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Friday, May 12 2017, 6AM
Good morning and happy Friday. We received this email from Krystal: Every morning my alarm is set for 5:50 am. I hit the snooze button and inevitably when my alarm goes off 10 minutes later, the intro to the morning show is usually playing. I had been a KEXP listener before, but after the election I could not bear waking up to NPR every morning and having terrible news be the start to my day. John Richards has gotten me through the past 6 months, in particular the day of 2016's Mom show after one of the students at my school died by suicide earlier that week. The first few songs of the morning often set the tone for my day and I am incredibly grateful. Tomorrow will be the last day I wake up at 5:50 in Seattle, after living in Seattle for the majority of my 33 years. I am moving out of town for a new job this weekend and while I know that I will be able to stream KEXP online, and trust me that will happen, I was hoping that maybe this email could be forwarded to John and maybe just maybe, he would start his morning set off with a Song for Zula - a song for which I will forever remember hearing on KEXP for the first time. To John and all the KEXP DJ's, thank you so much for the ways in which you inspire and heal the world. I will miss sharing this city with you.
Michael Kiwanuka will be here in Seattle at The Showbox on Monday, May 22nd, 2017.
You are listening to a never heard before live version from the 30th anniversary edition of U2’s iconic album, "The Joshua Tree," due to be released on June 2nd, 2017. Oh, BTW, U2 will play Century Link Field this Sunday, May 14th, 2017.
"Lift" was not released on Radiohead's "OK Computer," but, with the 20th anniversary reissue of the album, "“Lift” fans, rejoice: Today is the first day of the rest of your days.'":pitchfork.com
Last Friday, Slowdive released their first album, "Slowdive," in 22 years, which didn't include this song. "30th June" WAS included in the Japanese release of the album. Owen just flew back from Japan with this exclusive bonus track this morning and, boy, are his arms tired!
This began life as a new song by The xx before ending up as a Jamie 'xx' Smith solo track. Jamie said, "I went through a period while I was making it where I felt like I wasn't focusing and having too much fun. That song was hard because it tells a story of how difficult it can be for me to make a song."
Odesza will be one of the headliners for this year's Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, September 1-3, 2017.:www.bumbershoot.com
Watch these Dandys playing live on KEXP in 2013: blog.kexp.org
"I wish I could eat the salt off your last faded lips..." Here are the lyrics to "Obstacle 1": genius.com
You may purchase Kelly Lee Owen's self-titled debut album (that includes "Arthur") at her Bandcamp page: kellyleeowens.bandcamp.com
Lungs and Limbs will play the Blue Moon in Seattle on Friday, July 28th, 2017.:www.facebook.com
This is a previously unreleased Prince track off the forthcoming "Purple Rain" reissue, due out on June 23rd with 11 previously unreleased songs. This particular song, “Our Destiny/Roadhouse Garden,” splices together a pair that Prince often combined live. It was recorded at First Avenue in Minneapolis in 1984, on Prince’s 26th birthday.
Ahhh.....the Friday song. KEXP is proud to partner with the Upstream Music Fest + Summit this week. Find our broadcast schedule here: blog.kexp.org
Watch James performing "Born of Frustration" in this video: www.youtube.com
The National will, no doubt, play this song when they perform at The Paramount Theatre on November 28th and 29th, 2017.: americanmary.com . Their new album, "Sleep Well Beast," will be out on September 8th.
This is a brand-new song from Fleet Foxes' new album, "Crack-Up," their first release since 2011's "Helplessness Blues," It's due out on June 16th, 2017. Watch the official video for the new song here: www.nonesuch.com
Go back to 1977 to watch David Bowie performing "Heroes" on the Bing Crosby Christmas Special!: www.radiox.co.uk
Here are many, many photos of this duo in all their finery: www.gettyimages.com
William Haslip Squier was born on May 12th, 1950. Read a biography here: articlebio.com
British rapper Dizzee Rascal heavily samples the previous Billy Squier song here. Watch the video:www.youtube.com
I would write a comment about this song, but I'm trying to recover from my injuries when John flung the CD case at me.
Read this interview with Cameron Boucher on grief, religion, and the band's new album: www.stereogum.com
R.I.P., Wubba the Cat. Many of you are probably interested in The Monkees' connection to this song: dinnerfornoone.wordpress.com
You can hear this ode to the cat "Kirby" when Aesop Rock plays the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge, Friday, May 26th, through Sunday, May 28th, 2017.
This was initially written as a parody, and Robert Smith later distanced himself from the song. In Rock & Folk magazine, Smith said: "'The Love Cats' is far from being my favorite song: composed drunk, video filmed drunk, promotion made drunk. It was a joke."
The video, directed by Tim Pope, was shot in a mansion which had been "borrowed" from an estate agent who believed they wanted to buy it. In the morning they returned the keys.
Lots of actual cats were used in the filming, and some band members wore giant cat costumes for the shoot. A few of the shots are of Lol Tolhurst roaming the streets outside while wearing one of the cat costumes.: www.youtube.com
John Richards chose this song as a KEXP Song of the Day. You can download it for yourself here: blog.kexp.org
Listen to an unreleased song, "I figured You Out," from the classic album, "Either/Or": pitchfork.com
Clem Snide is playing a home show in Seattle on Saturday, June 17th, 2017.: www.bandsintown.com
"I wouldn't trade one stupid decision for another five years of life." Read this personal essay about "Why I Love 'All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem";sabotagetimes.com
Look at their regalia in this live version of "With a Little Help": www.youtube.com
Beth Ditto is the former lead singer of Gossip. The Guardian calls "Fire" a sexy mega-thumper of a torch song": www.theguardian.com
Watch an extraordinary performance of "Perfect Coffee," live on KEXP: www.youtube.com
PJ Harvey has been dynamite on tour. She played Seattle last Friday night, May 5th, 2017. Here's a review of her knock-out performance in San Francisco on May 9th.: www.mercurynews.com
The Black Angels are coming to The Showbox on Monday, October 23rd, 2017.
Are you "happy when it rains"? Maybe it won't be raining on Tuesday, May 23rd, when The Jesus and Mary Chain plaw the Showbox SoDo.
This was inspired by a series of books with the same title, which lead singer Andy Partridge saw as an exploitation of children. The song is essentially a letter to God asking about his existence. Partridge would eventually become an atheist, but explained he was "wrestling with the tail end of my belief" when he wrote this.:www.songfacts.com
There's a new biography of T-Bone Burnett, subtitled "A Life in Pursuit," just out. Learn more about it and the artist: www.popmatters.com
Porno for Pyros was formed by Perry Farrell after Jane's Addiction ended.: www.oldies.com
In 2014, KEXP DJ El Toro shared a number of his favorite Neneh Cherry songs.:blog.kexp.org
"Biting My Nails" is a cover version of a song by Genevieve Waite, from her 1974 album, "Romance is on the Rise, " produced by her husband, John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas. Watch the promo video: www.youtube.com
Tones on Tail was a musical side project of Daniel Ash of the gothic rock group Bauhaus. The band's name is a reference to the way calibration tones were recorded on the "tail" of reel-to-reel tape."Go!" was one of the sample sources for Moby's "Go".
We've got nothing better to do than watch TV and have a couple of brews...": www.youtube.com
They "pirated the past" with this song.:www.avclub.com
"Gouge Away" – the final track on Doolittle – is a retelling of the biblical story of Samson and Delilah.: www.rollingstone.com
Spoon will be playing songs from "Hot Thoughts" at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, September 1-3, 2017.: www.bumbershoot.com
The lyrics are sometimes heard (misheard) as an ode to Ohio tourism: "It is is Ohio, it has been found
And it's really far away."
Our own Kevin Cole says of this recording: "I was there! I actually made a tape of this show, too—not as good as this board mix. :-)"
On this date in 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album, "Are You Experienced."
They begin the Joshua Tree 33-stop world tour in Vancouver tonight, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of this album that rocketed them into rock superstardom. Go behind the scenes here: ew.com