZI about their new album, 'SHAME,' which explores Indigenous shame and healing, and how they tap into ancestral traditions through music. We also get a history lesson on how Native American musicians helped form the genre of roc...
Artificial Intelligence is making its way into the music industry — not just through production tools, but also on streaming platforms like Spotify. KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour tells us the story of a former Seattle band that was listed as a collaborator on an album they didn’t write. They claim it was A.I.-generated. Read the story here: https://www.kexp.org/read/2024/11/27/ai-generated-music-is-siphoning-streams-from-artists-in-seattle-and-beyond/ Support the show: https:...
Larry Crane is a recording engineer, founder of Tape Op magazine, and official archivist for the Elliott Smith estate. In late 2024, Crane gave a new remaster to Smith’s final album, ' From a Basement on the Hill.' Smith died during the making of the album and the record was finished by his friends and released posthumously. In conversation with KEXP's Dusty Henry, Crane reflects on his friendship with Smith coming up together in Portland, the songwriter’s prowess, and the process of...
As we wrap up the year, we highlight our interviews with some of the artists who have topped the KEXP charts in 2024. The top played songs on KEXP in 2024 were: "Starburster" by Fontaines D.C. "Like I Say (I runaway)" by Nilüfer Yanya "My Fun" by Suki Waterhouse "Favourite" by Fontaines D.C. "Sepricon" by Brittany Davis Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
We hear from L’Rain, Hand Habits, Perfume Genius and Ahya Simone on their contributions to the compilation album called TRANSA that celebrates trans and LGBTQ lives. The compilation also features songs from Sade, Sam Smith, Adrianne Lenker, Jeff Tweedy, Julien Baker, Sharon Van Etten, Fleet Foxes and more. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The Gits were an early 90s Seattle band. Seattle’s Sub Pop records has recently launched a campaign to rerelease remastered versions of The Gits’ catalogue. So much of the band’s story has been wrapped around the 1993 rape and murder of The Gits frontwoman Mia Zapata. In a conversation at KEXP’s Gathering Space, Emily Fox speaks with The Gits guitarist Andy Kessler and bassist Matt Dresdner about the band’s story, legacy and the life of Mia. Support the show: https:...
Deep Sea Diver is a beloved band in Seattle and at KEXP. Deep Sea Diver’s most recent album, Impossible Weight was voted best album of 2020 by KEXP listeners. In a live event at KEXP, Emily Fox spoke with frontwoman Jessica Dobson about the fun and innovative things she and her band did during the COVID-19 pandemic to create and engage a loyal fanbase and put out an album without the help of a label. Dobson also shared wisdom on how to make it as an indie band in Seattle and make a name for your...
Teresa Suydam was adopted by a white family at birth. It wasn’t until college that they were able to begin a journey to better understand their Filipino and Native American lineage. In an interview with Stephanie Wolf, Suydam shares how their upcoming album, 'Lost Bird,' is what helped them find their way back to these communities. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nilüfer Yanya released her latest album, 'My Method Actor,' this fall. Emily Fox speaks with Yanya about the new record, her family’s story, including the organization she and her sister started to bring art to refugee communities, and her thoughts around identity while creating these songs. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Merce Lemon is a singer-songwriter based in Pittsburgh. In an interview with Emily Fox, we get to know her and her musical background and hear how stepping away from music and immersing herself in nature allowed her to make her latest record. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Christopher Owens, formerly of the San Francisco indie band, Girls, talks about his first album in nearly a decade. It arrives after a tumultuous time in his life. In recent years he got in a motorcycle accident, went through a breakup and became homeless after he moved out. Then in 2020, his Girls bandmate and collaborator, Chet “JR” White died at the age of 40. He talks about those moments, his new album, and about growing up in the Children of God cult. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/...
Laura Marling’s new album, Patterns in Repeat was mostly written after becoming a mother. Motherhood and family come up a lot on the new record. Marling breaks down the record with Emily Fox as they both reflect on how their view on family has changed since becoming moms. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Martín Selasco is an Argentine producer and composer based in Washington state. He speaks with KEXP’s Albina Cabrera about the musical diary of his life that led him to create the project Terror/Cactus. His music blends Latin American folk traditions with electronic beats, dark cumbia, and psychedelic sounds. In his latest album, 'Forastero,' Selasco explores his identity, displacement, and the influence of his family on his musical journey. He also shares the story of his father and grandfather...
Australia’s Miss Kaninna (Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, Kalkadoon, and Yirendali) talks about the themes of colonialism in her song Blak Britney, about Aboriginal history and life in Australia, how her family has played a role in Indigenous activism and policy, and how she uses her platform as a musician to speak about Indigenous issues. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
KEXP’s Albina Cabrera sits down with Christine Gutierrez, the mastermind behind Dark Chisme. Gutierrez blends darkwave, post-punk, and synthpop to tell powerful stories of identity, resilience, and growing up in a bicultural space. With her self-titled debut album, she channels her personal journey through music, exploring painful episodes like her father’s deportation and the feeling of not fully belonging anywhere, transforming these experiences into musical strength and fire on stage. Support...
Tomu DJ is an electronic artist from the Bay Area. She’s out with a new album called I Want To Be. Tomu DJ speaks with Emily Fox about her new album, her experience in the music industry as a trans woman and how a near death car accident impacted her sense of rhythm and inspired her to become a solo artist.“I had this renewed or newfound motivation to explore myself and kind of my own mental landscape and the things that I've experienced through music,” she says. Support the show: https://www.ke...
MIKE is a rapper who’s gained a following in part because of his vulnerable writing. He lost his mother just as his rap career was taking off. Throughout his career, he has used voice notes from her in his songs. In an interview with KEXP’s Martin Douglas, MIKE speaks about losing his mother, working through the loss, and eventually getting to the other side of grief. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Suki Waterhouse talks with Emily Fox about how starring in the Amazon Prime series 'Daisy Jones and the Six' inspired her to make her new record, 'Memoir of a Sparklemuffin,' and how she finished the record in the final weeks of her pregnancy and played Coachella a few weeks after birth. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aramis Johnson of Enumclaw talks about the band’s recent move to L.A. because they needed to get out of their hometown of Tacoma, about the joys of going off social media and reading more and the themes of loss on the band’s new album. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Memphis-based soul label Stax Records is home to The Staples Singers, Otis Redding and many soul hitmakers. David Porter, writer of the hit songs “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Comin’,” joins this episode to share the story portrayed in the Emmy-nominated documentary, 'Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.' Porter talks about how Stax was first a country label and switched to soul music after allowing him and other youth from the neighborhood to audition. He talks about how music unified both Black and white...
Sunny Day Real Estate came out of the hardcore scene in Seattle in the 90s and eventually became a major influence on “emo” music. KEXP’s Dusty Henry talks with guitarist Dan Hoerner and drummer William Goldsmith about the band’s history, their take on "emo," their recent reunion tour, and the re-release of their 1994 debut album, 'Diary.' Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
The Canadian hardcore band, F*cked Up is out with a new record, called Another Day. The band’s last three records were all written and recorded in a total of 24 hours. Emily Fox speaks with F*cked Up’s frontman Damian Abraham about these 24-hour projects, how Toronto marijuana politics comes up on Another Day and how medical marijuana has helped his panic attacks. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aoife O’Donovan of the bluegrass bands Crooked Still and I’m With Her released a solo album this year about the suffrage movement. To honor the 104th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the U.S., Emily Fox caught up with O’Donovan to get a history lesson on the movement and discuss where we’ve come and the work that still needs to be done. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Alisa Amador grew up touring the US and singing in her parents' Latin folk band, Sol y Canto. She then went on to start a solo career and in 2022 she won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. But when she got the call from NPR that she had won, she almost told them to give the award to another contestant. Amador had stopped writing music in 2020 following the death of a close friend. In the end, she did accept the award and is now out with her first album since winning the Tiny Desk Contest. It’s called 'Mul...
Alex Henry Foster of the band Your Favorite Enemies talks about how his new ambient record, ' Kimiyo,' was formed after a health crisis that left him unable to speak for months. The album also shares the stories of people he met in Japan during his travels, finding connection between their struggles and his own, and gaining a renewed outlook on life. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Emel Mathlouthi is a Tunisian musician whose song “Kelmti Horra” went viral in 2011 and became an anthem for the Tunisian Revolution during the Arab Spring. Her new album, ‘MRA,’ calls for the continued fight for freedom on a global scale, but through an explicitly feminist lens. It was made by an all-women cast, from producers to musicians to engineers, and includes features from Malian rapper Ami Yerewolo, Brazilian producer Lyzza, Swedish-Iraqi rapper Nayomi, and more. Emel talks with KEXP’s ...
