John Richards

Good morning. It's a beautiful, albeit rainy, Friday in Seattle. You're listening to The Morning Show with John Richards! Thanks so much for being here. -- This is the radio premiere of "The Things Around Us" by Insect Revenge, a duo of trumpeter Ahamefule Oluo and drummer Sheridan Riley.: nowimfine.com

DJ Wally (aka Pish Posh), born Keef Destefano in 1972, is one of the leading lights in the avant-garde abstract beatz scene that's risen from the New York dance underground. This album from NYC's DJ Wally is available on his Bandcamp page here: djwallypishposh.bandcamp.com

Land of the Loops was the alias of Brooklyn-based sonic collagist Alan Sutherland, a veteran of several short-lived bands who turned to quirky electronica after his parents bought him a sampler for college graduation.

The song was written by Folk Implosion leader Lou Barlow and Orbit bassist Wally Gagel, who also produced the song. It was released as a single in 1995, and was featured on the soundtrack to the Larry Clark film "Kids," but does not appear in the film itself. -- In 2013, the band Shearwater covered the song on their all-covers album, "Fellow Travelers."

Singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim (Sean Scolnick) recently performed five songs and spoke with host John Richards for the Live On KEXP At Home series. Langhorne Slim’s Live On KEXP At Home session was recorded on March 23, 2021. Scolnick appeared from his bedroom in Nashville and discussed the horrific tornados that destroyed parts of the city just before the pandemic began. The singer-songwriter also talked about the challenge of staying sober during the pandemic.: www.youtube.com

On this day in 1969, Elliott Smith was born. To mark what would have been his 52nd birthday, here's a classic 2000 interview: www.hotpress.com

Brandi Carlile describes her forthcoming album, "In These Silent Days," out Oct. 1, as "drama mixed with joy." This powerful song — and its video, which was directed by none other than Courteney Cox — reflects on conflict, regret and the singer's stubborn resolve to do better tomorrow than she did today.: www.youtube.com

Stevie Nicks wrote last year: "In 1980 I was flying home from Phoenix Arizona and I was handed a menu that said, “The white wing dove sings a song that sounds like she’s singing ooh, ooh, ooh. She makes her home here in the great Saguaro cactus that provides shelter and protection for her…” As you well know, I was very taken with that whole picture and went on to write “Edge of Seventeen.” But over the last 40 years I can honestly say, I have never heard a dove sing~ until now. Several days ago, outside my room, I started to hear the sound of a bird singing the same thing over and over. One little Ahhh~ and then three OOH’s~ over and over again. I thought it was an owl, but a friend said, “No, that’s a dove!” I started to cry. This dove had come here to watch over me." Read her entire post and see her film of the dove's song: stevienicks.info

Oooh!...Nation of Language will perform at The Crocodile on Thursday, October 14th. -- Ian Devaney said of this new single, released yesterday: "After I dropped out of college I spent a number of years delivering pizzas and waiting tables while I lived at home and tried to get a music career going. One ends up spending a lot of time contending with unrealized dreams and feeling jealousy towards those who have moved on. There’s an inferiority complex that can set in, which if unchecked, can lead down a pretty bitter and self-destructive road. This is a song for driving down that road, as indecision and longing and regret cycle together into mania, until finally, at the end, quiet acceptance and peace wash over." : bit.ly

Someone wrote, "I cry everytime I hear this song." Watch an electrifying live performance by Arcade Fire at the Reading Festival in 2010: www.youtube.com

Hi John — Hope you are having a lovely morning so far. We just woke up and are celebrating our son, Henry, on his 8th birthday (just like your own!). He loves listening to you every morning with us and especially dancing in the kitchen to the Friday song. Would it be possible to play a song for him? He loves “Sing” by Travis. Thanks so much for everything. We love you! Heather, Shawn & Henry -- Songwriter Fran Healy said, "First of all, I love the idea of having the word 'sing' repeated in the chorus of a song—it's just so silly," and he explained that the emotional weight of the song originates from the belief that "feeling free enough to cut loose and sing in front of someone you love is an indication of extraordinary intimacy and trust."

‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ is my Dylan period. It’s one of those that you sing a bit sadly to yourself, ‘Here I stand, head in hand…’ I’d started thinking about my own emotions. I don’t know when exactly it started, like ‘I’m A Loser’ or ‘Hide Your Love Away’, those kind of things. Instead of projecting myself into a situation, I would try to express what I felt about myself, which I’d done in my books. I think it was Dylan who helped me realise that – not by any discussion or anything, but by hearing his work.' --John Lennon

According to songwriter Mike Peters, the key lines in this song are: "If I run fast enough I can leave all the pain and the sadness behind.." "That's really what that song is trying to communicate," he says. --- Watch the hair in the video for "Rain in the Summertime": www.youtube.com

This 1983 song is driven by a big bass pulse that was generated by a Dynacord amplifier and sampler. This was relatively new technology and the sound Simple Minds got out of it was modern and anthemic, making it perfect for live performance. It became a concert favorite for the band.

"Beautiful Beaches” was written in response to climate change migration and the subsequent increasingly regular Californian fires bringing devastation to his community (Tim Booth was a resident of Topanga Canyon for many years). The inspiration for the song came from a friend who sadly lost his ‘fireproof’ home and had to flea for his life to the beaches, and a recurring vision that Booth had last year of earthquakes and fires in California, a vision that resulted in his family selling up and leaving the Canyon. -- James performed "Beautiful Beaches" live on television last month: www.youtube.com

"U2's four musicians met when they were teenagers in Ireland in the 1970s, a turbulent time known as the Troubles. Bono once wrote that on May 17, 1974, he 'dodged one of the bloodiest moments in a history that divided an island,' simply because he rode his bike to school that day — otherwise, he'd have been on one of the Dublin streets where three car bombs killed 33 people. That same year, Bono's mother died suddenly from a brain aneurysm. He was 14." Read NPR's wonderful essay about the origins and power of this rock and roll hymn: www.npr.org

Happy kitten fostering, Chelsea! -- Bill Withers held a note for 18 seconds in this song. (Don't try this at home!) Legendary singer and vocalist Withers died last year at the age of 81. Read a KEXP tribute to this great artist: www.kexp.org

Bassist Mike Mills recalled he was playing a piano riff at a studio in the band's hometown of Athens, Georgia. While Mills almost discarded the melody, it attracted the interest of singer Michael Stipe. "[Michael] listened once, nodded his head to hear it again, and on the second pass he sang the lyrics. It was 'Nightswimming,' exactly like the record we would record a year later," explained Peter Buck in 2003. "I was standing in the corner, dumbfounded." americansongwriter.com

Recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, the music for this song came out of a jam session where the band switched instruments. Bass player Tina Weymouth ended up on rhythm guitar, keyboard player Jerry Harrison played keyboard bass, and David Byrne manned the Prophet-5 synthesizer, making the space-y sounds by turning the modulation wheel. "It's a very comforting song," drummer Chris Frantz said. "I think people listen to it and it kind of warms their hearts because it's a song with a happy and secure message. I love that song myself. It's really sweet - quite an accomplishment for a band such as ours." bit.ly

Ahhh...the Friday song. Yesterday, Thursday, August 5th, was ‘Music Heals: Beyond Cancer’, a day dedicated to the power of music to lift our spirits and heal our souls in the face of cancer. If you would like to hear the stories and songs that were shared, visit KEXP's streaming archive: www.kexp.org

The Weeknd has released a new single, “Take My Breath.” In a new interview in GQ, the Weeknd said his next record is “the album [he’s] always wanted to make.” GQ describes the album as “Quincy Jones meets Giorgio Moroder meets the best-night-of-your-(bleeping)-life party records.”: www.gq.com

Jungle will be in Seattle on Friday, October 22, playing The Paramount Theatre. -- This release is the fourth single from their upcoming album, Loving In Stereo, the follow-up to 2018's Forever, due for release on August 13. --- The music video for 'Truth' was directed by J Lloyd and Charlie Di Placido and shot in one continuous take. The camera pans right-to-left, revealing different characters as it weaves between rooms. Each character dances in their own unique style, creating a fun and compelling narrative that matches the song's energy.: www.youtube.com

"Everything gettin' harder to find... Everybody jumpin' out of they mind…" --- Read a second-by-second analysis of this hit, which features the pitched up guest vocals from Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, AKA Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest fame.: www.musicradar.com

Debbie Harry said, “The lyrics weren’t about anyone. They were just a plaintive moan about lost love. At first, the song kept saying, ‘Once I had a love, it was a gas. Soon turned out, it was a pain in the ass.’ We couldn’t keep saying that, so we came up with, ‘Soon turned out, had a heart of glass.'” Read the story behind this song that was essential new wave music: faroutmagazine.co.uk

Karl Hyde said: "We used to go out drinking in Soho and I ended up in the Ship [pub]. All the lyrics were written on that night. A drunk sees the world in fragments and I wanted to recreate that. -- I was walking around Soho with a notebook and camera, just observing things. In those days I'd open the book whenever a musical idea inspired me. Rick [Smith] came up with a rhythm and I started singing over it. The vocals were done in one take. When I lost my place, I'd repeat the same line; that's why it goes, 'lager, lager, lager, lager.' The first time we played it live, people raised their lager cans and I was horrified because I was still deep into alcoholism. It was never meant to be a drinking anthem; it was a cry for help. Now I don't mind. Why Born Slippy? It was a greyhound we won money on."

Bernard Sumner said in a 2015 interview that this is probably his favorite New Order song. He said: "It's got a spirituality to it. It's really uplifting without actually getting a specific message across. It was interesting to see that you could do that while, at the time, being fairly abstract. I struggled with the literalness of my lyrics in the early days. I didn't want to expose my inner feelings to the general public "

The song was purposefully omitted from the band’s debut LP "Unknown Pleasures," because of their adamant belief in keeping albums and singles separate. Not unlike the artwork on the album, which features a wave plotting of pulsar CP 1919 on its cover, the 7-inch sleeve for “Transmission” originally featured the Orion Nebula, that was in 1880 the first celestial object of its kind to ever be photographed. --- Bassist Peter Hook on playing this song for the first time, "“We played the new song, which was ‘Transmission’ – and everyone in the whole place stopped literally what they were doing to listen and to turn round and watch us. It was an absolutely bizarre moment. It really made the hair on your arms stand up and shivers down your spine.” -www.youtube.com

Perhaps you're wondering what the lyrics for "Just Like You" say.: songmeanings.com

Originally formed in 1987 by Buzz McCoy and Groovie Mann, the duo sought to create a worthy musical accompaniment that could be used as a soundtrack to trashy B-movies. The duo's initial project was to make a movie (in the style of Russ Meyer and John Waters) to be named "My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult." The movie never got off the ground, but McCoy and Mann used the aborted movie's title for the name of their just-formed group, as their over-the-top stage show was best described as "sensory overload" (featuring a revolving door of weird characters, props, and intense visuals).: www.allmusic.com

Sleigh Bells will, no doubt, play this new song at The Showbox on Thursday, October 28th. -- The track also arrives with a music video, which Sleigh Bells guitarist Derek Miller co-directed with Nina Ljeti. It finds the band performing on an old-timey country program, but the performance goes steadily haywire as Miller slugs moonshine in between riffs and Alexis Krauss tries to escape the set before eventually spontaneously combusting.: www.youtube.com

This is a mashup of Slayer’s thrash metal anthem “Raining Blood” and The B-52’s iconic “Rock Lobster. ” Mashup virtuoso Bill McClintock weaved the two tracks from disparate genres, taking Tom Araya’s isolated vocal track and inserting it over the musical stems of “Rock Lobster”. -- You must see the video for "Raining Lobsters": www.youtube.com

Bill McClintock again! (He's a teacher of 6th-graders for his day job!) This is a combination of Danzig’s “Mother” and Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls.”: www.youtube.com

An experimental music band founded by Mark Gunderson in the 1980s, the Evolution Control Committee (ECC) typically uses uncleared and illegal samples from various sources as a form of protest against copyright law. The ECC is probably best known for its song "Rocked by Rape", consisting of samples of Dan Rather's deadpan delivery describing various atrocities over looped riffs from AC/DC's "Back in Black". Nearly as popular are the "Public Enemy/Whipped Cream Mixes", with Public Enemy's inflammatory raps over classic Herb Alpert Tijuana Brass.

Kool and the Gang vs. Quiet Riot!: www.youtube.com

We loved it when Fidlar played live in our studio back in 2015: www.youtube.com

"Bob Marley was posthumously inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1994; in December 1999, his 1977 album ‘Exodus’ was named album of the century by Time Magazine." www.bobmarley.com