Stevie Zoom

"The band's first album after the departure of multi-instrumentalist Jim O'Rourke, who joined the group as a fifth member in 1999. Unlike its immediate predecessors, the album was produced by John Agnello and recorded at Sear Sound in New York City, the same studio where the band's 1994 album Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star was recorded. It also completed Sonic Youth's contract with Geffen, which released the band's previous eight records. During the recording sessions, Moore's gear included two Fender Jazzmasters and a Fender Princeton. Ranaldo, on the other hand, played a Gibson Les Paul guitar for half of the album and used his Fender Telecaster Deluxe,'Jazzmaster copy-made' by Saul Koll, and modified Fender Jazzmaster with humbuckers for the remaining tracks. Guitars were directly plugged into the mixer with no guitar amplifier in the signal chain." bit.ly

Co-produced by musician/producer Erik Blood (Shabazz Palaces, Tacocat, Moondoggies). Enjoy "silOHs," a free and downloadable Featured Song of the Day here: blog.kexp.org and explore more from the local blissed-out dreamscapers here: westernhaunts.bandcamp.com

"Future Politics began as a reset after touring for five years straight. I was alone in Montreal in a French-speaking neighbourhood, it was winter and too cold to really go out, so I was spending a lot of time by myself. I was lonely, and also feeling very sad and frustrated about stuff that was happening in the world. The first songs I wrote really reflect this mindset and are therefore quite dark. A few months in I decided pretty randomly to move to Mexico City, which on a very basic sensory level because it’s warm and colourful changed the scope of how I was feeling quite dramatically. I got really into reading sci-fi and about theories of the future that that helped me feel a lot more optimistic, and made me realize how important it is to keep exploring and imagining ideas for the future as a way out of the current apocalyptic doom path we are currently on." bit.ly Watch her perform a staggeringly lovely set here: blog.kexp.org

"I'm not a crazy workaholic like I used to be, closing the door on the studio and disappearing — none of my friends or family would see me for a week. Now I’m out with my daughter, talking to our friends who are going through fraught times in their relationships because they also have young kids and things are complicated in their lives. And all of that — that's my life. That's the context of my life, and that’s what ended up being the lyrical content. I wanted to capture as much of that complexity as possible. I'm glad you feel like it translates, because that was definitely the idea. Swim was very miasmic — I’ve always made music where I hide my voice behind the music. And this album, [Our Love], is for the person who’s listening to it — I want to make the distance between me and them as small as possible. I want it to transmit directly." bit.ly

"I guess Beat Connection started from mutual interests that me and my friend Jordan had. We just started trying to learn how to produce tracks—we had both been messing around with GarageBand when we were younger—then we bought Logic and started doing that. Also, simultaneously we started to DJ, doing house parties around the University in Seattle. It just grew from there pretty organically. We were also busy going to the University of Washington and trying to figure out how to navigate the music industry. I feel like now we’re in the final form of Beat Connection, we’re all very serious about it, and in the past it has been—I won’t say a hobby—but more of a good distraction from our school work, a passion. Now it’s our passion and our job, which is awesome." bit.ly

Championed by Tina Fey to write for "30 Rock" at the ripe old age of 23, stand-up comedian, actor on NBC’s "Community," and rapper, Donald Glover is adamant about self-empowerment: “Coding is a beautiful thing. If there is a God, he definitely codes. There are fail-safes in the world. That’s code. I don’t want young black kids to aspire to be rappers or ballers. Even lawyers and doctors — those are service positions. I want them to be coders. They can make their own worlds then. They don’t need anybody else. I love hearing those kids’ ideas, all these kids on the Internet. The excitement of making something, that’s the spark of God.” bit.ly

Formed in 2008, Hard Proof are a 10-piece group out of Austin, Texas, inspired by music from the African continent. "We try to balance a reverence for the music and cultures that inspired us to start this project with our own diverse backgrounds and energies. We have some kind of framework and police each other on certain elements so it’s not just a free for all, even though sometimes it may come out that way. [We] don’t take a song out of the practice room until it’s really ready. No half steps. No matter how much you want everything to be democratic, maybe it doesn’t work in every unit. Really think through every choice you make as far as your presentation and bookings and all of that. Being a band in Austin, where nearly everyone has a band, you have to have a really solid product to stand out. I think we all came together after learning a lot of things the hard way..." bit.ly

"Luscious Jackson's connections to the Beastie Boys are significant -- debut EP In Search of Manny was the first release on the group's indie label Grand Royal, drummer Kate Schellenbach played on the Beasties' Pollywog Stew, but most importantly, Luscious Jackson came from the same pop culture-soaked, carnival-esque New York underground scene where punkers and rappers ran in concentric club circles. Where the Beasties rooted themselves firmly in hip-hop, Luscious Jackson used its rhythms as a launching pad for a music that is elastic, casually expansive, darkly seductive, and perfectly realized on In Search of Manny. Although hip-hop beats underpin all seven songs on this EP and leaders Jill Cunniff and Gabby Glaser rap as often as they sing, it's difficult to call this rap, since the songs follow pop form, the samples are for texture and color, not groove, and the aesthetic is slacker bohemia. In short, it's a record that only could have happened in 1992." bit.ly

On the rumour he'd once lived with Chance the Rapper: "No, I didn’t. The idea was to get somebody to record for a few days, a couple of weeks, and also have a place to stay. So we talked about doing that, then we didn’t really talk about it for a long time, and he’d rented a house that had a studio in it. We tried some recording anyway, and it was really fun, but I already had somewhere to stay and he had his whole crew with him. I’m sure those beds were filled. We didn’t end up making anything in the end, but he’s a character, as we say in England." bit.ly

From our exclusive interview with Goodbye Heart, Sam Ford talks about relocating to Seattle: "Living in NYC, you are always contending with the energy, the adversity, and the elation that goes along with it. I will always consider myself a New Yorker first and foremost, but it wasn’t until we moved to Seattle that I was able to put my creative work right in front of me rather than having to weigh it against the day-to-day reality of my environment. That said, being away from NYC has given me a ton of perspective that I was sorely lacking by the time we left. It’s pretty tough to compare the music scenes I think. I actually feel like the term 'scene' is more applicable to New York. In Seattle it feels more like a community. That might sound a little mushy, but I think it speaks to the way people create, consume, support, and share music out here." blog.kexp.org

The ever sublime Orton on relocating to the warmth of Laurel Canyon from the city of London: "[My husband] Sam is American and I fancied some sunshine, but uprooting yourself when you are older does have a huge impact, more so than I imagined. With hindsight, I think relocating my entire family there was also a desire for some kind of radical creative change. I just needed to shake things up, I guess, and Kidsticks is the result... I did feel like I was setting free another part of me in the process of making this record. I was so focused and so intense for 16 months, putting it all together like a complex puzzle. I’ve never worked so hard on anything in my life... Giving me the keyboard gave me control, in a way. That had never really happened before. I got to play the synth, I got to play my own basslines, I got to build my own sound. I just played and played without too much thinking. There was a sense of wonderment to just making sounds again." bit.ly

The xx are slated to play Seattle's WaMu Theatre on Monday, April 24th. "'The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening has been an ardent fan since he picked them to play a festival he curated in 2010. 'They averted their gaze, like a relationship that’s dead but hasn’t quite broken up,' he says with a deep laugh, recalling their performance. 'However, they delivered the goods musically. They were just so young, and shy, I guess. It certainly wasn’t arrogance.'" Oliver Sim on the band's intimacy from growing up together, which comes through in their music: “I’ve noticed that you can save some of your harshest moments for the people you love. I feel like with me and Romy and Jamie—but especially me and Romy—it is so easy for feelings to get hurt. Because Romy knows exactly how to push my buttons with a short sentence, and likewise with her." bit.ly

"Within months of 'I Fought the Law' becoming a top 10 hit, Bobby Fuller was found dead in an automobile parked outside his Hollywood apartment. The Los Angeles deputy medical examiner, Jerry Nelson, performed the autopsy. According to Dean Kuipers: "The report states that Bobby's face, chest, and side were covered in 'petechial hemorrhages' probably caused by gasoline vapors and the summer heat. He found no bruises, no broken bones, no cuts. No evidence of beating.' Kuipers further explains that boxes for 'accident' and 'suicide' were checked, but next to the boxes were question marks. Despite the official cause of death, some commentators believe Fuller was murdered. Erik Greene, a relative of Sam Cooke, has cited similarities in the deaths of Cooke and Fuller. Bandmate Jim Reese suspected that Charles Manson may have had something to do with Fuller's death but never provided credible evidence. It has speculated that the LAPD may have been involved." bit.ly

"The sixth album by Swell is actually a solo effort by longtime bandleader David Freel, who claims to enjoy playing with a band onstage but prefers recording alone in the studio. (He's joined on just over half of these songs by drummer Rey Washam.) The resulting sound is strange, moody guitar pop with hooks that take you by surprise because the music doesn't sound like it ought to have hooks -- the jagged found sound sampling on "...A Velvet Sun" gives way to a melancholy chorus that might be a vague tribute to the Police's "Invisible Sun," and the very strange shards of mistreated guitar that start off "Like Poverty" lead into a downright fruity chord progression and a shimmery singalong refrain. Throughout this album Freel flirts with annoying self-absorption, but repeatedly saves himself by virtue of pure musical invention; instead of constantly begging you to listen to his problems, he keeps distracting you from them even as he unburdens himself. Recommended." bit.ly

Brand new from Bash and Pop, formed in 1992 by Tommy Stinson following the breakup of the Replacements. B&P released an album before disbanding in 1994, the reformed in 2016 with a new lineup and album. "I feel like when I left L.A, all my friends that I’d known out there for years, we were all kind of growing up in a way, with kids and families. The music industry was changing so drastically and so quickly, I just got to a point where I thought, 'Ya know, I’m getting priced out of a housing market pretty good, there’s not a whole lot left for me to do here.' At the time I was still in Guns N’ Roses and stuff and I was like, 'Shit, I can do that from anywhere.” So…I just decided to bust out. We busted out, moved to the East Coast.'" bit.ly B&P will be performing at Chop Suey on Tuesday, February 28th.

Having spent 13 years spearheading Red Jacket Mine, Yakima resident Barr has broken out on his own and will be hosting a CD release party for his solo project, a set of deeply personal songs that grapple with trauma and the instability of memory and featuring Calexico's drummer John Convertino ~ on Wednesday, March 8th at The Royal Room. More info, plus tickets and further dates, here: lincolnbarrmusic.com

Swedish sister-duo came by our studio and played a singularly gorgeous set back in 2012; relive the sweet magic here: blog.kexp.org

Just released today! Alison Crutchfield, formerly of Waxahatchee with her twin sister Katie and Swearin', will be touring extensively these next few months, including a stop in Seattle at the Vera Project on March 27th. More dates here: www.mergerecords.com/tours?artists[]=79659

The Australian native now based in Oakland on her musical journey: "I didn’t know I wanted to do music full time because I was actually studying writing. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a musician, or an author. I was in between these two passions and I started playing around my area at open mics, meeting other musicians and recording; so the more I got involved, the more I really wanted to do music. I kind of chose music in the end. I’m sure I’ll keep writing. Songwriting is a big part of making music, but the kind of writing I was doing was more novel writing and fiction. I know I’m going to come back to it someday but I decided to just focus on one thing—music—and I’ve been more productive with it. I’ve had to say no to a lot of other projects and creative things that were taking up my time." bit.ly

"After all of my heroes died, and the worst human being since probably Andrew 'genocidal maniac' Jackson was elected to the office of the presidency I was seriously doubting the viability of the future. Like, the whole future. The hobbit handed authoritarian pumpkin being the icing on the cake of a fairly shit run over the last few years. I haven’t necessarily been feeling paralyzed per se, but certainly rudderless. As though drifting in open waters with no sonar or landfall in sight. The fog is beginning to lift though. I’d be lying if I said the success of the Women’s March on Washington had nothing to do with it. There is a certain sense of hope that came with the massive out pour of support. I mean, does anyone else remember a demonstration that reached all the way to Antarctica? I sure as hell don’t." weirdomachine.wordpress.com More music here: weirdomachine.bandcamp.com

"The one thing I hate is being labeled a side project. We've invested too much time and effort into this band to be considered a side project. It's no different than an actor having to step onto a set the first day and being expected to perform a certain role... Brendan and I were coming from completely different places. In the White Stripes, there's no other instrument for me to build off of or harmonize with, whereas Brendan's used to having a backing band that he could order to do whatever he wanted. It really opened a new range of possibilities for both of us." bit.ly

Loved what you heard? Check out the band's Bandcamp for more band camping! middayveilbbib.bandcamp.com

"The squats we used to party in are flats we can't afford." Sounds like Seattle. Tempest recently knocked the socks off everyone present and over the air during her set at KEX Hostel during Iceland Airwaves 2016; watch that riveting performance here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=STdUu-A2veU For more from this winner of the Ted Hughes Poetry Prize for Spoken Story, head right this way: http://blog.kexp.org/2015/04/08/song-of-the-day-kate-tempest-lonely-daze/

New from British DJ/producer Simon Green. "“I always try to do what I feel is right now. I don’t have a manifesto at the beginning of the project. There was a period where I wasn’t touring in the U.S. I didn’t really have a handle on what was going on out here in terms of my music and where I fit. But on things like Last.fm and Myspace, my stuff just bubbled along, and I didn’t realize it. The first time I actually came out around 2008, 2009, on my own shows, I was really surprised that there were people out here who had heard me." Bonobo came to KEXP while touring his last album and graced us with a divine set; bask in the bliss anew here: blog.kexp.org

"Pharcyde group members Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Imani met as dancers in the late 1980s, and dancing was their main ambition as late as 1990. Around this time, Imani and Slimkid3 were in a group called 'As Is' and later a group called the 'Play Brothers,' whilst Bootie Brown was a backup dancer for Fatlip. (Fatlip being the last member to join the group). Bootie Brown recalls that their earlier dancing careers influenced their rapping – 'sometimes the way I rap is almost like the way I used to dance.' The group met Reggie Andrews, a local high-school music teacher who worked with the Dazz Band and Rick James, and who was a major musical influence on their debut album. The group also met producer J-Swift around this time, as he was Reggie Andrews's 'star pupil' according to the book Check the Technique." bit.ly

Featuring Mark Arm of Mudhoney and produced by Jack Endino. "We were really psyched when Mark Arm agreed to sing ‘Vice.’ He came into the studio like a punk rock tornado and ripped through it in one or two takes. It was incredible." bit.ly

Cherry Glazerr are slated to play The Crocodile on Wednesday February 8th, as well as our own Live Room at 12pm earlier that day! More dates and ticket info here: secretlycanadian.com Delve into the sweet, mad world of Cherry Glazerr here: cherry-glazerr.com

Jon Spencer's project with wife Kristina Martinez; check out their blistering (and spontaneously fun) set in our new Live Room. DJ/Host Troy Nelson maintains full ignorance of what the band had in mind for him... www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-6KX02vy0c

A gem from Brazillian DJ/producer on a German label, Kompakt: "After 10 years releasing on Kompakt and being part of the roster, I feel totally part of the family. The label has a very specific identity and they are for more then 22 years in this market. It’s of course because its consistency and originality." On how he survives the mad rigour of performing annually on Ibiza: "Every time I get a little boat to spend some hours around the big Island. Normally Formentera is the chosen one for the pit stop and then we get back to the hotel for a nice little nap. Then a light dinner, normally fish and then we meet some of my friends to go to the club. It’s a nice routine that happens every year. But I just spend a few days as I’m playing in other cities in Europe." bit.ly

"The Glasgow two piece - Rachel Aggs (also of Trash Kit and Shopping) on guitar, Eilidh Rodgers on drums – formed while members of much loved noise pop group Golden Grrrls. Quickly finding their own, quite distinct, identity, Sacred Paws have become cult fixtures in Glasgow. There's a charming, not-quite-finished feel to their music which only seems to enhance its personality, while the post-punk, poly-rhythmic approach to percussion leads the duo into effortlessly funky realms. New EP 'Six Songs' is out on March 16th via Rock Action, and it's a superb introduction. Each track is part-song/part-chant, with the delicately arranged, multi-layered vocals forming a nest of love, loss and intrigue." bit.ly More from the Paws here: sacredpaws.bandcamp.com

This enchanting Cambodian/US group shared stories behind tracks on their lush album. Of this, they reveal, "We got invited to go play a show in Siberia by Lake Baikal, the biggest and deepest freshwater lake on the planet. This guy tells us there were like 1,200 life forms that were specifically evolved from that lake. There’s a fresh water seal in that lake! It’s kind of like the Galapagos Islands, but it’s a lake. And so we were excited about it, but then the Russian promoter said, 'We can’t fly you over from the States, we thought you were already over here,' and the whole thing didn’t end up happening. But once again, we got a song out of it, and it inspired us. The deepest lake could be a lot of things: something deep within you, a bottomless place where you keep finding stuff. Sunken cars, television sets." bit.ly

Beloved fixture and friend of KEXP, Jones tragically left us too soon, but left her legacy strongly imprinted in our souls and psyches. Here she was at our Grand Opening ceremony, where she performed with immense love, life, and passion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5eVHCQ4ogQ

Featuring Mavis Staples on vocals. Win Butler: "It's the eve of the inauguration and I think it's easy to get sucked into sitting on the couch and checking your news feed and watching things on CNN, and we're just musicians and the only thing we have to offer is our music. I talked to Mavis last night and she said, 'Now more than ever we just need to hold onto each other.' For us it's a feeling of solidarity — to not feel powerless and focus on what we can do as individuals and try to do our part." Follow the link to hear an alternate version of this anthemic track: bit.ly

A collaboration between Iggy Pop and Danger Mouse, to be featured in the upcoming Matthew McConaughey drama "about a geologist searching for gold in Indonesia. Pop and Mouse co-wrote the track with director Stephan Gaghan and composer Daniel Pemberton. Pop explains, 'This beautiful and unpredictable film spoke to me of violence, desire, destiny, lust and the inescapable twists of fate. The actors and the story spun a web of excitement that left me spent and breathless, so I tried to perform the vocal with that feeling in mind... I found myself at a new level of communication, standing there in the studio with Steve Gaghan and Danger Mouse, singing 'Gold' – a song for our times.'' Gaghan – best known for writing and directing 2005's Syriana and writing 2000's Traffic – makes his songwriting debut with 'Gold.'" rol.st

"Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire is the seventh studio album by American rock band Eels, released on June 2, 2009. Hombre Lobo is Spanish for 'werewolf.' On March 31, 2009, the band made the track 'Fresh Blood' available on Spinner.com, explaining that the song would be the lead single for the album. A documentary entitled Tremendous Dynamite was filmed to document the recording of the album. The cover art is a tribute to the famous Cuban cigar brand Cohiba... The songs form a concept album about desire. As E explained, 'I wanted to write a set of songs about desire. That dreadful, intense want that gets you into all sorts of situations that can change your life in big ways.' In part, the album was inspired by E's facial hair and written as a sequel to the Souljacker song 'Dog Faced Boy.' The character of 'Dog Faced Boy' has grown up into a werewolf and is the protagonist who experiences various types of desire throughout the songs." bit.ly

Surfer Blood are slated to play Barboza both February 11th and 12th! Ticket info here: thebarboza.com Prep yourselves for their show with an archived performance from our old star-filled Live Room on Dexter Ave N: www.youtube.com

Cloud Nothings will be playing in our incredibly funky new Live Room on February 17th at 1pm, then two consecutive shows at Barboza that evening and February 18th; get your tickets here: thebarboza.com "Cloud Nothings was founded in a Cleveland basement, the one-man recording project of Dylan Baldi, an unassuming, then 18-year-old student of song with a remarkable ear for melody. Prolific from the start, Baldi’s early work was rough but immediate: crudely recorded, spring-loaded spasms of Buzzcocks-informed pop that quickly found an online following among the lo-fi-inclined. When an opportunity presented itself to open a small show in Brooklyn, Baldi abandoned a still-in-progress final project to be there. The gamble paid off."

"There's some dark stuff on Odelay – I don't think it's all bubblegum. But I wanted it to feel good, too, in the way that any life-affirming music does. I think of Brazilian music, because that's one of the main kinds of music that I listen to for my own pleasure. You've got a country there that's so riddled with poverty, and then there's this music that's so full of spirit. But it isn't just phony happy music – it's genuine. That's often the case in struggling cultures or among struggling people: The music does just the opposite. If you have time to make really dark music, then it's a privilege. I've always felt that way. I didn't come from suburbia. I didn't come from a place where I had a lot of time on my hands. I couldn't relate to sitting around and complaining about being miserable. That didn't seem like an option to me." rol.st

A Seattle rock band formed in Phoenix, AZ in 1989. "The original lineup consisted of Gerald Collier (lead vocals, guitar) and Danny Bland (bass, also of Cat Butt and Dwarves) who relocated to Seattle in 1990 where they added Sten Olson (guitar) and Andy Spath (drums) shortly before signing to Sub Pop records. In 1991, the band released their eponymously named debut EP (Produced by Jon Auer of The Posies and Big Star) and toured with L7, Social Distortion, and Pegboy. After replacing Bland, Olson, and Spath with Dave Swafford, Jimmy Paulson (The Lemons), and Tim Arnold (Cherry Poppin' Daddies) the band signed with MCA Records and, in early 1993, released a second EP, entitled Puddin. After touring in support of the MCA EP, Jimmy Paulson left the band to return to his former band The Lemons and was replaced by guitarist Jeff Stone in time to record Been There." bit.ly

Are you sitting down? Legendary Scots rockers will be performing absolutely FREE here in our public Gathering Space on Tuesday, April 25 at 12pm. Get here early; it'll surely be packed to the gills! They'll also be playing the Crocodile that evening at 8pm; ticket info here: www.thecrocodile.com

"The sixth studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. It was released on November 11, 2016, by Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from André 3000, Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Elton John, Kanye West, Anderson Paak, Talib Kweli, and the group's most frequent collaborators Consequence and Busta Rhymes. The album features contributions from member Phife Dawg, who died eight months prior to the album's release. the sixth studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. It was released on November 11, 2016, by Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from André 3000, Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, Elton John, Kanye West, Anderson Paak, Talib Kweli, and the group's most frequent collaborators Consequence and Busta Rhymes. The title was chosen by Phife Dawg, and although the other members did not understand its meaning, they kept it in place after his death." bit.ly

"In this era of Black Lives Matter, political protests, & endless wars, Tiffany serves as a beacon of hope with a message of love and conscious awareness. She invites the listeners on a journey that explores justice, spirituality, and what it really means to love other folks and ultimately- ourselves." bit.ly

Barfly of Saturday Knights on "the stewardess" on the album cover: "Ahem. She prefers the gender neutral term, 'Flight Attendant,' if I'm not overreaching. We know her from our salad days in the Portuguese navy. She's sort of a life coach for all of us." threeimaginarygirls.com

Biram on Lead Belly's influence on his music: "We had this vinyl record that was the soundtrack to the film Lead Belly which is a pretty obscure movie, not really easy to find. I think they filmed it in '76 or something like that. I was a little kid. They filmed it in the little town that I lived in and I was in my dad's arms on the edge of the set while they were filming the scene where Lead Belly shot his friend and went to prison. So I heard that soundtrack a lot, which wasn't actually Lead Belly playing on the soundtrack. It was Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and someone named Hi Tide Harris who I haven't been able to find too much on, even with the Internet. Once I got into roots music, when I was a little older and started playing bluegrass and started really playing the guitar a lot and learning blues, Lead Belly was just naturally somebody that I gravitated toward. And his story is so interesting. I read all the biographies." bit.ly

"I was such a theatre-dork in high school. I just loved that type of expression, that performance. I think that’s why I’m drawn to Tom Waits and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. I love their music, but I just love showmanship. Theatrical performers, really; I love Kate Bush. I love artists who incorporate that theatrical persona into what they do. So, I like songs that might not be the catchiest songs but take you on some weird journey, not to sound cheesy." She also reveals, "I always was cast as the villain in everything." bit.ly

Band leader Matt Hillyer went on to found the equally cool band, Eleven Hundred Springs.