John Richards

Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up In the morning when the day is new? The Beach Boys released their album "Pet Sounds" on this day in 1966!

Listening to "I've got Blonde on Blonde on my giant golden radio" on my favorite radio station. The referenced Blonde on Blonde is the seventh album by musician Bob Dylan. Nada Surf performed their entire 2002 album, Let Go, Live on KEXP in May 2018. Watch the full video here: youtu.be

..Which Dylan released on this day in 1966! Blonde on Blonde has been described as rock's first studio double LP by a major artist, certified gold in 1967. Dylan, in a 1978 interview for Playboy magazine: “The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was… the Blonde on Blonde album. It’s that thin, that wild mercury sound. It’s metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up.”

The National will be playing in Redmond, WA at Marymoor Park with Soccer Mommy on Sunday June 4th. ------- Of the lyrics to “Eucalyptus,” Matt Berninger said: “Throughout the record there’s a lot of looking into the abyss and wondering if a relationship has run its course. ‘Eucalyptus’ is about a couple splitting up their possessions after a breakup — like, ‘What are we going to do with the spring water we get delivered, what’s going to happen to all these plants?’ It’s about all those little things you end up having to think about when you’ve become so connected to someone.” thenational.bandcamp.com

In 4th Day Prayer, Allison Russell reflects at the resilience of her younger self. During an NPR interview on her Nashville front porch, Russell twice offers a gently adamant definition of what she is and isn't up to in that song, and the 10 others on her album. "This is not a record about trauma," she says. "It's a record about art and community and chosen family." n.pr allisonrussell.bandcamp.com

From the Nigeria-born, Canada-based artist Debby Friday's debut album, "Good Luck," out now on Sub Pop Records. Catch the video for "So Hard To Tell" here: youtu.be debbyfriday.com

'No Protection' is a dub remix release of Massive Attack's album 'Protection' by Mad Professor. -- After Massive Attack lost their singer from the album "Blue Lines," they contacted singer Aaron Neville, punk singer Siouxsie Sioux, and Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor as possible replacements. They took out an ad that read “Female vocalist wanted for internationally acclaimed pop band. Influences include Aretha Franklin and Tracey Chapman”. In the end it was Tracey Thorn from the alternative pop/rock outfit Everything But The Girl, who responded to them. Massive Attack sent her the backing track for what would become "Protection" where Tracey Thorn added to her vocals, together with a melody she had written which instantly arrested Massive Attack’s attention and led to their work together.

"Pictures of You" is a song by English rock band the Cure. It was released as the fourth and final single from the band's eighth studio album, Disintegration (1989). The song has a single version which is a shorter edit of the album version. There are also two different remixes on two UK 12-inch singles, and other singles released around the world, one of which later appeared on Mixed Up as the Extended Dub Mix and differs significantly from the album version in arrangement in that incorporates wholly original drum and bass arrangements. The other is an extended remix of the original album version which, at 7:59, runs slightly longer than the album version. The Cure will be playing in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday, June 1st.

DJ Mehdi's remix of Miike Snow! Here is Miike Snow performing Burial on Live on KEXP: www.youtube.com

From Ware's recent release. "'Free Yourself' is the beginning of a new era for me," Ware has revealed. "I’m so excited for people to have this song for the end of their summer; to dance, to feel no inhibitions, and to feel joyful because that’s how I’ve been feeling recently being able to tour again and being able to sing again. Enjoy yourself, Free Yourself!" Official video here: bit.ly

This mysterious German steel pan band is currently working on their fourth studio album - their new single features covers of Drake's "Hotline Bling" and El Michels Affair's "Mirkit Gem". Out May 23rd, you can preorder it here: bacaorhythmandsteelband.bandcamp.com

Fontaines D.C. have shared their cover of Nick Drake’s “’Cello Song.” It appears on a forthcoming covers compilation, The Endless Coloured Ways: The Songs of Nick Drake! he collection features covers from Feist, Liz Phair, Let’s Eat Grandma, Philip Selway of Radiohead, Skullcrusher, and many many more. - chrysalis-records.com

Grain Chatten is the frontman for Fontaines D.C. and his solo album entitled Chaos for the Fly is coming out June 30th. www.grianchatten.com

It's the Tuesday Morning song on a Tuesday morning for me.

Today is the birthday of Robert Fripp, English musician, songwriter, and producer (King Crimson, Fripp & Eno, and The League of Gentlemen). Born on this day in 1946, Fripp played lead guitar on multiple Bowie classics, including this song "Fashion", as well as "Heroes" and "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)."

From the words of one Malibu Ken - it's just another Tuesday. Malibu Ken is an American hip hop duo composed of rapper Aesop Rock and multi-instrumentalist Tobacco from Black Moth Super Rainbow. aesoprock.bandcamp.com

Prince released his single "When Doves Cry", the first single off Purple Rain on this day in 1984.

The Ting Tings released We Started Nothing on this day in 2008! Vocalist Katie White states that the song was written by "playing a D chord on the guitar for hours, because that's all I could play. And then I put my finger on the wrong string, and got what I discovered was an augmented chord. And that was the riff!"

We the Female! is accompanied by a music video that pays homage to 1980s television shows. youtu.be Here is CHAI Live on KEXP at Home in 2021: www.youtube.com chaiofficial.bandcamp.com

Happiest of birthdays to Janet Jackson, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress, born on this day in 1966!

Good Morning John! For my 41st birthday, I'd like to request "Frontier Psychiatrist" by the Avalanches. "That boy needs therapy," indeed, but music helps, too. Thank you for keeping me sane and productive every morning for the last 20 years! -Noah in St. Louis - There are at least 28 samples in this song. The samples include the John Waters movie Polyester, a recording by the Enoch Light Singers and an album from the comedy duo Wayne & Schuster. bit.ly

The Ramones released "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?", the second single from their fifth studio album End Of The Century on this day in 1980! The voice that opens this song with the words, "Come on, let's rock and roll with the Ramones" is Sean Donahue, a disc jockey who worked at radio stations in San Francisco (KSAN) and San Jose (KOME, KSJP). The intro is meant to elicit the sound of a DJ enthusiastically talking up the song at a radio station.

Happy birthday to Krist Novoselic, American musician, songwriter, author, and activist (bassist for Nirvana, member of Flipper, Sweet 75, The No WTO Combo, and Eyes Adrift), born on this day in 1965!

Nirvana covering "Turn Around", Devo's B-side on the 1980 single "Whip It" This compilation album features a number of B-sides, demos, outtakes, and covers by Nirvana -- read the review and recommendation for the track "Aneurysm" in Stephen Thomas Erlewine's review for Allmusic: tinyurl.com

Devo release their album "Freedom of Choice" on this day in 1980!

Shortly into their 1980 tour, disc jockey Kal Rudman programmed "Whip It" to be played on several radio stations in the Southeastern U.S., which led urban music programmer Frankie Crocker to push the song at powerhouse WBLS in New York City. Within a week, "Whip It" had become so popular that Devo was forced to temporarily stop its tour to book larger venues because the concerts were selling out too quickly!

Blondshell will play an all-ages show at Madame Lou's on Saturday, July 8! On the release of her debut, Sabrina Teitelbaum said: “It’s hard to summarize what this album means to me. I was able to work through so much by writing and singing these songs... I wasn’t intending to write an album as much as I was just trying to get relief from an intense and difficult time in my life. My biggest hope is that people can see the album for what it is: there’s no happy ending or ‘message,’ it’s just a window into what it’s like when you’re trying to figure out who you are and what you want.” www.blondshellmusic.com

Liz Phair started out by recording tapes titled Girly Sounds and handing them out. The eventually caught the attention of the right people. This was her debut album.

One of the Stones' fastest songs, driven by Charlie Watts' relentless pace on drums. In his review, Bill Janovitz comments: 'The result is a frenetic pace that approaches the tempos played by hardcore punk bands roughly ten years later, certainly recognizing the raw excitement of early roots rock & roll years before... Though the band most likely did not sit down and preconceive it as such, the record seems to set out to cover nothing less than the wide-open spaces of America itself via the nation's music – from urban soul to down-home country to New Orleans jazz. 'Rip This Joint' sets the tone for this journey, as a modern-day "Route 66" travelogue from Birmingham to San Diego.' Read more at Allmusic -- tinyurl.com

Swedish garage rock greats The Hives have announced their first album in 11 years! "The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons" will be out August 11. AAAAAA! www.thehives.com

The Linda Lindas will be at Climate Pledge Arena (with Paramore and Foals) on Monday, July 24th. -- This is their latest single, "Too Many Things.": thelindalindas.bandcamp.com

"Hand Grenade" is the Nashville band's first song in 15 years, out on Third Man Records - www.byopband.com --- The music video was shot in vocalist Jemina Pearl Abegg's basement: youtu.be

Relationship of Command is the third studio album by At the Drive-In, released in 2000. A BBC Music review hailed "One Armed Scissor" as one of the "most invigorating rock songs released in the last 20 or 30 years, let alone the past 10." In October 2011, NME placed it at number 113 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".

Bully will be Live on KEXP at noon on Friday, August 18th. They will be playing an all-ages show later that night at The Neptune Theater. www.kexp.org -- Here is their Live on KEXP performance played in our studio in 2018: www.youtube.com

Black Market Brass is a Minneapolis-based group performing their own brand of originally composed Afrobeat/Afrofunk music, as well as completing authentic renditions of the classic 1970's West African sound. -- This is new music from the group. Official video: www.youtube.com

This is Greg is West Seattle. Today is my birthday. It would make my day if you would play Fugazi Repeater. That song has special memories attached to it for me. I remember being a sweaty dancing teenager packed in a crowd with a notable lack of drinking water at the Olympia Grange Hall as I heard Repeater (the song) for the first time on the Repeater (the album) "release tour" (if release tour are even words that Fugazi would say) thank you! Happy birthday, Greg!

From the new album "Plastic Eternity," out now on Sub Pop! The album was made with longtime producer Johnny Sangster. Mudhoney will be touring the U.S. this fall and will be at The Crocodile in Seattle on Saturday, November 18th, and Sunday, November 19th. mudhoney.bandcamp.com

South London art rockers Moreish Idols have returned with “Nocturnal Creatures”, their first release since last year’s debut EP, Float. Moreish Idols introduce their latest by saying: “nocturnal creatures can teach us to be more observant, in case they dig up your treasure and bury their bones.” bit.ly

U2 released their single "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" on this day in 1980! The song's lyrics were written by vocalist Bono based on his experience at a Cramps concert in London, where he watched a "lifeless, goth-style" crowd from the balcony.

New music from Strange Ranger! strangeranger.bandcamp.com --- “When you’re young, it feels like life has a kind of arc to it and up ahead in the future, there’s some point where all your experiences converge and this fog of confusion will lift and you will have arrived,” says Isaac Eiger of “She’s On Fire.” - bit.ly

Happy birthday to Rachel Goswell, singer, guitarist, keyboardist in bands Slowdive, Mojave 3, Minor Victories, Beachy Head, born on this day in 1971! Cover of the song by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. It first appeared on Sinatra's album Movin' with Nancy, the soundtrack to her 1967 television special of the same name, which also featured a performance of the song.

Pearl Jam released Binaural on this day in 2000. "Binaural" is named for binaural recording, which places two microphones where your ears would be.

Happy birthday Jonathan Richman! Bye everyone!