John Richards

Good morning and welcome to the Monday edition of the Morning Show with John! This is a Rolling Stones cover that appears as the closing track on The Sundays second album

New music from Sharon Van Etten's sixth album! Sharon Van Etten plays Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA on Wednesday, August 3rd - www.sharonvanetten.com

Mazzy Star was born in 1989 from remnants of the group Opal, formed in Santa Monica, California. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.

Brand new music from the Brighton, UK band. porridgeradio.bandcamp.com Porridge Radio will be at Barboza September 13: www.axs.com

Karen O described this song as "a love song to despair." She added: "It's a feeling that you have that visits you time and time again. It's an incredibly uplifting song , though, about wanting to run away from certain darkness in your life."

Polly Jean Harvey grew up on a sheep farm in Corscombe, a small village in Dorset, England. Her parents owned a stone quarrying business but were also heavily involved in music, organizing small gigs around West Country. Harvey was inspired by her parents' record collection that included blues legends like John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Nina Simone, along with rock musicians like Captain Beefheart, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones. Harvey said her teenage rebellion consisted of going to school discos and listening to Duran Duran. "My mum was horrified that I was buying Spandau Ballet records," she added. bit.ly pjharvey.net

Wet Leg is in the lineup for THING August 26-28 at historic Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA. thingnw.org This British duo’s debut album is a fun, sharply crafted set of playful post-punk with bursts of angular guitars, driving rhythms, occasional keyboards, deadpan vocals and often-sardonic lyrics depicting the absurdities and annoyances of love and life as a young adult during these tumultuous times. www.kexp.org wetleg.bandcamp.com

This record will turn 32 on Sunday. "Lime House" was described in a Billboard review as feeling "avant-garage". The song concerns Sherlock Holmes spending long and comfortable hours in an opium den. - bit.ly

This song refers to the biblical story of Samson, who had his eyes gouged out by his enemies and eventually killed them all when he was chained to two pillars in their stronghold. He pulled the pillars down, bringing the building down and killing himself and his enemies. Drummer David Lovering revealed: "It's the perfect example of a true Pixies song. It's got the quiet verse and then it goes all-out for the chorus. The way it's structured, it's two opposing layers. I remember when we recorded it, I thought it was the most compelling thing we ever did." bit.ly

Released on this day in 1994! A request from Parker on Mercer Island! Charles Thompson IV is best known for his work with the Pixies, performing under the stage name Black Francis -- as well as his solo career under the name Frank Black. His family moved to Westport, Massachusetts just before his senior year of high school -- and he received the "Teenage of the Year" award that year, giving the title for this solo album

"The Lion and The Cobra" was Sinéad O'Connor's debut album. The title of the album is from Psalm 91:13 "you will tread upon the lion and cobra."

"Morning John - my wife and I tuning in this morning as we anxiously wait to go to Swedish so my wife can have a C-section to welcome our first child to this world. He's not even here and I'm terrified/excited. We weren't even sure he would be a possibility in our lives, but thanks to science and IVF he's becoming a reality. The morning show is a staple of our morning routine and we're so grateful for the community you bring together each week to know we are not alone. Can we request a song for our new baby boy. September by Earth Wind and Fire or Dreams by Fleetwood Mac (his grandma's fav) -Chris" Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" was the top selling album of 1977. The album stayed at number 1 for a total of 29 weeks (though not consecutively). Just like KEXP, 45 years later, it has remarkable staying power: "According to the UK’s Official Charts Company, Rumours sold 34,593 vinyl copies in 2021, third only to new albums by Adele and Abba, and besting new records by Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey. It sold 32,508 copies the previous year.

Rachel did her best with the deal she'd been dealt And that's what I've got for a eulogy Sundown, it feels like I'm riding a train I'm not on

Kevin Morby will play The Showbox on Friday, November 11th. Enjoy Live Video from Kevin Morby's 2019 KEXP In-Studio: bit.ly. His seventh album is the result of a introspective sojourn in a Memphis hotel. "Unsurprisingly, 'This Is a Photograph' is a house of spirits, haunted by the ghosts of Jeff Buckley, of Jay Reatard, of childhood and innocence and moments long past.": bit.ly

For Katie! See Elliott Smith playing "Waltz #2 (XO)" at the Green Street Grille in Cambridge, MA on January 4th, 1998.: www.youtube.com -- Read the story behind this brilliant song from Smith's fourth studio album, "XO": bit.ly.

Released on this day in 1966! The amazing "Rain" is the b-side.

B-side to Paperback Writer, released on this day in 1966. It's like the Beatles knew how to write songs or something.

Bartees Strange recently stopped by KEXP for an in-studio! View the full performance here: www.youtube.com www.barteesstrange.com.

Buffalo Tom is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer.

"Dear DJ, Thanks for making it in this morning. This has been a great start for my day. Any chance you can fit in (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais this morning? -Aaron in Sacramento" Hammersmith Palais was a dance hall and entertainment venue in London that operated from 1919 until 2007. Despite its importance to Britain's cultural history (being the first palais de danse built in Britain), it was finally demolished in 2012 and a luxury residence hall was built in its place. Plus ça change...

Second single from TV Priest's sophomore album. TV Priest will be playing The Clockout Lounge on August 7th - linktr.ee --- Watch TV Priest Live on KEXP at Home here - www.youtube.com

"Morning John and crew! Proud amplifier here! For the spring drive, I was lucky enough to score an invite to the happy hour at John's bar and the sweet water bottle. I'll be out of town for work and miss the happy hour. (A morning faithful friend will take my place.) And this weekend, camping at Lake Chelan, I lost my water bottle. 😫 So sad. How about some Bombay Bicycle Club, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong? -Stacey in Tacoma" From the London band's fifth studio album: bombaybicycle.bandcamp.com

The Hunt covering Zola Jesus' "I Can't Stand." -- For comparison, here's the original 2010 song from Zola Jesus: www.youtube.com

BRONSON, Grammy-nominated duo Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight of ODESZA and ARIA-platinum-selling Australian producer Tom Stell of Golden Features, said of this single, ‘DAWN' and working with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, "Not only do the lyrics provide this renewed sense of hope, but his vocals complement the tone and energy of the song perfectly – ‘DAWN’ is a song meant to take you on a journey and explore various concepts and emotions of the record. We couldn’t think of a more fitting song to end the album with.” - bit.ly

ODESZA are playing three sold out shows at Climate Pledge Arena, July 29-31. -- This song includes the original vocal from Betty LaVette's 1965 track "Let Me Down Easy." Watch video of this great singer performing the song in 1990: www.youtube.com

Jamie xx is back with his first new single since 2020, a euphoric dance track called "Let's Do It Again"! "I started making this tune last year, just as it felt like we might all be able to start doing the things we love again. I'm so happy to say 'LET'S DO IT AGAIN' is out today. And I can't wait to play it for ya this summer!" Jamie xx was the first xx member to break out on their own with 2015’s "In Colour". You can see xx in a 2017 KEXP In-studio performance: youtu.be

New Order took on a grueling tour schedule at the end of 1986 that lasted about a year. During this time, they did very little recording, but they did make time to write and record "True Faith," which was released as a single in 1987 and featured as the only new song on their compilation album Substance. The band wrote this song with their producer, Steven Hague. It was the first time they collaborated with Hague, who joined them again to produce New Order's 1993 album Republic. Bernard Sumner recalled to Uncut: " It was a time when I set out to write a hit single. I think we got a rather large tax bill, and we sat down with Stephen Hague to write a Top 40 hit." "I had an idea for the bassline, Gillian (Gilbert, keyboards) had some string ideas, Stephen got some drums down. When we got the track going, I was sent off to the flat we had in London with a bottle of Pernod and told not to show my face again until I'd written the lyrics." According to Bernard Sumner, the lyrics were changed at the last minute to sanitize the lines "When I was a very small boy, very small boys talked to me, now that we've grown up together, they're all taking drugs with me" to "they're afraid of what they see," at the suggestion of producer Steven Hague, who felt the song had more hit potential without the drug reference. Sumner would sometimes sing this original lyric during live performances. bit.ly

"Hi, I just learned that a friend died. She and I went through cancer treatment at the same time, and there’s a tight bond between people who go through that sort of intense experience. If you have time, could you play Three Little Birds by bob marley — for Carol? Thanks Leslie " #youarenotalone

Released on this day in 1980!

Sudan Archives will pay at Capitol Hill Block Party July 22nd - 24th: www.capitolhillblockparty.com “Selfish Soul” is a song Sudan Archives describes as being “about women and the celebration of hair. It’s about representation of different hair textures and embracing all colors and textures of it.”

"That's Where I Am" is Maggie Rogers' first single from her sophomore album, Surrender, which will be out July 29th. "For a long time I fought it. Resisted. Held up my fists, wanted it on my terms, in my way," Rogers says in the album's trailer. "This is the story of what happened when I finally gave in. When I felt it all. When I finally let go… I found peace in distortion. A chaos I could control." bit.ly

"Good morning family. Today is our son Thomas' 30th birthday. Tom died unexpectedly on July 23 of last year. I know you know what that feels like. Our world is rocked and missing a piece. We love going to concerts together. We saw The National twice, Father John Misty, Sharon Van Etten, TV on the radio, and others. Tom became an amplifier at KEXP A couple of years ago. Do you love John in the morning kid hops in the variety of music that you play in the independent nature of the community. Tom was interned in a KEXP T-shirt. There too many songs for me to go through and it's too painful for me to pick just one. Would you please pick something and play it in Tom's memory? We are not alone -Lenny from Colorado" Sound of Silver is the second studio album by LCD Soundsystem, released in 2007.

New Arcade Fire!!! They just announced a stadium tour with Beck opening acoustically in the states and Feist in the UK. www.arcadefire.com

The The are an English post-punk band. They have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer-songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.

The Smile — the Radiohead side project featuring Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood alongside drummer Tom Skinner — played this song live last year, watch it here - www.rollingstone.com

The lyrics for Comfortably Numb were inspired from an experience of being injected with tranquilizers for stomach cramps before a 1977 performance in Philadelphia on the In the Flesh Tour. "That was the longest two hours of my life," Waters said, "trying to do a show when you can hardly lift your arm." The song's working title was "The Doctor". Producer Bob Ezrin looked at the completed lyrics and said they "just gave me goosebumps"

Grian Chatten spoke to The Rolling Stones and explained the story behind the song: "There’s a story in the papers about a woman from Coventry in England. I think she was an Irish woman who moved to Coventry. She was an old woman, she was called Margaret King. She died, and when she died her family wanted to commemorate her Irish heritage by including the words 'in ár gCroíthe go deo' on her gravestone. The words basically mean 'in our hearts forever.' "It’s just the heartfelt message, but the church of England itself ruled that it was … at risk of being perceived as a political slogan, so they refused to allow the Irish language to exist on an Irish person’s gravestone. "The shocking part, which I’ve left to the end of the story for dramatic effect for you, is that this is two years ago [in 2020]. This wasn’t the Seventies or anything like that. I just felt like I was looking down the barrel of the gun, of going to this country that doesn’t really welcome people who are Irish. It still considers people from Ireland something not to be trusted and threatening." bit.ly

"'Spirits in the Material World' was written on one of those Casio keyboards while I was riding in the back of a truck somewhere. I just tap, tap, tap and there it was, just by accident. That was the first time I'd ever touched a synthesizer, that album." — Sting, Synchronicity Tour Program, 1983

Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" was #9 on the Countdown of KEXP Listeners Favorite Songs of the Last 50 Years! See the full list here: www.kexp.org In a 1985 interview, Bush explained the meaning of this iconic song: "It's saying if the man could be the woman and the woman the man, if they could make a deal with God, to change places, that they'd understand what it's like to be the other person and perhaps it would clear up misunderstandings. You know, all the little problems; there would be no problem." bit.ly

Afro-French Cuban duo Ibeyi will be at The Neptune on Wednesday, September 21. Here's Live Video from Ibeyi's 2017 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. Watch the music video for "Made of Gold": www.youtube.com. ibeyi.bandcamp.com