John Richards

Five years ago today in 2019 Lea Porcelain release the single "I Am Ok." -- "The song describes a time in everybody’s life that make you lose faith in yourself, in someone else, or in life itself and you just need to hear from someone that one day everything will be OK again. That no matter what, with time and patience we all will be OK.” --Lea Porcelain -- Lea Porcelain shared a Live on KEXP at Home performance with John in 2019, where they ended the set with "I Am OK.": www.youtube.com

Quoting a John in West Seattle: "Kermit with the banger."

That's producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen 's daughter Zelly, speaking in this delightful song. "Yeah, this is one of my favorite tracks on the album," Gonzalez says. "Zelly, the little girl talking on the track, she's actually Justin Meldal-Johnsen's daughter. Justin is my producer on the album. And yeah, Zelly is amazing. The first time I met with her she was only 5. She started to talk to me for 30 minutes. She wasn't shy at all. It was pretty amazing to see this little child talking like an adult almost, you know? She's a born actress." - abcnews.go.com -- This title translates from French as "Tell Me A Story," but here at KEXP we all know it as "The Frog Song."

LISTEN TO THOSE HARMONIES!!!! =========== New music review from Chris Sanley, KEXP Music Director: "The eighth studio album from Beyoncé, and second part of a trilogy that started with 2022’s RENAISSANCE is a direct reply to the country music scene that dismissed her years ago. With unmistakable twang, swagger and a nod to her country roots, she excels in blending genres (country, R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Pop) speaking her truth, and putting her spin on classics like The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, with the latter containing some pointed lyric changes. Giddy up, Cowboy Carter."

Hey Mark Oliver Everett of EELS, happy 61st pal. Thanks for all this amazing music and fun.

35 years later, JAMC drop this magnificent bastard of an album. COME ON!

On this day in 1988 Erasure released this classic album.

Brittany Howard will perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 16th and 17th, 2024. -- Here's a rave review of the artist's second solo album: pitchfork.com

A trip over to bad tuner's bandcamp page reveals the following: "Hi, I’m bad tuner. I make electronic music in my apartment in Brooklyn NY :) I want to travel to new places playing new music and work with artists all over the world." badtuner.bandcamp.com

Remember when Sault released like 14 amazing albums in what seemed like a 3-year period? It kinda happened. saultglobal.bandcamp.com == "5" was the debut album from British collective Sault. In 2022, this feature told the story behind the then- mysterious band: www.dazeddigital.com

I lost my dad Joe last week and am preparing for his funeral this week. He was a very kind man. A softy. A teddy bear. Which is an act of strength in my eyes because his dad was not an easy man. Not that I need any help turning into a puddle, but could you play the Dead's Box of Rain? Thank you! Joe in Minneapolis, MN

This song was inspired by the love affair between writer Ann Druyan and her late husband, the cosmologist Carl Sagan. Sagan was chosen to chair a committee that selected a collection of songs, sounds and images representing planet Earth that were put on a pair of golden discs sent into interstellar space on board the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. Ann Druyan was on the committee as creative director, and she and Sagan fell in love when they were compiling the records. Druyan had arranged to record her own heartbeat and put it on the Golden Record. The day before she planned to do this, Sagan asked her to marry him, resulting in a recording of a young woman madly in love now floating out there in the cosmos. The Avalanches' Robbie Chater told NME: "We just thought that was the most beautiful idea." www.songfacts.com #SpaceFacts

Released on this day 35 years ago. Jesus H Murphy this band knows how to start a song. Ow ow ow yeahhhhhhh! WOOOO!

IDLES will bring their World Tour 2024 to The Paramount Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 7th and 8th! They'll be at Portland's Roseland Theatre on May 4th, at the Fox Theater in Oakland on May 10th, and in San Francisco at The Warfield on May 11th. -- Here's the official video for "Dancer": www.youtube.com

This beauty turns 24 today. ======== The Hives performed live at KEXP this year. It was bonkers. www.youtube.com

The Black Keys are hittin' the road. A lone lonesome highway...east of Omaha...turn the page...TURN.THE.PAGE. SEP 29, 2024 Shoreline Amphitheatre Mountain View, CA OCT 2, 2024 Moda Center Portland, OR OCT 3, 2024 Climate Pledge Arena Seattle, WA

Beck's 'Rental Car' sample of The Barry Sisters's 'Chiribim Chiribom'. Huh, I think you just made a bunch of words up.

From their their debut album, Licensed To Ill, this song is based on a stew of samples. In addition to "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by Bob James, this Beastie Boys track contains samples from "The Return of Leroy" by The Jimmy Castor Bunch, "Drop the Bomb" and "Let's Get Small" by Trouble Funk, "Funky Stuff" by Kool & The Gang, "Christmas Rappin'" by Kurtis Blow and "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh and MC Ricky D.

On this day in 1985 Madonna kicked off her very first North American tour by playing the first of three nights at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. The Beastie Boys opened for Madonna on this 40-date Virgin Tour. Here's her setlist. It is, again, just bonkers. #MadgeRules www.setlist.fm

Happy 51st bday to Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap. This means that 9-months earlier in late 1972 his parents were ...umm, listening to Marvin Gaye. Ahem.

Answers the question: how Ludwig are you? == The German producer Ludwig A.F. makes mind massaging music (Owen: do we really need to write anything more here?)... ...that enters realms from afar, beautifully combining inspiration from electronic music folklore across the genre spectrum with his own mystical pads, pizzicato strings, catchy rhythms and ‘recorded sounds of Germany’s most beautiful ponds and streams to create his signature blend of relaxing but also energetic dance music. ludwigaf.bandcamp.com

Released on this day, 35-years ago in 1989. That's unpossible.

Released on this day 36-years ago. So.Much.Dancy.Catchy.

Sounds from Sydney, Australia. annie-hamilton.com anniehamilton.bandcamp.com

Okay, the beginning of IDLES “Dancer” is reminiscent of “Sea of Love” by the Honeydrippers. Would you please play the latter? I could use a little time trip back to the 80s when all the British bands tried to sound like it was the 1940s... Thanks! Theresa in NJ

Hey, you know who's playing live at Town Hall in NYC tonight? Yep, our Magnetic Fields pals. == They are also doing a four nights of shows at the Curran Theater in San Fransisco beginning April 26th. The first two dates are sold out but the last two night have tickets available. Let's get this together, people.

Released on this day in 1990! --- Public Enemy's third album was the first hip hop album to be inducted into The Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry in 2004. The Library of Congress praised Fear of a Black Planet for signaling “the coupling of a strongly political message with hip hop music.”: bit.ly --- Flavor Flav sang this intentionally out of key. Chuck D. explained: "When you put him in key, it gets syrupy - too close to music. See, when you add noise on top of noise, you gonna tune everybody out. But with Flavor, he becomes the noise, because he is annoying!" www.kexp.org

Released on this day in 1990, 34 (gasp) years ago. Oh, and happy 54th bday to Q-Tip!!! -- I Left My Wallet in El Segundo was the debut single from A Tribe Called Quest, released in 1990. It contains a sample of The Chambers Brothers' "Funky" www.youtube.com Official video - www.youtube.com

Australian four-piece Girl and Girl is joining Royel Otis on tour! Their debut full-length album, 'Call A Doctor,' is set to release May 24th. girlandgirl.bandcamp.com Playing San Francisco at the Rickshaw Stop on Monday, May 18th! Playing in Seattle at the Tractor Tavern on Wednesday, May 22nd! www.subpop.com

Tour dates...go see Ducks LTD. yes. good. Monday, JUL 15 at Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco Wednesday JUL 17 at Polaris Hall Portland, OR Thursday JUL 18 at Madame Lou's in Seattle www.ducksltd.co

"There She Goes" is a song by English rock band the La's, written by the band's frontman, Lee Mavers. In May 2007, NME magazine placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. ...they may have been off by 45 there.

Hello KEXP friends! I'm Guilherme, from São Paulo, Brazil. I'm always listening and enjoying the programming. Today is my birthday and, from here in the southern hemisphere, I would like to request Tom Petty. Thank you very much!