For Women’s History Month, we are revisiting Sound & Vision's 2021 miniseries, Behind the Console, which highlights the stories of women and nonbinary audio engineers who are navigating what is still a very male-dominated field. Today we meet Susan Rogers, who engineered for Prince for four years, working on albums like 'Purple Rain' and 'Sign o' the Times.' She also has credits with David Byrne, Tricky, and the Barenaked Ladies. She talks about what it was like keeping up with Prince's tire...
Mar 14, 2024•20 min•Ep 466•Transcript available on Metacast Totem Star is a recording studio for Seattle area youth ages 14 to 25. The organization recently moved to a new 2,000 square foot space on the second floor of Seattle’s King Street Station in Pioneer Square. That’s where Totem Star will live rent free for the next 60 years, thanks to a lease from the city. KEXP’s Emily Fox talks with Totem Star co-founder Daniel Pak about the impact of Totem star since it launched as a mobile recording studio that could fit in a suitcase 14 years ago. Pak shares...
Mar 12, 2024•11 min•Ep 465•Transcript available on Metacast Toussaint Morrison is a New Orleans-born, Minneapolis-raised artist. He released an album earlier this year called 'The Very Best of Ricky and Jane.' Ricky and Jane are his parents. Morrison talks with KEXP’s Emily Fox about the activism his parents were involved in and how decades later, he quit his job at a PBS station when he became involved in the protests following the killing of George Floyd. He also shares how the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the death of Daunte Wright in a no...
Mar 07, 2024•14 min•Ep 464•Transcript available on Metacast Seattle’s Brittany Davis has released her debut album, 'Image Issues,' which she calls an "audio movie." It’s a sonic journey that weaves in many musical genres and spoken word vignettes backed by soundscapes. Davis is blind and audio is a heightened sense for her. She also has synesthesia and hears music from smells. Davis talks with Emily Fox about raising her voice in the face of adversity in this album. “Being an overweight Black blind female from the wrong side of the tracks that has no phy...
Mar 05, 2024•27 min•Ep 463•Transcript available on Metacast Feb 29 is Music Heals: Mental Health at KEXP, where all day the station reads stories and plays listener requests of the songs that helped them through their mental health struggles. In honor of Music Heals: Mental Health, we revisit a conversation from 2021 that was originally part of the mini-series, Apparently, focusing on the intersections of parenting and art. On this episode, Ella Vos talks with Rachel Stevens about how getting pregnant inspired her to become a solo artist and how her popu...
Feb 29, 2024•15 min•Ep 462•Transcript available on Metacast Charley Pride was the first Black country music singer to sign to a major record label (RCA) back in 1965. He went on to have 30 number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country chart and sold more than 70 million records. Emily Fox talks with Nashville Historian David Ewing about Charley Pride. They discuss Charley Pride’s baseball career, how he landed a demo and record deal after giving up on baseball, his struggles with mental health and racism, and his legacy in country music. Support the show:...
Feb 27, 2024•26 min•Ep 461•Transcript available on Metacast Mia Dyson is an Australia-raised, LA based musician who is an award winner of the Australia version of a Grammy—an ARIA award. She’s opened for Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mack and Bonnie Raitt. She’s releasing her 8th album on Feb 23rd, it’s called Tender Heart. Mia Dyson started writing this album shortly before an earthquake hit her home. Following the earthquake, she experienced an undiagnosed heart arrhythmia which caused her to stop breathing. She almost died. Emily Fox talks with Dyson abou...
Feb 23, 2024•14 min•Ep 460•Transcript available on Metacast Ray Lacorte runs an Instagram page called BIPOC Punk . KEXP’s Martin Douglas caught up with Lacorte to learn more about him, music and his Instagram page. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 20, 2024•13 min•Ep 459•Transcript available on Metacast Hazel Scott was a Black pianist who was classically trained at Juilliard at the age of 8 and started making a name for herself as a performer in New York in the 1930s while she was still in high school. She went on to play big concert halls and notable nightclubs. As stated in a biography about her by actor and author Karen Chilton, “She was the first black woman to host her own television show and one of the first to refuse to perform before segregated audiences. She negotiated lucrative contra...
Feb 15, 2024•49 min•Ep 458•Transcript available on Metacast Mali Obomsawin talks with Emily Fox about how her new album, 'Greatest Hits' with guitarist Magdalena Abrego, is about intimacy under colonialism. Obomsawin also shares Indigenous history from the northeast and stories of her father’s involvement in the Red Power Movement in the 1980’s and how Obomsawin is carrying on his effort today to reclaim Abenaki land. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 13, 2024•19 min•Ep 457•Transcript available on Metacast Sofia Kourtesis is a house music producer based out of Lima, Peru and Berlin, Germany. She recently released her debut full-length record, 'Madres.'. During the making of the album, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and there were only three neurosurgeons in the world who could operate on her. One of those neurosurgeons agreed to operate and saved Kourtesis’ mother’s life. Kourtesis shares her story with KEXP’s Dusty Henry. She also talks about maternal love and raving with neuroscientists as...
Feb 08, 2024•23 min•Ep 456•Transcript available on Metacast Emily Fox talks with KEXP DJ and Radiohead fan, DJ Morgan Chosnyk on her take on The Smile’s new album, ‘Wall of Eyes’. The Smile started as a pandemic project with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke along with Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood and Tom Skinner of the jazz band Songs of Kemet. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 06, 2024•9 min•Ep 455•Transcript available on Metacast Karla Chubb of the Irish garage-punk band SPRINTS talks with Emily Fox about the band's debut album, 'Letter To Self.' They discuss the inspiration behind some of the songs, including campaigning to end the abortion ban in Ireland, Catholic guilt and being queer, and the unfair standards women are held to in music. Karla also talks about her recent ADHD diagnosis and why girls and women are under-diagnosed. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
Feb 01, 2024•23 min•Ep 454•Transcript available on Metacast Palestine Amplified is a four-part series exploring the Palestinian struggle through music. In this final episode of the series, we dig into a vital aspect of resistance and liberation: Joy. We discuss why it’s important to center joy in the movement, and how that joy is often articulated through music and art. Voices featured in this episode: Selma Al-Aswad Sonny Singh Ijeoma Oluo Alsarah Wendy Elisheva Somerson Sabrene Odeh Huda Asfour Samir Eskanda Explore music from the episode on KEXP's Spo...
Jan 30, 2024•23 min•Ep 453•Transcript available on Metacast Palestine Amplified is a four-part series exploring the Palestinian struggle through music. In this episode, we discuss the key role that artists have in liberation movements. We also hear directly from artists about why they’ve spoken up about Palestine. Voices featured in this episode: Alsarah Ijeoma Oluo Samir Eskanda Sonny Singh Bryan John Appleby Blake Madden (Hotels, Adra Boo) Huda Asfour Rahill Natasha El-Sergany (somesurprises) Ana Tijoux Lido Pimienta Explore music from the episode on K...
Jan 26, 2024•34 min•Ep 452•Transcript available on Metacast Palestine Amplified is a four-part series exploring the Palestinian struggle through music. In this episode, we share some of the ways music is used as a tool of liberation, whether as code to pass messages, in documenting people's stories, or as a vessel for collective memory and healing. Voices featured in this episode: Selma Al-Aswad Tory J Kevin Sur Sabrene Odeh Huda Asfour Gabriel Teodros Wendy Elisheva Somerson Explore music from the episode on KEXP's Spotify page. The live version of "Ya ...
Jan 23, 2024•32 min•Ep 451•Transcript available on Metacast Palestine Amplified is a four-part series exploring the Palestinian struggle through music. In this episode, we’re looking at how different struggles are related, from apartheid South Africa to police brutality in the U.S., and how making these connections can help us better understand the Palestinian cause. In particular, we explore the way music was used in the movement against apartheid in South Africa and the ways co-strugglers around the world learn from each other's resistance. Voices feat...
Jan 18, 2024•30 min•Ep 450•Transcript available on Metacast As part of the Cascadia Music Summit in Boise, Idaho, Emily Fox speaks with the rapper, singer, and writer, Dessa, the Denver-based duo N3ptune, and Rusty Steve and Eric Gilbert who run Boise’s Treefort Music Festival and Duck Club. They talk about how to make things work on a shoestring budget, how to work smarter together, and how to create opportunities that didn’t exist before. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 16, 2024•19 min•Ep 449•Transcript available on Metacast Rapper, singer, and writer, Dessa, shares a poem about how to live a life in music called “How To Stage Dive.” Also on this episode, jazz musician and Executive Director for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Aaron Myers, shares his personal story about getting access to health care and mental health services as a musician. He also talks about why coming home after touring can be so difficult emotionally. These stories were shared as part of the Cascadia Music Summit. Audio from the f...
Jan 11, 2024•14 min•Ep 448•Transcript available on Metacast Hozoji Roseanne Mathison-Margolis is a shellfish diver for the Puyallup Tribe by day and by night she plays drums in the nautical inspired rock band, Helms Alee. We revisit this story Sound & Vision first aired in 2019 as part of our series, Day Job, which explores the work musicians do outside of music in order to make a living. The story was written by Rachel Stevens with reporting by Brie Ripley and Ryan Sparks. https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/10/15/sound-vision-hozoji-mathison-margolis-di...
Jan 09, 2024•11 min•Ep 447•Transcript available on Metacast Gender equity in the music industry still has a long way to go. The University of Southern California has been studying inclusion in the recording studio for years. In 2018, it found that out of the songs that made it on Billboard’s year end Hot 100 chart, along with the nominees in top Grammy categories, only 2% of those songs were produced by women. That number only increased to 3.4% in 2022. On this episode, we revisit a story we first aired in 2019. It’s by Contributor Celine Teo-Blockey, wh...
Jan 04, 2024•10 min•Ep 446•Transcript available on Metacast Chicago-based artist NNAMDÏ is known for his genre-clashing albums. His songs will often bring together elements of punk, hip-hop, electronic music, and more – all fused together with NNAMDI’s infectious and enthusiastic spirit. He talks with KEXP’s Dusty Henry about his all-time favorite albums so we get a deeper understanding of his musical DNA. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 02, 2024•18 min•Ep 445•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a vibrating dance floor in Colorado that translates instruments and notes in songs in real time. It works for both recorded and live music. Stephanie Wolf reports on how the floor is increasing accessibility to music and dance. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 28, 2023•12 min•Ep 444•Transcript available on Metacast Emily Fox and KEXP DJs Evie Stokes, Troy Nelson and Kevin Cole break down the top played albums of 2023 on KEXP and share their personal favorite records of the year. KEXP’s top played albums: Jungle - Volcano Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine Polyrhythmics - Filter System Little Dragon - Slugs of Love Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 26, 2023•34 min•Ep 443•Transcript available on Metacast It was a big year for Latin music and Mexican music in particular. KEXP’s Albina Cabrera is joined by Julyssa Lopez, Senior Music Editor at Rolling Stone and author of “ The Grammys Still Don’t Know What to Do With Latin Music, ” and Isabela Raygoza, Associate Editor at Billboard Español and co-author of " Mexican Music Isn't Having a Moment, It's a Movement ” for this episode. They break down the rise of Mexican music, discuss the Latin Grammys, and share some of their favorite tracks from Lati...
Dec 21, 2023•28 min•Ep 442•Transcript available on Metacast KEXP’s Martin Douglas reflects on travel, mortality, and life through his favorite rap album of the year, 'Maps' by billy woods. Listen to billy woods talk about fatherhood and making a children’s book: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vision/2023/6/18/apparently-billy-woods-on-his-a-is-for-anarchist-childrens-book/ Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 19, 2023•9 min•Ep 441•Transcript available on Metacast The Portland-based experimental band Grails is back with their latest album, ' Anches en Maat .' It's the first record that the group wrote together in the studio since 2008, featuring some of their most avant garde Western psych-rock instrumentals to date. KEXP's Roddy Nikpour has this review. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 14, 2023•7 min•Ep 440•Transcript available on Metacast Malummí is the project of singer songwriter Larissa Rapold and guitarist and producer Giovanni Vicari based out of Basel Switzerland. They just released an album called The Universe Is Black. Rapold reflects on racial issues and her personal experiences and thoughts behind the album’s title track. “The feeling I have when I sing it is raising my fist above my head and walking through a crowd of people and having this power that I’m having in this moment in my words in this song,” Rapold says. Su...
Dec 12, 2023•14 min•Ep 439•Transcript available on Metacast Black rockers in Seattle speak with contributor Mia Imani about navigating a music scene that has historically excluded them and about reclaiming a genre that many notable Black musicians helped create. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 07, 2023•15 min•Ep 438•Transcript available on Metacast Magic AL is the alias of Alex Bingham– a producer and bass player who has played with a lot of indie/folk bands from North Carolina including Hiss Golden Messenger. He’s out with his first solo album called 'Good Grief.' Bingham talks with Emily Fox about how the death of four loved ones in the same year led him to make an album and how music brought joy back into his life. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 05, 2023•14 min•Ep 437•Transcript available on Metacast 
