John Richards

Good morning, happy Friday, and welcome to The Morning Show with John Richards! You are not alone. -- "I roll the window down And then begin to breathe in The darkest country road And the strong scent of evergreen From the passenger seat as You are driving me home..." Here are the lyrics to this beautiful love song: genius.com -- Here's when Ben Gibbard performed live in the KEXP studio in 2018: www.youtube.com

The Lumineers' fourth studio album is being released today, January 14th! Learn more about it in this American Songwriter essay: americansongwriter.com

John was the host when Buffalo Tom played "Taillights Fade" in a great KEXP live performance in 2018: www.youtube.com

This is a Seattle band from Ballard! You can purchase their new album, "High Tide," here: firesofficial.bandcamp.com

Hey John, You know, they say that the shortest day, longest night, of the year is the winter solstice. That may be mathematically accurate. But I think the longest nights are actually in late January and early February...when we are just craving a lot more light. How about some Darklands by the Jesus and Mary Chain? -Jim, Lake Forest Park -- This second studio album was the band's first to use drum machines, replacing live drummer Bobby Gillespie, who had left to pursue a career as the frontman with Primal Scream.

The song features an Indian raga violin being played by L. Shankar, the famed ethnic musician who’s worked with Peter Gabriel, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads and Lou Reed. He was allegedly brought in by the record company without the band’s knowledge. Lead singer Ian McCulloch has been known to introduce “The Cutter” in concerts as “the second-greatest song ever written.” Read a love letter to "The Cutter": www.stevepafford.com

Happy birthday to Dave Grohl, born on January 14th, 1969 (That makes him 53 years old, John.) He's been honored by the Rock Hall of Fame twice, both for his work with Nirvana and now with Foo Fighters. This interview calls him "the most prolific rock star of the last 30 years": www.vulture.com

Happy Friday John! Another day of increased Covid Cases and cancellations, but remaining optimistic for the most part. There was a track you played towards the beginning of the pandemic nearly 2 years ago by Guided by Voices called "Run Wild" that really stuck with me, especially at that time because everyone in the world was homebound. If I were curating a Pandemic Soundtrack this would have to be the opening track. Although at this point it would probably look more like a 6 album anthology. If it pleases the DJ, could you play this today? Hope you're doing well. Hang in there. You are NOT alone -- William in Texas --- Go hear Guided by Voices at Neumos on Saturday, March 26th, 2022. The Washington Post called GBV “the Grateful Dead equivalent for people who like Miller Lite instead of acid!”

Spoon's tenth studio effort will arrive February 11, 2022. Frontman Britt Daniel explains, "Lucifer" will be a more straight-rock record compared to the last Spoon album, 2017's dance and electronic-oriented "Hot Thoughts." -- Watch Britt Daniel exercise his acting chops in the Western-themed video for "Wild": www.youtube.com

This song from Bridgers' debut album was a scathing indictment of her ex-boyfriend Ryan Adams.: bit.ly -- Please don't miss Phoebe Bridgers and Arlo Park's great cover of Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees": www.youtube.com

Dear John, I am very much concerned by Sinéad O'Connor's mental health. She recently lost her youngest son by suicide, she's has been devastated and heartbroken, tweeting that she's about to follow her son's path. Last night she interned herself in a hospital, I really hope she can find help and peace there. I wish I could hold her and tell her how her music has saved my life so many times. Can you please play her song "Thank you for hearing me"? One of her favorites from her own songbook. Sending love and light to Sinéad. She's not alone. Israel -- Here is Sinéad O’Connor performing this song live: www.youtube.com

Lennon wrote this for his second son, Sean, who he had with Yoko Ono. Sean was born in 1975. --- Richard Dreyfuss' character, Mr Holland, sings this to his deaf son in the movie Mr. Holland's Opus. In the scene, Mr. Holland is upset over the death of John Lennon. When his son asks him what is wrong, Mr. Holland explains that he wouldn't understand. The deaf son gets upset over this because he is not stupid, so Mr. Holland holds a concert at a school for the deaf and sings this song to his son.

This was Paul Simon's first single as a solo artist. Simon wrote this in response to the Jimmy Cliff song "Vietnam," where a mother receives a letter about her son's death on the battlefield. Simon recorded "Mother and Child Reunion" in Jamaica using Cliff's musicians, hence the very authentic sound. - bit.ly

I’ve got a little request to celebrate my 31st lap around the sun today. Fortunately, 31 feels less weird than 30 but still a bit weird. I think the only cure for this weirdness would be hearing Prince tell me how filthy and cute I am. If you’re able to add some Cream on top of your lineup this morning that would be grand! Thanks for all you do! Best, Rain -- On MTV Unplugged 2004, Prince stated that he wrote the song while looking at himself in the mirror. -- See Prince playing "Cream" live at Webster Hall in 2004: youtu.be.

Smile is the side project of Joakim Åhlund and Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John). “Call My Name" features Robyn on vocals, who said in a recent press release, “I love singing ‘Call My Name’ and it was a true pleasure to record it and rave around in this beautiful song together with Joakim and Björn.” According to Björn Yttling, “‘Call My Name’ is a quite simple song about unconditional love, and the will to try and protect the one you love from a chaotic and threatening outside world.” tinyurl.com

Ahhh...the Friday song. Tune in for KEXP's 22nd annual Expansions MLK Unity Party special broadcast on Sunday, January 16th kicking off with Sunday Soul from 6-9pm Pacific with DJ Supreme La Rock and continuing on with a special edition of Expansions hosted by Riz with mixes from the whole crew! Learn more here: www.kexp.org

Nena was born Gabriele Susanne Kerner. She was in a band called The Stripes before forming her own group. Nena's guitarist, Carlo Karges, got the idea for the song at a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin. At one point during the show, the band released a bunch of balloons. Carlo watched as one of those balloons drifted over the wall into East Berlin. He imagined a radar picking up that one balloon and mistaking it for an enemy plane. Carlo wrote the lyric and Nena's keyboard player, Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, wrote the music. -- Here's the official music video: www.youtube.com

DJ Shadow said about the music video for this one: "We wanted to make a positive, life-affirming video that captures politicians at their election-year best. We got this instead.” - www.youtube.com

Ahead of the release of his upcoming album FTHC next month, Frank Turner has shared a beautifully moving new single, "A Wave Across A Bay." Written in honor of late Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison, the track has been released with the blessing of his younger brother Grant, with Frank donating profits of a 7" single of the release to young people's mental health charity Tiny Changes. "I still miss my friend Scott every day," says Frank. "His passing left such a huge hole in so many lives. I wrote this song in his honor and memory, it was hard to write and record, but I think it does the man some small justice.": bit.ly

Watch beloved Scott Hutchison perform this wonderful song in the KEXP studio in 2010: www.youtube.com -- RIP, Scott Hutchison: www.kexp.org.

"So the track could be interpreted as encouragement to accept some form of God into one's life as guidance – "You say you've got nothing to hold on to / Nothing to trust, nothing but chains", "I can see you wavering as you try to decide" – but there's no suggestion at any stage that the object of its address will find companionship with anyone. Instead it leaves room for the listener to maneuver within its central conceit – that what has happened is merely preparation for what will come to pass – whilst bathing in the sound of "seven or eight acoustic guitars" that roll inexorably, dramatically, onwards towards Scott's final, softly spoken pronouncement, 'Behold: the sea"." Read an interview with Mike Scott about this song and this classic album: thequietus.com

Dream Academy members Nick Laird-Clowes and Gilbert Gabriel wrote this song, which is dedicated to the singer Nick Drake, who was 26 years old in 1974 when he died of an antidepressant overdose which may have been suicide. -- "Northern Town" started life with a different title. Nick Laird-Clowes told Mojo that he had befriended Paul Simon at one point and the two stayed in touch. He recalled: "I played him the song and he asked, 'What are you going to call it - 'Ah Hey Ma Ma Ma?' I told him that we intended to name it 'Morning Lasted All Day.' 'That's no good,' he said and so I came up with 'Life In A Northern Town.' which he thought was a great title." - bit.ly

From their only studio album. New Radicals broke up in 1999—just months after the release of their 1998 single “You Get What You Give," but reunited to deliver a one-time performance 22 years after at the Biden/Harris inauguration. The song is very important to Biden because his son, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, often played it. Singer-songwriter Gregg Alexander stated: "Performing the song again after such a long time is a huge honor because we all have deep respect for Beau's military service and such high hopes for the unity and normalcy Joe and Kamala will bring our country again in this time of crisis." - bit.ly

Happy 15th birthday to the Groovemaster, aka Lucia, our math expert, baker extraordinaire, and avid reader. You’ve got some serious moves bro! We love you! ❤️🧮📚🎂🎸😎🤩: www.facebook.com -- The Linda Lindas are sisters Lucia and Mila de la Garza, their cousin Eloise Wong, and close friend Bela Salazar. -- Enjoy KEXP's feature on The Linda Lindas, who have "the most fun job in the world.: bit.ly -- See their colorful video for "Oh!": www.youtube.com

X-Ray Spex were a British UK Punk Rock group formed in 1977 by vocalist Poly Styrene (born Marianne Elliott-Said), bassist Paul Dean, guitarist Jak "Airport" Stafford, drummer Paul "BP" Hurding and saxophonist Lora Logic. This song was the first of their three UK Top 40 hits. The band dissolved in Autumn 1979 and Poly Styrene temporary pursued a solo career before giving up music to pursue her interest in Eastern mysticism. -- Follow this link to learn about a new documentary about Poly Styrene.: www.polystyrenefilm.net

This song was written in 1992, and its original title was "Four Month Media Blackout". Kurt described this song as a throw-away; a bunch of random lines of poetry thrown together. The title was a reference to ("Smells Like Teen Spirit" and its slick, radio-friendly sound. -- Watch Nirvana (with birthday boy Dave Grohl) perform it live in Seattle in 1993: www.youtube.com

On March 27, 2012, Pitchfork Media awarded the song "The House That Heaven Built" a Best New Music designation, with Pitchfork's Jenn Pelly calling the song "a rapturous head-banger, requiring only one, oft-repeated hook of clearheaded subversiveness: 'And if they try to slow you down/ Tell them all, to go to hell.'" bit.ly --- Psst---this song should be on your running playlist!

The song was originally released back in 2012 on "S**t We Recorded in Our Bedroom." It was re-recorded and remastered for FIDLAR’s second album, "Too." -- We loved it when Fidlar played live in our studio back in 2015: www.youtube.com

Thanks to your show, I have discovered that Aretha Franklin Live at Fillmore West is one of the most joyful recordings on the planet. If you get the chance today, could you please play Love the One Your With so that anyone who doesn't know this album can enjoy part of its beauty? Happy Friday. ---Doug in suburban Maryland -- This is Aretha covering the 1970 Stephen Stills classic. -- Check out video of this live performance at Fillmore West in 1971 here: www.youtube.com

Good morning John and Owen! Monday assistant Chelsea here. It's my 35th birthday today! I usually request Losing My Edge on my birthday every year, but you played it on Wednesday. Last year today I had a 2 week old potato for a daughter and today she's a sweet, animal obsessed one year old who brings me the most joy I've ever felt every time she dances. Could you play something we can dance to? We love talking heads, violent femmes, or any ridiculous mashup. Thank you, much love, Chelsea, Mavis, & Dave --- Happy birthday, CHELSEA!!! -- Written by Al Green with his guitarist, Teenie Hodges, "Take Me To The River" first appeared on Green's 1974 album "Al Green Explores Your Mind." -- Don't miss this live performance from director Jonathan Demme's "Stop Making Sense": www.youtube.com

Hey, John: My buddy Steve in Chicago is holing up with Covid. Kicked his ass but he’s vaxxed and has turned the corner. His fave band is Devo, do you think you can fit in Gut Feeling? Thanks, and good morning! --Matt in New England -- Go here to purchase a Devo energy cone hat: shop.clubdevo.com

Oh, it was great when Violent Femmes played a free Live show in our Gathering Space.: www.youtube.com

William Antranig Maranci is a 25-year-old American YouTuber from Massachusetts. He created his main channel on October 5, 2017. He is known for uploading bizarre mashup videos of popular songs. He also has a second channel called DumphopTV where he uploads full albums. -- Watch the unsettling video for a song which will (We apologize.) stay in your head: www.youtube.com

Alex Cutrone III uses the the stage name DJ Cummerbund. He is the "mashup Messiah" who just won the MTV award for Best Audio Mashup: wmmr.com

In 2004, Dave Grohl drummed on all but six tracks for Nine Inch Nails' 2005 album "With Teeth." Read how his drumming shaped the album: www.loudersound.com

Sigue Sigue Sputnik is a British Cyberpunk New Wave Music band whose main run was from 1986 to 1988. The band was formed by Tony James, ex-bassist of the defunct Generation X, and Neal X (Whitmore), who recruited singer Martin Degville. Degville was a clothes designer and supplied the band's wardrobe, and YaYa, the store where he worked, became the band's base.

Speaking of Tony James... The inspiration for the song occurred during a tour of Japan mid-1979, when lead singer Billy Idol and bassist Tony James were struck by the sight of the young crowd in a Tokyo disco club dancing with their own reflections in walled mirrors rather than with one another. bit.ly

"In lesser hands, it might be confusing. When Robyn does it, it's human. Contrary emotions wrapped up in one package, happiness and sadness living together in a groove: Everything about this song is a juxtaposition. That's what makes it an anthem." NPR featured this breakup song as an American Anthem: www.npr.org -- Here's a link to KEXP's "Afternoon Dance Party" with our listeners dancing in isolation, but together, to this fabulous song: www.youtube.com

It's not just a dream! Wet Leg will play The Sunset Tavern on Saturday, March 26th! Their debut album comes out on April 8th. --- "'Wet Dream' is a breakup song; it came about when one of my exes went through a stage of texting me after we’d broken up telling me that ‘he had a dream about me.'" - Rhian Teasdale of Wet Leg. Watch the lobster-filled video for "Wet Dream": youtu.be.

"This ain't no holiday But it always turns out this way Here I am, with my hand..." Hmmm....: www.azlyrics.com -- Here's a live version: www.youtube.com

Probot was a heavy metal side project of Dave Grohl. Although Grohl recorded the guitar and drums himself, Lemmy Kilmister performed his own bass and wrote the lyrics to "Shake Your Blood". He noted, "I wrote the lyrics in about ten minutes. . . It's rock & roll, you know. It's not one of those complicated things." -- Here's the video: www.youtube.com

"In 'Ace of Spades,' heavy rock has its ultimate expression of sheer decapitating efficiency." This song was #1 on this list of top 10 Motörhead songs: ultimateclassicrock.com