John Richards

Good morning, happy Monday, welcome to the Morning Show with John Richards! Happy birthday to David Bowie, who would have been 75 this past Saturday. This is the final track on his final album. He died on this day in 2016, 2 days after releasing Blackstar.

Monday Morning Show assistant Chelsea insists you watch video of this performance because *James Murphy voice* she was theeeere: youtu.be

Recorded by the band at St. Catherine's Court, a manor house located in Bath, England that was built in the 16th century. That probably gave it it's spooky Halloween feel, which KEXP's Janice Headley wrote about: www.kexp.org

The Smile, the new group comprising Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons Of Kemet’s Tom Skinner, have today revealed their debut single ‘You Will Never Work In Television Again’. The Smile will play three consecutive live shows within a twenty-four hour period at Magazine London on the 29 and 30 January. Performing to a seated audience in the round, the three shows will also be broadcast in real time via livestream. Sign up for pre-sale tickets by joining the mailing list at: www.thesmiletheband.com

New sounds from this London group. The new album, "Ants From Up There" is due out Feb 4th, 2022. Make sure to check out their February 2021 release "For The First Time" as well! blackcountrynewroad.bandcamp.com

Check out Of Monsters and Men performance of Little Talks from October 2010 - one of our most popular KEXP videos: www.youtube.com

The album's lyrical content is inspired by band members Win and William Butler's upbringing in The Woodlands, Texas, a suburb of Houston. According to Win Butler, the album "is neither a love letter to, nor an indictment of, the suburbs – it's a letter from the suburbs". The album was recorded in Win Butler and Régine Chassagne's residence in Montreal, with some parts being recorded at the band's studio in Quebec and in New York City. Win Butler describes the overall sound of The Suburbs as "a mix of Depeche Mode and Neil Young", stating that he wanted the album to sound like "the bands that I heard when I was very young, and wondered what those crazy noises were". Watch their quarantine performance of The Suburbs from New Orleans: www.youtube.com

Makthaverskan is KEXP's official Swedish post-punk band. Like a highlander, there can only be one. Unless there's more, then there can be more. :) makthaverskan.bandcamp.com

Shoegaze, Dream pop, Post-rock from St. Petersburg, Russia - blankenberge.bandcamp.com

"Good morning John, Or in my case, good afternoon. Here in Europe, the sun’s just gone down. Especially in the darker winter months I’m always looking forward to the morning show and the warm energy you bring along every “morning” (😉). I also came to love the little song you play at the beginning, the sweet jingle for the show. I have to say that you started the set especially strong today, with those amazing artists! In any case, I wanted to say thank you! I’m not sure how well it fits into your program for today, but I wondered if you could play something from The Cure? Disintegration is one of my favourite albums of all time. :D Looking forward to hearing what you have lined up for us today. Warm regards 😊 Freddie" ===== This song, which finds him singing about "running out of time," was one of several tracks on Disintegration where he ruminates on feeling washed up. "The biggest frustration (of getting older) is not being able to feel strong emotions anymore," Smith said when discussing the album's lyrics. "Cynicism enters your world and you get numb." - bit.ly

David Bowie died on this day in 2016. In 1980, David Bowie was in the middle of a new kind of transformation. After launching himself to stardom in 1969 with his first hit single, "Space Oddity," he spent a decade morphing from Major Tom to Ziggy Stardust to Aladdin Sane to Halloween Jack to The Thin White Duke — a series of characters that also emblemized radically different approaches to rock music, from sci-fi glam to stark experimentalism. By the end of the '70s, however, he dispensed with such alter egos. Instead, he absorbed them all into a single if mercurial persona, one known simply as David Bowie. And that persona hinged on "Ashes To Ashes." www.npr.org

Pre-order the new Beach House now. www.subpop.com == And watch the video for this here: www.youtube.com

Watch School of Seven Bells perform LIVE on KEXP back in 2011: bit.ly

Just Mustard was one of Stereogum's Best New Bands Of 2019, based on the strength of their debut album, Wednesday. The Irish 5-piece is preparing to follow up with a new record and will be touring with Fontaines DC later this year. bit.ly justmustard.bandcamp.com

"Safety Dance" is Angel Olson's rendition on the Men Without Hats' track. Safety Dance is part of Olson's covers EP "Aisles," released on August 20th of last year. -- “I felt this song could be reinterpreted to be about the time of quarantine and the fear of being around anyone or having too much fun,” Olsen said in a statement. “It made me wonder, is it safe to laugh or dance or be free of it all for just a moment?” -- Troy Nelson hosted Angel Olsen Live in the KEXP Studio back in December 2019: youtu.be

"Good morning! My sweet Violet is 12 today! Although we're now in Montana, she's still got her Seattle roots. Could you please play a little something for her today? It could be Wet Leg's Chaise Lounge (nobody can say "excuse me" now without her whispering "whaaaat?") or anything else that is dancy and celebratory. We love our Violet! Thanks! ~Liz" ---- This cheeky track by was inspired by band member Hester Chambers’ grandfather’s chaise longue. “I kind of inherited it,” she explains, “and it now lives in my flat." Wet Leg plays The Sunset Tavern on Mar 26, 2022. Please tell them we played this as a Christmas dance track. www.bandsintown.com

This song was released on this day in 1994. Or 100 years ago. --- Tori fought hard for the whistling that comes in over her piano at the beginning of the song. Everyone else - including her then-boyfriend/producer Eric Rosse - was in favor of a mandolin line that guitarist Steve Caton came up with. "Everybody really liked that," she told The Baltimore Sun in 1994. "And even in the mix studio, I was screaming at the top of my lungs that it had to be a whistle. I want the cowboys coming over the hill. Eric was laughing his head off, and the mixer, Kevin Killen, said to me, 'This whistle is naff, Tori.' And I said, 'Well, guess what, Kevin. When you make your own song, you can put your own mandolin on it. This is a whistle. F--king put it in. Put the sample in.' So I got my whistle, and I'm happy as a clam to this day."

Julie is previously known as the bassist of Eric's Trip. She worked with Daniel Romano on this great new record! juliedoiron.bandcamp.com

New Big Thief record and massive tour in 2022! Catch 'em at The Paramount on May 2nd. bigthief.bandcamp.com

Alexander is the first solo album by Alex Ebert, lead singer of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Ima Robot. He played all the instruments on the album.

Happy birthday to Rod Stewart, born on this day in 1945. --- This song was inspired by a tryst Rod Stewart had with a woman at the Beaulieu Jazz Festival when the artist was 16. Stewart was nervous. He said the encounter was over "in a few seconds." -- "Maggie May" remains the biggest mandolin-based hit ever recorded, although the theme music for The Godfather, released the following year, may be more recognized.

This song was released on this day in the UK in 1980 (though a couple weeks earlier in the US). For years, the band claimed that the song's lyrics were similar to an aural 'Rorschach test', and that people only heard in it what they wanted to hear. However, most people agreed that the lyrics alluded to heroin use. In his book "The Stranglers: Song By Song," co-writer and vocalist Hugh Cornwell said that "'Golden Brown' works on two levels. It's about heroin and also about a girl. Essentially the lyrics describe how both provided me with pleasurable times." The "girl" in question was Cornwell's Mediterranean girlfriend at the time.

Imperial Teen performed "Yoo Hoo" live for KEXP listeners from Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop during SXSW way back in 2012: www.youtube.com

A request for early Smashing Pumpkins! --- Billy Corgan noted in the liner notes for this one found on 'Pisces Iscariot:' "B-side of our second single recorded with Butch Vig. We recorded this and Tristessa on the same day somewhere in the past and it was also the first day we met Butch V. Still one of my favorite hidden songs"

For Mike! - "Hi John and Owen, I have another song request. This one is for my husband's 53rd birthday today. This time last year he was in chemo and radiation treatment for cancer so not much of a birthday celebration. This year he is having to work, another hard task since he is a nurse in an emergency department. We did get to go in a beautiful snow shoe with our boys yesterday and then he and I had a conversation about life, how quickly time goes by, and how beautiful the moments can be, and to be present for all of it. I was hoping you could play Old Man by Neil Young for him. - Serena" --- If you listen very closely, you can hear James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt on backing vocals.

Siiiix years (since Bowie died, on this day) --- This is the opening track to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Born on this day in 1946, Michael Ronson (May26, 1946 – April 29,1993) was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as one of the Spiders from Mars.

Matt Johnson of The The wrote this song following the death of his brother. In his depression, he found that writing this song was therapeutic for him. You are not alone.

Brand new music from Widowspeak’s forthcoming sixth album out March 11th. widowspeak.bandcamp.com “At the beginning of something (a relationship, a project, a job, a new place) you have this very pure feeling toward it,” say Widowspeak about the song. “Everything feels less complicated because you’re oriented wholly toward that potential. It’s undefined, and that makes it easier to understand, because you can’t see the problems yet. As time goes on, you learn more, you experience more, and you see where the limitations exist: Not even necessarily ones imposed upon you, but where you draw your own lines. Maybe you can’t see what was holding you back until it’s in the past, and by then others’ perspectives contradict your own.”

Deserta recently played the Loveless Festival in Seattle, featuring bands like New Age Healers, Blue Lotus, and Fotoform -- all celebrating the 30th Anniverary of My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless" Cheryl Waters hosted Deserta Live in the KEXP Studio back in Feb 2020: youtu.be deserta.bandcamp.com

In 2002, Johnny Cash covered "Hurt" to commercial and critical acclaim. The related music video is considered one of the greatest of all time by publications such as NME. Reznor praised Cash's interpretation of the song for its "sincerity and meaning", going so far as to say "that song isn't mine anymore." See the video here: www.youtube.com

In 2000, Bjork explained how she came up with this song: "I guess waking up after having been in Spain for six months in the mountains with few people. It was kind of solitary. And it was April, and I had to walk in the morning, around the mountains. And spring just kicked in. It was definitely nature-inspired. On a more personal level. It's about when you have been too stubborn about giving love to one particular direction... you expect it back, like it's a bank or something. And kind of realizing that it's up to you what you give, but it's not up to you what you are given and where from." -- The video, directed by Chris Cunningham, was nominated for a Grammy and won several awards including Best Breakthrough Video and Special Effects at the 2000 MTV Video Awards.: vimeo.com

The last song on her second album. You may know this album as the one with "Nothing Compares 2 U," a song made famous by O'Connor that was actually a Prince song.

David Bowie died on this day in 2016. --- This song by David Bowie and Brian Eno was inspired by the sight of Bowie's producer-engineer Tony Visconti embracing his lover by the Berlin Wall. Bowie's performance of "'Heroes'" on June 6th 1987, at the German Reichstag in West Berlin has been considered a catalyst to the later fall of the Berlin Wall. Following his death in January 2016, the German government thanked Bowie for "helping to bring down the Wall", adding "you are now among Heroes".

The music video, released on April 11, 2008, features scenes of a young woman traveling alone to various places around the world, interspersed with the band performing in an industrial freezer room. The shoot involved the actress, director, and a crew of two traveling 27,977 miles in 13 days, and was shot on consumer-grade camcorders to achieve a sense of total realism and so that the film crew would blend in as tourists. -- youtu.be