4,992Shows
249,891Spins
Monday, Aug 12 2024, 7AM
Honoring the life of Seattle journalist, author, and our friend, Charles R. Cross, who passed away Friday at the age of 67.
Recorded in May of this year, Charles Cross describes why, to his way of thinking, Jimi Hendrix is the greatest artists Seattle ever produced.
An album the late Charles R. Cross..."Charlie," bought as a teen.
--
Jimi wrote this in 1967 for Are You Experienced?; it was inspired by his girlfriend at the time, Kathy Mary Etchingham. He'd gotten into an argument with her about her cooking. She got very angry and started throwing pots and pans and finally stormed out to stay at a friend's home for a day or so. When she came back, Jimi had written "The Wind Cries Mary" for her.
Kathy Mary recalled, "We'd had a row over food. Jimi didn't like lumpy mashed potato. There were thrown plates and I ran off. When I came back the next day, he'd written that song about me. It's incredibly flattering."
The Winding Sheet is the debut studio album by alternative rock artist Mark Lanegan. It was released in 1990 on Sub Pop. The album was Lanegan's first solo work, and is notable in its departure from the characteristic sound of Screaming Trees, the band he fronted from 1985 until 2000.
RIP Charles R. Cross who penned “Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll," a book about Heart.
www.harpercollins.com
Bébé le Strange is the fifth studio album by American rock band Heart, released on Valentine's Day 1980. It was the first album without founding member Roger Fisher on lead guitar, who had left the band months prior along with his brother Michael.
Today we are celebrating the life of the late Seattle journalist and friend Charles R. Cross, who passed away from natural causes Friday. Charles was not only a great writer, but he also great at sharing insight into why music was so powerful. For example, a few years ago he was on Seattle Channel’s Art Zone and shared this anecdote about his love of Bob Dylan’s classic album “Blood On The Tracks."
For Charles R. Cross, a Seattle-based music journalist who edited the alt-weekly, the Rocket, and penned bestselling biographies of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and other major rock figures, died Friday at age 67.
Our friend, the late Charles R. Cross founded and for many years edited the Bruce Springsteen magazine Backstreets, which he started in 1980, printing 10,000 copies of a four-page tabloid devoted to the singer, which he passed our for free at a Seattle Coliseum show.
In 2016 KEXP celebrated the 25th anniversary of Nirvana’s groundbreaking album Nevermind and the late Charles R. Cross, author of author of Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain joined us to bring the band, and singer Kurt Cobain to the forefront. In this clip he shares his insight into one of their greatest, and softest songs, “Something in The Way.”
Every person who worked on Nirvana’s 'Nevermind,' released 30 years ago last September, says that the album basically broke itself, almost immediately taking on a life of its own in a way that could never have been planned — “Get out of the way and duck” was a phrase that record company executives said often at the time. But dozens of people were working at the top of their respective games to make sure that the band was heard and seen.
Read more about Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ at 30: The Inside Story of the Album’s ‘Overnight’ Success:
bit.ly
"Alice Mudgarden" is Alice in Chains with Mark Arm of Mudhoney and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden.
7:44 AM
1st spin?!
In 2017 on the podcast To The Best of Our Knowledge, the late Seattle journalist Charles R. Cross, who were are honoring this morning, shared what he thought was Seattle’s most unheralded GREAT album.
Remembering our friend Charles R. Cross who passed away this weekend, and who thought this was Seattle's most unheralded great album.
Remembering Charles R. Cross, who loved the Sonics.
This morning we are celebrating the life of one of Seattle’s all-time greatest music journalists, our friend Charles Cross who passed away last Friday at the age of 67. In 2016 KEXP celebrated the 25th anniversary of Nirvana’s groundbreaking album Nevermind and Charles, author of author of Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain joined us to share anecdotes and insight on the band including the story of how they first got played in KEXP, which was KCMU at the time.
Our friend Charles authored Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain.
www.barnesandnoble.com
Charles R. Cross on the enduring youthfulness of Smells Like Teen Spirit
Kurt Cobain wrote this song for Nirvana; it came together in a jam session when he played it for the band. He said: "I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off The Pixies."
--
Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the group Bikini Kill, gave Cobain the idea for the title when she spray painted "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on his bedroom wall after a night of drinking and spraying graffiti around the Seattle area. In his pre-Courtney Love days, Cobain went out with Bikini Kill lead singer Tobi Vail, but she dumped him. Vail wore Teen Spirit deodorant, and Hanna was implying that Cobain was marked with her scent.
From KEXP listeners #2 favorite music year over the last 50, 1994!
The song draws on contrast between Love's sinful life in the public eye and the Miss World pageant, where contestants are always poised, wholesome, and well-spoken. Love had always owned up to her indiscretions, which is reflected in the line, "I've made my bed, I'll lie in it." And, she's willing to live with the consequences: "I've made my bed, I'll die in it." - bit.ly
Broadcasting live from San Francisco this week!
American Music Club was a San Francisco-based indie rock band led by singer-songwriter Mark Eitzel, and was formed in 1982.
San Francisco was their seventh and last album before the band's break up in 1995. The band reunited in 2003 after a nine year hiatus, producing two more albums.
Released in 2000, The Hour of Bewilderbeast is the debut studio album by British musician Damon Michael Gough, known by the stage name Badly Drawn Boy.
- badlydrawnboy.co.uk
Today's the last day to hear the Quivers session with John from Tuesday, July 30th on the archive! It aired at 9:30am!
Oyster Cuts is the forthcoming album from the Melbourne group, due out August 9th. "Pink Smoke" is one of three singles released so far. quiversss.bandcamp.com
My Head Is an Animal is the debut studio album by the Icelandic indie folk band Of Monsters and Men, released in 2011.
Here's Of Monsters and Men performing "Six Weeks" Live on KEXP in Reykjavik during Iceland Airwaves '11 - www.youtube.com.
Check out Of Monsters and Men performance of Little Talks from October 2010 - one of our most popular KEXP videos: www.youtube.com.
www.ofmonstersandmen.com
In 2022, the NYC band GIFT released their debut album Momentary Presence, a set of shimmery and psychedelic songs that sometimes raced ahead with the propulsive post-punk/krautrock momentum of bands like DIIV.
Of this track, frontman TJ Freda reveals, "'Wish Me Away' is about giving into the feeling of everything slipping away. Just take it all away, put me out of my misery, wish me away. While this all seems daunting and sad, there’s a feeling of optimism in this song, holding on for dear life and refusing to give up hope." tinyurl.com
Yesterday was Andy Bell's 54th birthday! Welsh born-English guitarist in the band Ride. He's also a songwriter, singer, producer, DJ and former member of the band Hurricane #1, former bass guitarist for Oasis for its successor band Beady Eye.
Ride performed this track Live on KEXP in 2015! bit.ly
Playing the Showbox SoDo in Seattle on Friday, September 20th and The Warfield in SF on September 24th.
fontainesdc.com
"Favourite" is a song which frontman Grian Chatten describes as having "this never-ending sound to it, a continuous cycle from euphoria to sadness, two worlds spinning forever." The band also shared an accompanying music video, featuring home footage of all five members stitched together. Check out the video here: www.youtube.com
Psychedelic Gaze from San Francisco's Pink Breath of Heaven.
pinkbreathofheaven.bandcamp.com
Jefferson Airplane made their live debut at San Francisco's Matrix Club on August 12th, 1965 (59 years ago tomorrow!)
New music from the Seattle singer/songwriter!
staranna.bandcamp.com
Happy birthday to Tanita Tikaram, singer-songwriter born in Munster, West Germany on this day in 1969.
The beginning of this song, "All God's children need traveling shoes" is the title of a book by the writer Maya Angelou. www.tanita-tikaram.com
Recently passed musician Tony Allen was born on this day in 1940. He was a Nigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter who worked with Fela Kuti's band Africa '70 from 1968 to 1979, and was one of the primary co-founders of the genre of Afrobeat music. Fela once stated that, "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat." He was described by Brian Eno as "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived." in 2020 he and South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela released "Rejoice."
This is the latest song from Foals' Yannis Philippakis' project with renowned him. This collaboration began in 2016. but the recordings were never completed before Tony passed away in April 2020 at the age of 79.
--
Yannis felt a deep duty to complete the project, not only as a bittersweet way to honour and celebrate his friend, but also because Tony had been so eager to share these songs with the world. The result is the upcoming five-track EP, ‘Lagos Paris London,' which will be released on August 30th.
Wire Train was a San Francisco-based alternative rock band, who released six albums in the 1980s and 1990s.
Anna Hillburg is an accomplished pianist, vocalist, guitarist, singer/songwriter, and music lover living in San Francisco, CA. She has spent the last fifteen years in the Bay Area working as a live performer, recording session musician, and private teacher.
Playing at Vesuvio Wacky Wednesdays on this Wednesday, August 14th!
annahillburg.bandcamp.com
Tony Russell "Charles" Brown was an American singer and pianist whose soft-toned, slow-paced nightclub style influenced West Coast blues in the 1940s and 1950s. Between 1949 and 1952, Brown had seven Top 10 hits in the U.S. Billboard R&B chart.
From the new Father John Misty collection 'Greatish Hits: I Followed My Dreams and My Dreams Said to Crawl.'
Catch Father John Misty at Climate Pledge Arena on September 20th!
fatherjohnmisty.bandcamp.com
On Podcast and YouTube Show Records in My Life, recorded in May of this year, Charles Cross shared amazing advice about how to live bravely as an artist.
Remembering our friend Charles R. Cross and the bands he championed here in the Seattle music scene. He passed away this weekend.