Lonnie Holley has lived a storied life. He was taken from his family by a burlesque dancer who performed in carnivals when he was a baby, suffered head injuries from getting hit by a car as a kid, then put in the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children, also known as Mount Meigs. He went on to become a visual artist whose works have been on display at The White House and The Smithsonian. Holley started releasing music about a decade ago when he was in his 60s. He’s now out with his seventh ...
Apr 27, 2023•9 min•Ep 371•Transcript available on Metacast Schoolhouse Rock turned 50 years old this year. KEXP’s Eva Walker caught up with one of the songwriters and performers of the program, Lynn Ahrens, to talk about the music of the show and the show’s legacy. “The original premise of Schoolhouse Rock, the president of that agency, a guy named David B. McCall had five kids and they could not remember their times tables but they could remember the lyrics to songs all the time and it was his brainchild to marry education with pop music and that’s how...
Apr 25, 2023•15 min•Ep 370•Transcript available on Metacast Adi Oasis is a French Caribbean singer and bass player. She spoke with Emily Fox about the themes of gun violence, black resilience, and female empowerment that come up in her new album, 'Lotus Glow.' Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 20, 2023•21 min•Ep 369•Transcript available on Metacast For KEXP’s "Music Heals: Addiction & Recovery" programming, Macklemore shares his journey on the subject and how a robbery at his studio ultimately helped someone else’s path to recovery. We also share a listener email that came in during Music Heals from Seattle’s Abbey Simmons whose story starts with Macklemore and ends with finding sobriety on tour. If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs immediate help, call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Life...
Apr 18, 2023•20 min•Ep 368•Transcript available on Metacast The Garages is one of the top-selling Seattle bands on Bandcamp. It’s an 80-plus member collective with a massive following on Twitch that has put out more than 50 albums on Bandcamp since the group formed less than three years ago. Members June September and Yana Caoránach tell us more about the band and what makes the group so prolific. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 13, 2023•13 min•Ep 367•Transcript available on Metacast Jónsi is the beautiful falsetto voice of the band Sigur Rós. He is also now the artist behind a multi-sensory installation called “Flood” at the National Nordic Museum in Seattle. KEXP’s Kevin Cole went to the museum to talk to Jónsi about the installation, about making perfumes with a product description that includes “a beached whale is about to explode” and Sigur Rós’ upcoming album. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 11, 2023•15 min•Ep 366•Transcript available on Metacast Miss Grit talks about how their debut LP, 'Follow the Cyborg' helped them explore being nonbinary. “The cyborg being such a limitless entity was something that inspired me to kind of take my own identity into my own hands,” Miss Grit says. “There’s so much that people are born into when it comes to gender roles or racial stereotypes. There’s so much that our environment has an effect on how we see ourselves. I was really inspired to take my own identity into my own hands and figure out what it w...
Apr 06, 2023•13 min•Ep 365•Transcript available on Metacast Larry Mizell, Jr., Martin Douglas, and Jasmine Albertson talk about their musical highlights from Treefort Music Fest in Boise, ID. Artists Discussed: MIKE Mauskovic Dance Band Tropa Magica Son Rompe Pera Protomartyr Plum Vision NNAMDÏ Sen Morimoto runner Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 04, 2023•18 min•Ep 364•Transcript available on Metacast If you've ever listened to KEXP's broadcast, you've probably heard us say, "KEXP, where the music matters." But there’s at least one person at the station who isn’t sold on the idea of music itself. KEXP’s Dusty Henry shares his opinion on why music doesn’t matter. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 01, 2023•5 min•Ep 363•Transcript available on Metacast As Women’s History Month comes to a close, KEXP’s Jasmine Albertson talks with three women in the touring industry (Stephanie Escoto, Alicia Blake, and Robin Taylor) about barriers to entry, gender inequities in the music industry, their general advice to bands that want to tour, and the wins they’ve had in their work. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 30, 2023•14 min•Ep 362•Transcript available on Metacast Grace Love talks with Larry Mizell Jr. about her new solo EP, “Work In Protest.” “This is a protest. I am standing up for myself that there are more curvy, big black women in the industry that can do all kinds of things,” Love says. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 28, 2023•20 min•Ep 361•Transcript available on Metacast Living Singles is the series where we talk to a KEXP staff member about three songs they’re really into right now. On this episode, Martin Douglas, writer behind KEXP’s local music column, Throwaway Style, and Eva Walker, host of our northwest music show, Audioasis, each share two songs from local artists. Songs featured in this episode: “Nightrider” by The Smokes “Body Horror” by Lemon Boy “Cognitive Whirlpool” by Debt Rag “Starboard Hotel” by Sealife Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/soun...
Mar 23, 2023•12 min•Ep 360•Transcript available on Metacast Sound & Vision is bringing back Living Singles, where we talk with a KEXP staff member about three songs they are loving right now. Today we catch up with DJ Alex Ruder who hosts our downtempo, atmospheric and ambient music show, Pacific Notions (airing Sundays from 6-9am). Songs featured in this episode: “Sortie” by Thomas Almqvist "Believe" by IKSRE & Party Store “Blue Hour (feat. Julianna Barwick)” by Nosaj Thing Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listene...
Mar 21, 2023•14 min•Ep 359•Transcript available on Metacast This week is KEXP’s spring fundraising drive! We’re sharing listener stories about how music has helped them connect with friends and family. Please amplify listener-powered storytelling today at kexp.org/sound . Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 16, 2023•6 min•Ep 358•Transcript available on Metacast KEXP DJ Sharlese Metcalf gets nostalgic about a previous era of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with Adam Miller of Chromatics. They talk about what house parties meant to the Capitol Hill area and the trouble they got into that would never fly today. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 14, 2023•17 min•Ep 357•Transcript available on Metacast Trans Musicales is a long-running music festival in Rennes, France that brings together a consistently incredible lineup of new and emerging artists from around the world. KEXP’s DJ Morgan Chosnyk shares some of the highlights from the 16 sessions KEXP filmed while at the festival. Artists discussed: Seb Martel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A0OsX9pRK4 Nana Benz du Togo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uDs4X93MYo 79ers Gang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTzoyzbuubs Support the show: https...
Mar 09, 2023•11 min•Ep 356•Transcript available on Metacast Bobby McFerrin is the renowned vocalist and Grammy award-winning songwriter behind “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” He’s not the only notable McFerrin who has made waves in the music industry, though. KEXP’s Dusty Henry spoke with two of the McFerrins, Taylor and Madison, to learn more about their family history and how the siblings are continuing the McFerrin musical legacy. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 07, 2023•21 min•Ep 355•Transcript available on Metacast The Raincoats emerged from the London punk scene in the late ’70s and were one of the very first all-female bands who wrote and performed all their own music. Now, 40 years later, co-founding member Gina Birch has just released her first solo album, titled 'I Play My Bass Loud.' KEXP’s Janice Headley talks with Gina about the new release, her time with The Raincoats, and how Kurt Cobain got a copy of The Raincoats' first LP. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listen...
Mar 02, 2023•14 min•Ep 354•Transcript available on Metacast KEXP's Martin Douglas explores the here and now of Black punk culture, featuring a handful of notable Black punks to tell their own stories and inspirations. He also sheds light on the Black origins of punk music, the importance of DIY, and how the ethos of punk culture unites "outsiders" of all kinds. Voices featured: Hanif Abdurraqib, author James Spooner, filmmaker and graphic novelist Stephanie Phillips, singer and guitarist of Big Joanie Osa Atoe, musician and creator of the Black punk fanz...
Feb 28, 2023•15 min•Ep 353•Transcript available on Metacast Earlier this month, KEXP celebrated International Clash Day but KEXP’s Janice Headley wanted to celebrate the female-fronted bands of the time, who were truly making a revolution in the male-dominated late-‘70s London punk scene. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 23, 2023•15 min•Ep 352•Transcript available on Metacast Earlier this month, KEXP celebrated a holiday we invented called International Clash Day. The Clash stood for a lot of things. As Clash member Joe strummer once said, “We’re anti-fascist, we’re anti-violence, we’re anti-racist, and we’re pro-creative. We’re against ignorance.” As part of the celebration, Larry Mizell Jr. chatted with The Clash’s videographer Don Letts about the band’s legacy and the culture clash of punk and reggae. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.co...
Feb 21, 2023•10 min•Ep 351•Transcript available on Metacast Katherine Paul (KP) of Black Belt Eagle Scout talks about her connection to nature and her homeland in her new album, The Land, The Water, The Sky . The album was written after she moved from Portland back home to the land of Washington’s Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 16, 2023•17 min•Ep 350•Transcript available on Metacast The Union of Musicians and Allied Workers has published an open letter calling for higher pay for artists performing at SXSW. The letter says that over the past 10 years, showcasing artists have been paid either $250 dollars for a band, $100 dollars for solo artists, or get a free wristband for the festival. Letter organizer René Kladzyk (artist name: Ziemba ) talks about the list of demands. Alaia D’Alessandro of the Seattle band Tres Leches talks about the prevalence of getting paid $250 at fe...
Feb 14, 2023•23 min•Ep 349•Transcript available on Metacast KEXP DJ Kevin Cole recently attended Eurosonic in the Netherlands. It’s the largest music festival in Europe dedicated to new and emerging artists. Emily Fox caught up with Kevin to talk about the festival and some of the many artists that stood out to him. Music discussed: Caleb Kunle - “All In Your Head” Avalanche Kaito - “Dabalomuni” Adwaith - “Nid Aur” Queralt Lahoz - “De la Cueva a los Olivos” Alina Pash - “Bosorkanya” Club Makumba - “Crazy Lizard” Flying Moon in Space - “Optimist” KOIKOI -...
Feb 09, 2023•16 min•Ep 348•Transcript available on Metacast On January 27th, Lil Yachty dropped a surprise psych rock album called 'Let’s Start Here.' KEXP’s Emily Fox, Martin Douglas, Larry Mizell Jr., Marco Collins, Dusty Henry, and Jasmine Albertson discuss the record and how it isn’t as surprising as it might seem. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 07, 2023•12 min•Ep 347•Transcript available on Metacast The Arcs are out with a new record, 'Electrophonic Chronic.' It’s their first since their debut release in 2015. The band was formed by Black Keys guitarist and vocalist, Dan Auerbach. The late Richard Swift was also in the band. The Arcs member and co-producer Leon Michels talks with Emily Fox about how the record was recorded while Swift was alive and how “the process of finishing the record helped me and Dan grieve his death.” Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/l...
Feb 02, 2023•7 min•Ep 346•Transcript available on Metacast Seattle supergroup Who Is She (members of Chastity Belt, Tacocat, and Lisa Prank) were slated last week for a residency performing at the Kraken hockey games at Climate Pledge Arena. The band only made it one performance before they were asked to not come back after singing a song calling Amazon founder Jeff Bezos a “total jerk.” Prior to these developments, KEXP’s Dusty Henry did a tongue-in-cheek interview with the band about their love of hockey and jock jams. Support the show: https://www.ke...
Jan 31, 2023•8 min•Ep 345•Transcript available on Metacast A party in the Bronx on August 11th, 1973 is widely considered to be the birthplace of hip-hop. The art form has since touched every corner of our world and evolved into one of the most significant cultural forces today. This year, on hip-hop's 50th anniversary, we’re giving it a proper tribute. 50 Years of Hip-Hop is KEXP’s newest podcast. Hosted by Larry Mizell Jr, the series highlights a different year of rap history each week. Jumping around the timeline from 1973 to today, expect personal r...
Jan 27, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hammock releases their twelfth album on January 27, 2023. KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour speaks with Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson about their latest (and loudest) record, 'Love in the Void,' and also about managing a band that doesn’t rely on live shows to make ends meet. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 26, 2023•14 min•Ep 344•Transcript available on Metacast KEXP’s Albina Cabrera speaks with music journalist Nuria Net and Songmess podcast's Richard Villegas about their favorite Latin albums of 2022. Songs discussed include: "Quien te llamó" by Mediopicky "La Combi Versace" by Rosalía "Tierra Zanta" by Trueno "Chrome" by Saramalacara "Andrea (feat. Buscabulla)" by Bad Bunny Read more here: https://www.kexp.org/read/2023/1/20/the-big-picture-looking-back-at-the-best-latin-american-music-of-2022/ Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnyst...
Jan 24, 2023•24 min•Ep 343•Transcript available on Metacast 
