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Friday, Apr 5 2024, 7AM
This very cathartic song began as a droning riff guitarist Stone Gossard started playing. The rest of the band started forming the track, and Eddie Vedder walked up to the microphone and poured out the words that would make up most of the lyrics. It was a very emotional song for Vedder, who was thinking about the pain and loss he had been through. Here are the lyrics: pearljam.com
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Here's a live version from Wrigley Field in Chicago in 2016: www.youtube.com
Today is the 30th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death: abcnews.go.com
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Kurt Cobain wrote "Something In The Way" about his life. He talks about living under a bridge, which he claimed happened when he got kicked out of the house and had to live under a nearby bridge. He expresses his feelings and emotions by saying "something in the way" - he thought everything was in the way every time he tried to feel better.
Kurt Cobain described Lead Belly as "his favorite performer" when he introduced this song. Here's his cover of "In the Pines" on MTV Unplugged: www.youtube.com
On January 30, 2015, the surviving members of Mad Season (Mike McCready and Barrett Martin) reunited for a concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, with Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) filling in on lead vocals. Watch the video of this phenomenal performance here: www.youtube.com
R.E.M. wrote this about Kurt Cobain after he died in 1994. Cobain was a fan of R.E.M., and when he died, Courtney Love gave them one of Kurt's guitars, which they used on this. It was a left-handed Fender (and one of the few guitars Cobain didn't smash), so Mike Mills had to restring it to play it right-handed.
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Michael Stipe was friends with both Kurt Cobain and the actor River Phoenix. In 1994 he reflected how their deaths contributed to the making of "Monster."
"We feel like we reached a zenith with that record," he said. "River's death prevented me from being able to write for almost five months. When I did start writing I came up with 'Crush With Eyeliner,' 'What's the Frequency, Kenneth?,' 'Circus Envy' and then when Kurt died halfway through making the record and I just threw my arms up and I had to express the frustration that I had, trying to pull him out of the state of mind he was in and not succeeding you know, I wrote that song ('Let Me In') and we put it on the record."
Whatever gave you the idea to play this one, John?
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This beautiful song from Talk Talk was written by producer Tim Friese-Greene and the late Mark Hollis. Guy Garvey of Elbow said about Hollis: "Mark started from punk and by his own admission he had no musical ability. To go from having the urge, to writing some of the most timeless, intricate and original music ever is as impressive as the moon landings.”
Happy birthday to this album. Okkervil River released "Black Sheep Boy" on April 5th, 2005! Enjoy this review: pitchfork.com
Here's a live performance by Okkervil River in the KEXP studio in 2018 (For real.): www.youtube.com
Ride is touring and will be at The Mission Theater in Portland on Thursday, May 23rd, and at The Showbox in Seattle on Saturday, May 25th.
You can purchase their new album "Interplay," released last week, here: rideox4.bandcamp.com
On this day in 1993, New Order released "Regret," the lead single from their sixth album "Republic." This essay calls it "one of their greatest guitar-based songs": www.thisisdig.com
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Psst,: The guitar used in it was Johnny Marr’s ‘59 Les Paul. Johnny Marr said, "You can hear the Pro really well on New Order’s ‘Regret’. Bernard (Sumner) borrowed my Les Paul and Pro for that, so he owes me some money as well."
Catch Philadelphia band Mannequin Pussy all up and down the West Coast!
Saturday, April 27th at August Hall in San Francisco; Monday, April 29th at Wonder Ballroom in Portland; and Tuesday, April 30th at The Crocodile in Seattle.
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The New Yorker published a big feature on Mannequin Pussy this week: www.newyorker.com
"I am Brimheim. My given name is Helena and I’m a half Danish, half Faroese singer/songwriter currently residing in Malmö, Sweden." Read an interview with this rising star: nordicwatchlist.com
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Here's Brinheim performing live on KEXP at Dypång, in Aarhus, Denmark, during the SPOT Festival in May 2022. - www.youtube.com
35 years after its release, Luke Combs' cover of this gorgeous, emotional song introduced it to a whole new audience. Combs' cover also earned Chapman some historical awards. She became the first Black woman with a No. 1 on the country charts for a solo composition, and also the first Black woman to win the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year at the 2023 CMA awards ceremony.
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"Fast Car" was a Grammy-nominee in its time, earning nods for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year following its release. Ultimately, the song itself didn't win any Big Four categories, but Chapman won Best New Artist and her self-titled debut won Best Contemporary Folk Album, while the lead single won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
In 2012, the sisters performed the song in front of Paul Simon at the Polar Music Prize, and he rewarded them with a standing ovation.: www.youtube.com
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Read the story behind this bittersweet folk song: ig.ft.com
"I remember in seventh or eighth grade, when that album dropped, it was like a bomb went off in my bedroom," Sturgill Simpson said of "Nevermind in a statement." "For me, that song has always summed up what it means to be a teenager, and I think it tells a young boy that he can be sensitive and compassionate—he doesn't have to be tough or cold to be a man. So I wanted to make a very beautiful and pure homage to Kurt."
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Watch the video for Simpson's cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom" here: www.youtube.com
Orville Peck has just announced a new duets album called "Stampede," which includes a cover of Ned Sublette’s 1981 song “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other” which was later covered by Willie Nelson for his 2009 LP Lost Highway...and yes, this new one IS a duet with Nelson.
Shows in KEXP fav places
06/29 - The Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ
09/24 - Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, OR
09/25 - Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, WA
09/27- Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, CA
This is Orville Peck's cover of Lady Gaga's wonderful title song from her second album.
“Born This Way," my song and album, were inspired by Carl Bean, a gay black religious activist who preached, sung, and wrote about being ‘Born This Way.’ Notably, his early work was in 1975, 11 years before I was born,” Lady Gaga explained in a speech from West Hollywood. “Thank you for decades of relentless love, bravery, and a reason to sing. So we can all feel joy, because we deserve joy. Because we deserve the right to inspire tolerance, acceptance, and freedom for all.”
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Here are Lady Gaga and Orville Peck together, singing a song that has saved lives: www.youtube.com
Happy Friday! If you have time, would you please play Ya Ya by Beyonce? Loving the Tina Turner vibe --Larissa
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Beyoncé samples Nancy Sinatra's 1966 song "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations," and Mickey & Sylvia's 1956 "Love Is Strange."
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The song serves as a celebration of all the artists who toured the Chitlin Circuit, pushing the boundaries of music and nurturing the history to which she now pays tribute. Many great Black artists performed in these venues in the face of segregation in the music industry. Artists such as Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, The Jackson 5 and Tina Turner all had their time on the Circuit.
Ahhh....the Friday song. Remember that 6 Degrees week starts next Friday, August 12th.
Happy birthday to Stan Ridgway! He's 70 years old today!
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"One of the most unique singer/songwriters in American indie music, with an unforgettable adenoidal vocal delivery that makes him sound like a low-level wise guy in one of those old Warner Bros. gangster films of the '30s, and a lyrical obsession with the themes of pulp crime novels and film noir, Stan Ridgway is a true original.": www.allmusic.com
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"I wish I was in Tijuana, eating barbecued iguana" Here's the quirky video for "Mexican Radio": www.youtube.com
Mexican Institute of Sound will be at Elsewhere in Brooklyn tomorrow night, April 6th.
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They performed live for KEXP listeners from Mexico City in 2019: www.youtube.com
Run The Jewels have shared a remix of the acclaimed RTJ4 single “ooh la la” by Mexican Institute of Sound with an added verse by Santa Fe Klan, seeping the song’s bombastic hip hop backbone in Cumbia and Mariachi influences. Mexican Institute of Sound is the brainchild of Camilo Lara, a multi Grammy nominated artist and producer.
Speaking on the remix, Camilo Lara states “Making the global dance floor a united, inclusive, banging space where everyone is welcome is the mission that connects me with RTJ. Inviting Santa Fe Klan on this adventure was crucial: his voice brings together Guanajuato, Brooklyn , Ciudad de México, Atlanta. Turn it up and jump right in: ooh lalá, papá ... ooh lalá!”
Thanks, Chad, for this request!
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Watch David Byrne and Mavis Staples sing this twitchy song together at The Apollo in 2019: www.youtube.com
The debut studio album from Delays was released on April 5th, 2004.: shop.roughtraderecords.com
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R.i.P., Greg Gilbert of Delays, who died in 2021 of bowel cancer. Here's a tribute to the artist: www.theguardian.com
On April 5th, 1982 Talk Talk released the single "Talk Talk " from their soon-to-be-released (July 13th, 1982) debut album, "The Party's Over."
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The song was originally recorded by Talk Talk singer Mark Hollis's previous band, The Reaction, as "Talk Talk Talk Talk", on the Beggars Banquet punk compilation Streets. The brilliant Hollis died in February 2019 at the age of 64: www.npr.org
Hmmm.....
"Despite appearances, I haven't got the voice for R&B
Even though I've seen more Colour Shows than KEXPs...": genius.com
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Watch Lily Fontaine and the band perform this one live at SXSW in 2023: www.youtube.com
Vampire Weekend will play The Greek Theater in Berkeley on Saturday and Sunday, June 15th and 16th. They will be here in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday, June 20th, 2024. -- If you're in NYC, you can catch them at Madison Square Garden on October 5th and 6th.
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Their fifth album "Only God Was Above Us" is out today! Pitchfork calls it "best new music": pitchfork.com
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"Gen-X Cops" 'was written by Ezra Koenig and drummer Chris Tomson, and features Chris Baio on bass and fretwork from co-producer Ariel Rechtshaid. Check out the official video: www.youtube.com
Hey John!
Still here listening every day in NYC (I didn't feel the earthquake, weirdly)!
Yesterday was my dad's - you know, Randy! - birthday. I shamefully didn't have a shoegaze song to request for him yesterday, so I'm here for a belated birthday request.
I always try to gauge the vibe of the show before I send in a request so here are a few that hopefully could fit in somewhere for him :)
- The FIRST music memory I remember with my dad is 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins, in our teal Thunderbird.
- We love Vampire Weekend, and it's OGWAU day! Though my request would really be for Harmony Hall, I'll take any VW we can get!
- Devil Knows Your Dead by Delta Spirit is one of his top 50 songs since 1972 (yes, there is a full list!), and one of our favorites together.
- Graceland by Paul Simon - an "honorable mention" on that same top 50 songs list, we're also big Elvis fans and this feels great for a Friday.
Thank you!! Appreciate you always!
Nora
Brandon Summers wrote this during the pandemic: "When I start a song off of a "ditty" I often think “what it this about” and let the question roll around in my mind for a day or two before I find some thread and start writing lyrics. I went to sleep after working on the song arrangement over a long day and in the morning I woke up repeating “you are not alone”, “you are not alone”… and then I realized. This is a song for John! So I penned this ode to cautious optimism in the midst of quarantine in your honor. I hope this tune can bring a little bit of happiness to your days. Thanks for soldiering on through all of this and bringing hope and comfort to so many people."
"Even after more than 40 years, this taut and tense track refuses to age. The musical backdrop is urgent and precise, with guitarist Bernard Sumner’s widescreen melodies punctuating drummer Stephen Morris’ insistent motorik beat and one of Peter Hook’s best basslines, while frontman Ian Curtis’ stealthy vocal delivery builds before climaxing with his repeated exhortation to 'Dance, dance, dance to the radio!'”: www.thisisdig.com
Here's 41 minutes of Nirvana live at the Pine Street Theatre in Portland, Oregon on February 9th, 1990: www.youtube.com
Kurt Cobain dealt with bullying a lot as a kid, but by the time he got to high school, no one bothered with him because he was so withdrawn. "I was so antisocial that I was almost insane," he told Guitar World. "I felt so different and so crazy that people just left me alone. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had voted me Most Likely To Kill Everyone At A High School Dance."
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Kurt Cobain wrote this about how he saw the Grunge scene in Washington like the cliques at a school. "You're in high school again," he sings.
"Kurt’s words were seething with anger – aimed at himself and the world around him, which he viewed as banal and artificial. 'I just didn’t get them the first time I read them,' [Krist] Novoselic later said of the lyrics. 'And then I started listening to it in the song format, and then I had an idea of what he was talking about. He was talking about kids, commercials, Generation X, the youth bandwagon, and how he’s really disappointed in it, and how he doesn’t want anything to do with it.'"
Go here to explore this Nirvana classic in depth: www.udiscovermusic.com
Nirvana's first single, hand-delivered to KCMU (now KEXP), was a cover of a song by the Dutch band Shocking Blue.
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The original 7-inch single is a rare find because Sub Pop only pressed 1,000 copies and sold them in advance as high-priced limited editions for their Singles Club subscribers. Although Nirvana was unhappy with the strategy (Novoselic: "We put a single out and nobody could buy it"), it sold out quickly and generated interest in the band. "It was a very effective promotion for the group," sub Pop's Bruce Pavitt said. "I do not regret that at all."
Black Francis told Esquire:
"This belongs in the mythological category. I’m less concerned with making sense than making the lyrics pop out of the speaker when people are listening to the music. Some of it is obvious enough to understand, but then ‘If man is five, the devil is six, then God is seven,’ and guess what? That rhymes with 'Monkey gone to heaven,’ and it’s all a little bit of a mixture of saying things that are real and relevant with a lot of Alice in Wonderland jibber-jabber and gobbledygook. This is a surreal work. I’m a surrealist. Songs can’t just be 1 + 1 = 2, you know? 1 + 1 = bran muffin."
Earlier today we played a duet from Orville Peck and Willie Nelson...now we have a just released cover of Tom Petty's "Southern Accents" from the one and only Dolly Parton.
It's from a new compilation called "Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration Of Tom Petty" which includes versions of his songs by Steve Earle, Wynonna Judd, Margo Price, Rhiannon Giddens, and many, many others. Dolly says "He’s such an iconic artist and important songwriter. I’m so honored to be a part of this special album."
Petty said that the song is a story "about a D.J. in Jacksonville, Florida, who became so frustrated with his inability to play what he wants that he moves to Mexico and gets his freedom back. The song is sung by a narrator who's a fan of this D.J.
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The song was banned by many stations owned by Clear Channel Communications for being "anti-radio." "I was elated when my song was banned," Petty told Billboard. "I remember when the radio meant something. We enjoyed the people who were on it, even if we hated them. They had personalities. They were people of taste, who we trusted. And I see that vanishing."
Wayne Coyne: "From the beginning, we would meet people who told us about playing Do You Realize?? when their mother was dying in the hospital or their brother had been in a car accident. We didn’t know what to say. In time, we were able to have some distance and let down our guard. We wrote the song, but what we made is not what it’s become. We’re so grateful, lucky and blown away to have one of those songs that people play at heavy, heavy times, the heaviest you can endure. But at lighter occasions too, when babies are born or at a cousin’s wedding. We always thought that ruined music but we were wrong. It doesn’t. It’s the greatest thing music can do."
Today, Kurt Cobain's daughter Frances Bean shared a powerful message about her father and grief on Instagram: toofab.com
First released in 2000, The Moon & Antarctica is Modest Mouse's third album.
The album's title came from a scene in the film, 'Blade Runner,' where the main character can be seen reading a newspaper headlined "Farming the Oceans, the Moon and Antarctica".
bit.ly
modestmouse.bandcamp.com