John Richards

This year my family made our first Amplifier Pilgrimage. KEXP was our first stop on our spring break trip to Seattle and it didn’t disappoint. John saw my son (who is about Henry’s age) standing watching outside the booth at the end of his show and had Owen bring us in, see the booth and get an impromptu station tour. My family couldn’t have been happier and still consider it the highlight of the trip. It seemed appropriate, then, that during our time in Seattle the Pixies and “Where is my Mind?” specifically followed us around the city. Played in stores, in restaurants, on a Pixies shirt worn by some dude on the ferry. So we decided that was the obvious Amplifier Day request. We’ll be listening in the car on the way back from our summer vacation and would love to hear it. Thank you KEXP, John and Owen for making our trip special and our lives better with music and community that day and every day. Matt, Pam, Meredith, Jane and Andrew in Oak Park, IL.

Sally in Seattle "KEXP is a global community of music lovers and music makers"" You hear that announcement sometimes when you start streaming KEXP and that is why I am an Amplifier. Recently, Nation of Language shared a birthday post on Instagram that truly brought this concept to life for me. They celebrated their album release while also expressing the uncertainty they had about it. KEXP, especially John in the Morning, has been playing their music from the start, and I’ve loved their sound. During the pandemic, DJ Evie was filling in on the Morning Show when another listener mentioned just seeing Nation of Language perform in NYC and how amazing it was. Right then and there I decided I had to get tickets to their upcoming Seattle show. The performance was incredible, and I’m so glad we went. The band had such joyful energy, and the crowd was filled with KEXP listeners, judging by the t-shirts. It was one of our first big gatherings post-pandemic. When we got home, I was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions—anxiety, excitement, joy, and relief—and I just cried.. Thank you, KEXP, for introducing us to new music and thank goodness for opportunities for music lovers to see live music."

I want to request The Cure; it was hearing The Cure in John's top 10 of all time on one of the funding drives that finally got me to join the club. All Cat's are Grey, or Plainsong? Anna

Hey Adrienne in Capitol Hill, this one is 4 u!

Sarah & Chad Seattle We just celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary and so thrilled to say that Amplifying KEXP has been key to our very happy marriage. Whether it was discovering and using Death Cab for Cutie's 'I'll Follow You into the Dark' as our wedding song, or catching rapturous performances of bands we discovered on KEXP, we can't imagine a world without this amazing station. Dance jams, slow jams, pajama jams--you do it all for us. The combination of KEXP's caring and responsive DJ's, and the lesson you all model of caring for each other is something we can all live by in this wild world, Here's to many more years of togetherness--for our marriage, and for KEXP!

Hey John (and Owen), Morning from Chicago! I know many are loving The Bear and especially Eddie Vedder's cover of Save it for Later. Me too! But, there was another jewel buried in the series this year: The Replacements - Within Your Reach Would you mind playing for this Amplifier? Thanks! Have a great week!

Laura B. in Chicago Every time this song starts I see city views from the dashboard of Lloyd Dobbler's car. Thank you. This song is awesome on its own, but reminding me of Say Anything is just the cherry on top.

Hey John, Just wanted to write in and say how much I appreciate this show and so many others on KEXP. I became an amplifier earlier this year and it was such a great decision. Wondering if you could play Bend by Middle Kids. It’s a song that’s been my go-to anthem recently when I’ve needed a dose of confidence thanks for introducing me to them! Sarah from Maryville, Missouri

I amplify KEXP for MANY reasons. At the top of my list is John Richards. I have been listening to the Morning Show since the KCMU days because John just "gets" our generation. Last Thursday morning is a perfect example. I was streaming KEXP driving east on I-90 (ugh) to see my mom in (shout out) Spokane on the anniversary of MTV's first broadcast in 1981. John played anthem after anthem from that summer I graduated high school. My relationship with music was never the same after MTV hit our small town. That long, hot, boring drive last week simply disappeared as I listened to the show. Mornings like that are why I power KEXP. Thanks John and Owen! Gail in Seattle PS I'd love to hear a new favorite I discovered on KEXP: Waxahatchee - Right Back To It Gail

Hey! Amplifier here in the Bay Area I amplify so my kids can hear what real radio can sound like Lilacs by Waxahatchee Thanks! Molly

Hi KEXP. When I think about why I'm an amplifier, I can't help but think about Sinead O'Connor. I've been listening to Sinead since the day my older sister Susan brought her debut album home from the record store. Her early music imprinted on my young heart and her fierce courage inspired me in my own coming out process. So when we unexpectedly lost her last July, I was devastated. But it was such a comfort to hear KEXP provide an impromptu wake for her. It's things like that make me an amplifier. Because in that moment I felt not alone in my grief, and I can't thank you enough for that. So my request for this day is Sinead O'Connor's The Emperor's New Clothes. If you could possibly play that, I'd be really grateful. Thanks for all you do to everyone behind the scenes and all you incredible DJs. - Hugh on Capitol Hill

For everyone who loved Michael.

Craig from DC looking for some Talking Heads this morning for me and my buddy Wes in Richmond, VA. We may live in separate cities but we tune in to your show and talk each morning about the great music you're playing. Love KEXP, love all the DJs there, and love John in the Morning. Thanks for everything and keep up the great work. -- Craig

Hi John and Gang I've been an amplifier for the last 3 years and listening for the last 4 years. Thx you KEXP for this wonderful community to lift, support and celebrate all of thru life and its challenges. Can you please play "your silent face" by New Order if you have a chance. Thx you Liz

John Rhinoceros Smashing Pumpkins I saw my tile on the donate wall outside the station on a trip to Seattle and it was great ! Bob Amplifier from PDX.

Amplifier Stacey here from Tacoma. It's been a busy summer! I've been in Vegas, TX, Iceland, Italy, Slovenia, CO, back to TX, and AZ. Excited to be here for Amplifier Love Day. Also met fellow listeners on top of a peak in the Italian Dolomites when they saw my water bottle! Thanks for all you do. You have genuinely made me a better professor and person by reminding me to lead with empathy and compassion. That's why I amplify. ❤️ I'd love to hear Love and Rockets' Yin Yang today if you can fit it in === Another reason I amplify: when in the middle of all my travel this summer, my husband had a cancer scare -- a type of cancer with a 35% survival in 4 years. As I was working through all the what-ifs, I knew kexp would be there as an important part if my support team. How incredible is that! We were lucky... no cancer... but wow! Knowing you were there meant so much to me and I can only imagine what it means to folks when their what-ifs become their realities.

I’m in the last week of summer break before starting another year getting to teach middle school science in Southern California. This summer has been different, because I’ve been chasing around our first toddler, Ollie, while the morning show has soundtracked our breakfast and walks to the park. It’s a crazy thing, this summer he won’t remember in a few years and I won't forget. Anyway, you guys do what you do so damn well. So thanks. I’ll never regret being an Amplifier, it matters. Ollie loves Jamie T and Joe Strummer. If there’s time for either of those, we’d love it. Cheers. AJ

Good morning! I've been an amplifier since 2016 because KEXP feeds my passion for music and my need for community. I'm requesting a certain Cheekface song for my hilarious nephew Theo because: Everything is fine Everything is fine Everything is fine With lots of love to Theo and his awesome parents Ann and Justin, and so much appreciation for all the good souls at KEXP. Thank you! Laurie (Seattle)

Happy Amplifiers Day, John and Owen! We've been Amplifiers for as long as we can remember and KEXP has been the constant soundtrack in our house for the whole time. The community, the caring, and the commitment the whole station has created over the years has always been a reason to keep KEXP on the air, and the new music you've helped us discover during that time has always brought smiles to my whole family. And as a family that started in the Bay Area, seeing you bring all that to one of our favorite places just makes it all the more sweeter. So, to celebrate Amplifiers Day, could we request the one song my whole family always likes to sing and that KEXP introduced us to? It's My Mom's Prius by Five Fingers of Funk. Thanks, John in Kenmore

You know who might also be a giant? Adrienne for making this amazing request!

Jef Minneapolis/St. Paul I started listening to KEXP just this year to get out of a musical rut. This timing coincided first with finally getting some amazing news (going to have a baby!) after years of not great news, followed by awful news (miscarriage) and the perpetual message of allowing grief and celebrating those around you - especially as put forward on The Morning Show - resonated deeply in my core. To top it all off, the past eight months or so have been filled with some awesome new to me artists that I've heard for the first time on KEXP: Bug Club, Angelica Garcia, Dead Pioneers, Quiver, and so many more. To the joy and sorrow and everything in between that music helps us understand, I proudly raise my KEXP pint glass in a toast.

Amplifier request - the Lights - Your Boyfriend has a Pretty Machine I am an amplifier and I'm requesting that you play a song by the Lights from the Beautiful Bird album (which is getting released on vinyl for the first time in October). My love for KEXP goes back to the KCMU days in 1995 when I moved to Seattle. It was the one place that I could hear the music i was listening to and to discover new music. I have strong emotional tie to any music released by NW bands and KEXP consistently delivered new music that I had to hear and see live (way too many bands or concerts to list here). Over the years as KCMU morphed in KEXP, I had to get more of it...calling into donate $100 so that I could get the new KEXP shirt, attending KEXP BBQs (miss those events) and Live at Mural concerts, & driving my kids crazy by not listening to "pop" radio stations (now they appreciate the music that I exposed them to). Eventually, my buddy Ben and I started a small record label, the Swingline Records, that released albums by the Valley, the Lights, the Heavy Hearts, etc. and KEXP supported the music we released with live in-studio performances, Audioasis sessions at local clubs, opening slots on KEXP sponsored concerts (like Yule Benefit) and most of all playing the music we released to KEXP listeners worldwide. I LOVE KEXP!! Anyway, I wanted to get my request in early today so that I can hear it while listening to KEXP at work. Thanks Trent

Hello John, In 1983 my family moved to Kirkland from Seattle. In Jr High I met a kid in music class (elective class to get used to taking elective classes lol) who told me about this great punk rock radio station called KCMU. Since then, I’ve been hooked! I was hoping you could play “68 Guns” by The Alarm, since it was that song my friends and I made a video of in that class all those years ago, we were so young… (Brad reference, who I usually request, cept this day) Mark in Bellingham Thanks for all the years gang!

Good morning John, Owen and crew. Thank you so much for all the company, empathy and joy you bring through the good times and the hard times. As long as we have KEXP on, we know we're not going through it alone. I was so busy yesterday, I wasn't able to put in this request for the Minnesota love, but if you would play the Suburbs' Love Is The Law, it would make us so happy. Because, after all, love is the law, innit? Love from Connor, Lauren and Leo, Amplifiers in Portland.

I am an amplifier, but I couldn't tell you how long it's been. I started listening to KEXP when I lived in West Seattle in the 2000s. KEXP has become more and more important to me the further away I get from Seattle Center. I amplify because KEXP is the soundtrack to my life and so important to keeping great music in my ears. So many songs, so little time. A Good Idea by Sugar, please! Matt Naples, FL

My wife Ceci and I are proud Amplifiers and love the mix of artists we know and love with new artists. We first heard Kae Tempest on KEXP and seeing her at The Neptune that year was such a great experience. Thank you, Darren - in Issaquah

I'm a proud amplifier when I can afford to be one since ever ago now, and I wanted to say thanks for my new favorite shirt. Any chance I/we can hear some Public Enemy? Josh in Magnolia

Morning, sooooooooo many reasons to Amplify! You've introduced me to Nation of Language, Waterboys, War on Drugs, too many to list. I get giddy when you play the National. I laugh when you play 3 songs in a row... just because. KEXP gets to do what they want and empower all! Where else can you hear openly about mental health AND songs related to it and healing?! I love KEXP and feel pressured to up my monthly donation each time John and Morgan do the drives! But the Best is when John unapologetically plays ABBA! DJs pick John, play what you'd like! Amanda Amplifier in Seattle

Hi, I'm 2 years an amplifier now. I'd lost touch with music for a couple decades but a friend of mine called in one day and said you need to stick on KEXP. The only music played in my place of work now is KEXP all day and I make sure to spread the word! Anything from Beastie Boys would be most appreciated! Hope all you guys are enjoying the day. Sean in Ireland

Hey KEXP, We are amplifiers because we listen to you every day, and we want to support what you do, I am almost ten, and I have been listening to you my entire life. We would love to hear you play "Hurt", by Johnny Cash. Thanks, Michelle & Lucca from Queens, NY

Good morning! I’m an amplifier because The Morning Show is on the air and because John Richards created an awesome community of music people by reminding us that we are not alone and by playing great music that’s worth listening to and sharing. The Morning Show has been part of my life for at least 15 years, and has been a constant, no matter what else changed. I don’t want to imagine what life would be like without this show and this community. Please keep doing what you’re doing. I love the ability to stream from the app and go back to the online archive for shows I miss. The song that inspired me to donate the first time was Kermit the Frog, Rainbow Connection but no worries if there’s no time for that today. Sommer (pronounced summer) an amplifier in Tacoma

I am a relatively new amplifier, but becoming one in the last year was a no-brainer. I had a mental breakdown in the fall, followed by a breakup with my girlfriend that devastated me, and my relationship with the music I knew fell apart. I couldn't listen to familiar love songs without thinking of her, and couldn't listen to the sad songs without falling apart. Enter KEXP. I started listening and falling in love with the huge variety of songs and artists you play, whether new or just new to me, and the music just saved my heart and my mind. I really do feel like I'm not alone when I listen to you guys. You provide not just great tunes but a feeling of community. Being an amplifier makes me feel like I'm part of something bigger. I'd love to hear Cafe Joli this morning - it's just one of the great songs you introduced me to that brought me back to life. Thank you. - Helen in Poulsbo

For everything ya’ll do, couldn’t be happier to support KEXP as an amplifier. You prolly have enough requests for a week of shows, but Brandon Summers’ “You are Not Alone” seems fitting for the day if you can fit it in. Thanks! Evan in Denver

In my greenhouse, looking forward to Pearl Jam playing in Missoula in a few weeks. Can you play some PJ deep cut for me and my veggies! Thank you, Nan in Philipsburg, MT