Since iconic rap duo Outkast went on hiatus in 2006, fans have been clamoring for a solo album from Andre 3000. Now, 17 years later, he’s finally delivered with a new record called New Blue Sun … only, instead of rapping he’s playing the flute. KEXP’s Dusty Henry shares his reflections on why the album is one of his favorites of 2023 and how Andre 3000’s direction into ambient/New Age music might be the calming salve we need for our current times. What’s your favorite album of the year? KEXP is ...
Nov 30, 2023•12 min•Ep 436•Transcript available on Metacast Many venues in Seattle and beyond aren’t equipped to get wheelchair users inside or on stage, pointing to a broader issue of accessibility in live music. Emily Fox speaks with venues, performers, and concertgoers about this issue, including: Seattle musician Mindie Lind who wrote the article, “I Stopped Performing Music Because Venues Are Ableist.” Eric Howk, guitarist in the Grammy award-winning band, Portugal. The Man. Seattle concertgoer Jess Piraino who runs the Instagram account Shoes At Sh...
Nov 28, 2023•27 min•Ep 435•Transcript available on Metacast Sudan Tapes Archive is a DIY project started by Haneen Sidhamed where she digitizes and makes Sudanese music cassette tapes available to stream online. This project is important amid ongoing war in Sudan, the closure of recording and publishing companies, and the physical burning and destruction of cassette tapes. KEXP’s Julianna Covarrubias speaks with Sidhamed about the project. https://www.sudantapesarchive.com/ Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...
Nov 23, 2023•12 min•Ep 434•Transcript available on Metacast The First Nations electronic duo The Halluci Nation is out with the first part of a two-part EP inspired by wrestling. It's called 'Path of The Heel' and it features Damian Abraham of the Canadian hardcore band, Fucked Up. Bear Witness and 2oolman of The Halluci Nation talk with Emily Fox about the wrestling storyline of the EP and how they go about incorporating powwow music into their electronic beats. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Nov 21, 2023•14 min•Ep 433•Transcript available on Metacast Seattle's Duff McKagan is best known for being the bassist of Guns N' Roses. He’s now out with his third solo album, 'Lighthouse.' Emily Fox speaks with McKagan about the new record and how his sensei and martial arts practice inspired one of his new songs. He also shares his story of addiction, recovery, and his struggles with panic attacks. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 16, 2023•17 min•Ep 432•Transcript available on Metacast The Beatles released their so-called “last new song,” titled “Now and Then” on November 2nd. The song involves all four members of The Beatles — thanks to the help of artificial intelligence. For a quick breakdown of the song and how it happened, KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour speaks with KEXP’s Music Director, Chris Sanley, and our Associate Director of Editorial, Dusty Henry. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 14, 2023•10 min•Ep 431•Transcript available on Metacast For the first time in more than 30 years, KEXP got a new Music Director. They listen to all the music coming into the station each week and suggest which songs and albums should be played more often on-air. Emily Fox caught up with KEXP’s new Music Director, Chris Sanley, to learn about her through music. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 09, 2023•10 min•Ep 430•Transcript available on Metacast SXSW recently increased payments to performers from $250 to $350 but performers still have to choose between getting paid or getting access to a free wristband to attend the festival. This change happened as SXSW expanded its global footprint and just put on SXSW Sydney. Contributor Celine Teo-Blockey went to the festival and spoke to artists on what they think is fair treatment and pay. Hear more about the open letter that called for higher pay at SXSW: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-visio...
Nov 07, 2023•13 min•Ep 429•Transcript available on Metacast Heatmiser was a band co-lead by Elliott Smith and Neil Gust. It was a vital part of Portland’s early 90s punk scene. It was also the launching point for Smith’s prolific and influential solo career until his death in 2003. The band recently released a compilation record of early recordings called The Music of Heatmiser . KEXP’s Dusty Henry spoke with the rest of the band’s original lineup to learn more about the early days of the group and what they took away from revisiting this old material. S...
Nov 02, 2023•17 min•Ep 428•Transcript available on Metacast Sonic Youth member Thurston Moore has released a memoir called 'Sonic Life.' It is a chronicle of the singer/guitarist’s lifelong obsession with music and the relationships he’s made along the way. KEXP’s Martin Douglas speaks to Thurston about 'Sonic Life,' his interest in record collecting, and why he didn’t dive into his personal life in the book. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 31, 2023•15 min•Ep 427•Transcript available on Metacast New York duo Armand Hammer returned with a new album last month called 'We Buy Diabetic Test Strips.' KEXP’s Dusty Henry caught up with the rappers and talked about searching for hope in a chaotic world, and the story behind their eye-catching album title. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 26, 2023•15 min•Ep 426•Transcript available on Metacast Jenn Champion is out with a new album. It’s called 'The Last Night of Sadness.' It’s so sad that a friend had told her to put an existential dread warning on the album after hearing the demos. The album has Champion writing about her own struggles with depression, addiction and losing loved ones to drugs and alcohol. In conversation with Emily Fox, Champion breaks down some songs on the album, shares her story of going to rehab and getting sober, and reflects on her move from Seattle to LA. Supp...
Oct 24, 2023•21 min•Ep 425•Transcript available on Metacast A 23-foot-tall harp used to stand on a bluff on Bainbridge Island. It was played by the wind. Producer Sam J. Leeds talks with people who remember the harp and how it created community in the neighborhood. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 19, 2023•13 min•Ep 424•Transcript available on Metacast During KEXP’s fall fund drive, discover the variety of music podcasts we produce at KEXP and hear some of our favorite clips from each one. We’re thankful to the thousands of amplifiers who already donate to KEXP, building the foundation for our community of storytelling, and we want you to join them with a one-time donation or a recurring gift! 50 Years of Hip-Hop: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/50-years-of-hip-hop/ El Sonido: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/el-sonido/ Fresh off the Spaceship: htt...
Oct 19, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Inuk artist Elisapie recently released a covers album sung in her native language of Inuktitut. The album includes covers of songs by Metallica, Fleetwood Mac, Cyndi Lauper, Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and more. She chose each song for the personal memory it holds from her upbringing in a small village in northern Quebec. In an interview with Emily Fox, she shares some of those memories as well as how colonialism and boarding schools have impacted her Inuit community. Support the show: h...
Oct 17, 2023•11 min•Ep 423•Transcript available on Metacast Gregg Deal of Dead Pioneers talks with KEXP's Dusty Henry about growing up as the only native family in his Utah school, starting his first punk band in his 40s, and about the Dead Pioneers’ songs, "Bad Indian" and "We Were Punk First." Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 12, 2023•13 min•Ep 422•Transcript available on Metacast Jeremy Dutcher is a Polaris Prize and Juno Award-winning Wolastoqiyik artist from Canada. They speak with Emily Fox about their new album, 'Motewolonuwok,' the two spirit Cherokee poet who inspired some of the songs, the Indigenous issues addressed in the record, and language revitalization. Listen to Jeremy Dutcher’s 2021 interview with Sound & Vision’s Emily Fox about their first album: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vision/2021/11/23/preserving-indigenous-language-through-music/ Dona...
Oct 10, 2023•25 min•Ep 421•Transcript available on Metacast Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe is a Coast Salish writer and musician whose 2022 memoir recently won the Washington State Book Award. Her memoir is called ' Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk .' It travels across generations to tell a story of healing, weaving in narratives of Sasha’s ancestors with her own experiences growing up on the Swinomish reservation and getting involved in the Pacific Northwest DIY punk scene. She performs vocals for the bands Medusa Stare and Fleur ...
Oct 09, 2023•22 min•Ep 420•Transcript available on Metacast No-No Boy released his album, 'Empire Electric,' on September 29th. His previous work was part of his PhD dissertation, with albums that looked at WWII Japanese incarceration camps, his mother’s Vietnamese family history, and his own racial identity. This latest album also explores Asian American history, family, and identity, but was not part of his degree. Julian Saporiti of No-No Boy talks with Emily Fox about the stories and histories he’s sharing in this new record, such as how Asian sailor...
Oct 05, 2023•34 min•Ep 419•Transcript available on Metacast As part of KEXP’s Latinx Heritage month programming, Aqui y Ahora, KEXP’s Albina Cabrera shares five tracks from artists reshaping alternative Latin music right now. Diego Raposo - EL UNDERGROUND (feat. mediopicky) Verito Asprilla - Letras Millonarias Terror Cactus/ Pahua - Ferrocarril（Rainsoft remix) Amor Muere - Love Dies Luzmila Carpio - Chakana Sagrada Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 03, 2023•13 min•Ep 418•Transcript available on Metacast BIGSOUND is Australia’s biggest, most established showcase for emerging local artists. Celine Teo-Blockey went to the event and shares a highlight reel of the music she saw. Miss Kaninna - Blak Britney Kobie Dee - Basics Porpoise Spit - People Like Me The Empty Threats - Boys in the Gutter & Dear Sunshine Dyan Tai - Ni Hao Proteins of Magic - Divine Physics Georgia Llewellyn - Like This The Merindas - Before Daylight & History Eraser SouthEast Desert Metal - Beds Are Burning Radio Free A...
Sep 28, 2023•13 min•Ep 417•Transcript available on Metacast The instrumental group Explosions in the Sky released their eighth studio album, titled 'End,' on September 15th. KEXP’s Roddy Nikpour speaks with drummer Chris Hrasky about how this isn’t in fact “the end” for the band. They also discuss inspiration behind the new album and how four friends with fairly average lives strive to create music that hits you right in the gut. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 26, 2023•14 min•Ep 416•Transcript available on Metacast Vagabon released her third album, 'Sorry I Haven’t Called,' on September 15th. It’s her most upbeat, produced, and poppy album to date. It was written following the passing of Vagabon’s dear friend and collaborator, Eric Littmann. Vagabon talks with Emily Fox about Eric Littman’s impact on her, making upbeat music through grief, and retreating to Germany for a mental reset while she made this album. “I felt tremendous guilt about the music that was coming out of me in this time. I fully thought ...
Sep 21, 2023•16 min•Ep 415•Transcript available on Metacast Corinne Bailey Rae of “Put Your Records On” fame has released her fourth studio album, called 'Black Rainbows.' It was largely inspired by Theaster Gates' arts-focused restoration of The Stony Island Arts Bank, a former community savings and loan building in the south side of Chicago that has been transformed into what’s been described as a cathedral of Black art. On this episode, Corinne Bailey Rae talks about the history of the building and what kind of art and artifacts it now showcases, and ...
Sep 19, 2023•24 min•Ep 414•Transcript available on Metacast After six years away, New York-based singer-songwriter Julie Byrne returns with a new album, 'The Greater Wings.' The time away represented a sea change in her life as well as an opportunity to explore new songs. During the recording of the album, Byrne’s creative partner Eric Littman passed away. Byrne finished the album, which she describes as a testament to the depth of chosen family. KEXP’s Dusty Henry catches up with Byrne to learn more about the process of writing the record and the storie...
Sep 14, 2023•16 min•Ep 413•Transcript available on Metacast Genesis Owusu’s latest album “Struggler” has him genre shifting while telling a story of a cockroach which represents humanity. This comes after his debut album, “Smiling with No Teeth” explored issues of racism and depression through the characters of two black dogs. Genesis Owusu talks with Emily Fox about moving away from feeling like he can only make music as a form of therapy. He also talks about moving to Australia from Ghana as a young child and growing up in a small white city and feelin...
Sep 12, 2023•24 min•Ep 412•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a new book out looking at the history of Seattle and the Northwest music scene from the late 50s to mid-60s. It’s called Stomp and Shout—R&B and the Origins of Northwest Rock and Roll. Author Peter Blecha talks with Emily Fox about the book and Seattle’s music history. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 07, 2023•26 min•Ep 411•Transcript available on Metacast Description: Emily Fox and KEXP DJ Troy Nelson break down KEXP’s top played songs of the summer. They are: “The Narcissist” by Blur “I’ve Been In Love” by Jungle “Crescent Blade” by Budos Band “Tiny Garden” by Jamila Woods “Odyssey” by Beck & Phoenix Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 04, 2023•18 min•Ep 410•Transcript available on Metacast Melvins are playing a 40-year anniversary show at The Showbox in Seattle on Friday September 1. Buzz Osborne of Melvins talks about the highlights of the band’s career, being an influence on Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Nirvana, and the songs that define the band. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 31, 2023•15 min•Ep 409•Transcript available on Metacast After a short-lived but dramatic hockey residency , Seattle supergroup Who Is She (members of Chastity Belt, Tacocat, and Lisa Prank) return with their second album. ‘Goddess Energy’ finds the band penning odes to Shania Twain, Marianne Williamson, and Anne Hathaway. KEXP’s Dusty Henry talk with the band to learn more about what it means to have “too much goddess energy” and the group’s innovative use of wedding registries for merch sales. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnyst...
Aug 29, 2023•15 min•Ep 408•Transcript available on Metacast 
