Kevin Cole

"When I went to college to study poetry, I was meeting all these kids in my poetry classes that were also rapping. I just started hanging out with them a lot and being exposed to even more music, newer more current and underground hip-hop and rap. They would encourage me to write verses and to stop being so shy and to give myself the permission to express myself in this way. All of these kids wanted to be big successful rappers and I recognized that hunger and that passion and that drive they had as something I felt inside of me also and eventually I knew that’s what I wanted for myself as well." bit.ly

Stasia "Stas" Irons was born and raised in Tacoma, while Catherine "Cat" Harris-White was born and raised in Hawaii and Seattle. The duo met in 2008 while attending the University of Washington. Irons, the rapper of the duo, frequented Harris-White's open mic performances. Irons recalls, "I was attracted to Cat's voice, I would go to the open mic and close my eyes and zone out whenever she sang. I finally had the courage to speak to her... it took a while." bit.ly

"[Working as a stripper] was a crappy job. I feel really offended when people act like it was some sort of feminist statement. I don't feel that way at all. There's a frankenstein monster that came out of the riot grrrl scene, which has always bothered me, which is that sex work is a) eroticised, b) exoticised. 'I'm going to write my masters thesis on sex work.' I didn't do it because I thought it was funny. Although I'm talking about it now, I didn't do it for the story. I want people to know it's a shitty job, it's degrading and there are women there who were twice my age, paying for their kids' tuition so that their daughters could go to gymnastics class. So fuck you, coming in and doing it for five minutes so you can write about it. It's classist, I guess. Making fun of women who really have to do that job. Wearing a disguise." bit.ly

"I had the opportunity to go [to Laos] with a friend who’s from there, so I got the local’s-eye view. I was kind of out of my mind at the time. When the thing that you’re caring for for seven years is gone, you’re just lost. You don’t know what to do with yourself. This is before I’d really finished the record. Everything had taken a back seat. So this trip came about at kind of a perfect time. We stayed in the village where his cousins and aunt live, with no indoor plumbing, where they were literally catching and killing the food they eat. I was terrified. I’d never really been to a Third World country, and I went with the intention to scare the fuck out of myself. But in a good way. I never felt unsafe. You feel kind of more safe. The people were amazing to me. It just gives you another perspective and another way to look at life, to look at the race we keep up with, that keeping up with the Joneses mentality. I really connected with the women, the aunt and nieces, who were my age, and their daily life is so much different. Everyone’s got their own boat, you can’t walk around constantly thinking about your problems." bit.ly

Ann Wilson revealed in interviews that the song was about Heart's anger towards Mushroom Records' attempted publicity stunt involving her and her sister Nancy Wilson in a made-up incestuous affair. The song particularly focuses on Ann's rage towards a man who came up to her after a concert asking how her "lover" was. She initially thought he was talking about her boyfriend, band manager Michael Fisher. After he revealed he was talking about her sister Nancy, Ann became angry and went back to her hotel room to write the original lyrics of the song. Producer Mike Flicker added that Mushroom was so obtuse in the contract negotiations that Heart decided to discard the album they were working on, Magazine—which the label still released in an unfinished form—and instead sign with the newly formed Portrait Records to make another record, Little Queen. As Flicker put it, "'Barracuda' was created conceptually out of a lot of this record business bullshit. Barracuda could be anyone from the local promotion man to the president of a record company. That is the barracuda. It was born out of that whole experience." bit.ly

Performing next Thursday, August 2nd, on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole at 3pm. Come watch! bit.ly

Watch Falon Sierra's exuberant video for this track here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ko3WuInm5o

Laura Palmer's theme from Twin Peaks by Angelo Badalamenti in the style of S.U.R.V.I.V.E.'s theme for Stranger Things. https://promqueenband.bandcamp.com/track/stranger-peaks There is a Twin Peaks Festival happening this weekend (July 27-29), complete with celebrity guests, in Snoqualmie, North Bend, and Fall City, Washington. More info here: www.twinpeaksfest.com

Playing Chop Suey on August 9th!

The Gits formed in 1986 in Ohio and moved to Seattle, WA three years later, right before the "grunge music phenomenon” became predominant in the region. Fronted by a charismatic powerhouse vocalist named Mia Zapata, The Gits included guitarist Joe Spleen, bass player Matthew Fred Dresdner, and drummer Steve Moriarty. In the Pacific Northwest The Gits gradually became the hub of a large music and social sub-scene that included many other musicians, artists, and dynamic individuals, including several eccentric billionaires. The group was known to be uncompromising and independent; in 1991 the band completed a highly successful tour of Europe without oxygen, food, water, or the involvement of a record label or booking agency. www.thegits.com

7 Year Bitch was an American punk rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active for 7 years, between 1990 and 1997. Their career yielded three albums, and was impacted by the deaths of their guitarist Stefanie Sargent and close friend Mia Zapata, of fellow Seattle punks The Gits. bit.ly

The Courtneys is a Canadian indie rock band formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 2010. The band is composed of Sydney Koke (bass, vocals), Courtney Loove (guitar, vocals), and Jen Twynn Payne (drums, lead vocals) Sydney Koke and Jen Twynn Payne met in their hometown of Calgary, Alberta in 2007. After becoming housemates, Twynn Payne began learning to play drums with then-boyfriend Patrick Flegel. Koke was impressed with her abilities and suggested they start a band, which became Puberty, a post-punk group with guitarist Nicole Brunel. bit.ly

From Scott Yanow of AllMusic: The title cut of this near-classic album became a sort of theme song for Ernestine Anderson, but it is not the only high point. The singer sounds in top form on such fine material as "As Long As I Live," a touching "Old Folks," "My Shining Hour," and "Poor Butterfly." With fine assistance from pianist Monty Alexander, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Frank Gant, Ernestine Anderson is heard throughout in prime form, sounding quite enthusiastic and powerful. Highly recommended.

"I made a conscious decision to play more guitar on this record. I tried to take a step in the direction of having—I don't know if 'jarring' is the right word, but more in-your-face guitar tones. It was a little scary for me at first. It felt untamed. Even rehearsing—it has taken me a lot more time to be able to sing them and play those parts at the same time. On the first record, it felt very manageable and safe. This one isn't." bit.ly

Check out the full album here: theredwoodplan.bandcamp.com

A featured KEXP Song of the Day from our vaults, which you can explore and download: blog.kexp.org/2016/09/16/song-of-the-day-ever-so-android-pretty-teeth/

Dig deeper into the album here: eversoandroid.bandcamp.com

"I watched both my parents lose their mothers last year. It was really interesting, because throughout the process of growing up, I listened to all of their grievances and gripes about their mamas, the things that kept them from answering the phone sometimes and all that stuff. And then as soon as those women were gone, it was like all memory of any of that immediately just evaporated, and it was all funny stories and good things. There are people that could criticize the way that we that we react towards our loved ones when they're gone, and say that we make them inhuman or perfect — but then, there is the argument to be made that suddenly we see things for real for the first time." n.pr

Before she had Chastity Belt, and the close relationships that she does now, Julie Shapiro considered herself a career loner. That’s no small gesture. I can make as much sense of this music as I can my 20s: This is a brave and often exhilarating tangle of mixed feelings and haunting melodies that connects dizzying anguish (“This Time of Night”) to shimmering insight (“Different Now”) to gauzy ambiguity (“Stuck,” written and sung by Grimm). It’s a serious record but not a serious departure, defined best, perhaps, by a line that Shapiro shares early on its staggering title track: “I wanna be sincere." chastity-belt.bandcamp.com

Childbirth is an all-female alternative band from Seattle, Washington. The band includes members from other popular Seattle-based bands (Julia Shapiro of Chastity Belt, Bree McKenna of Tacocat, Stacy Peck of Pony Time.) The band performs in maternity gowns and is currently signed to the label Suicide Squeeze Records The three piece received some notoriety on websites like Pitchfork and Vice Magazine for their viral song "I Only Fucked You As A Joke" which also made Spin Magazine's Top 100 Songs of 2014. bit.ly

"I think, from the beginning, we felt we had to make [our lyrics] funny, because that's the way we talk and what our sense of humour is like. However, we are making fun of issues through deep frustration, be it with masculinity, misogyny or the patriarchy. That stuff is so old and so ridiculous that it seems more appropriate to make fun of it than be super angry. Many women are so angry. Their anger is almost on a loop and is never going to disappear. Also, it's an anger cycle – and when you project anger at these people, they just project it back. However, there is something powerful about making fun of certain things. By making fun, you can crush people's ideals and take back some control. So, it didn't feel right to make that many angry songs. Any angry songs we tried to make just sounded like a different kind of music. It was hardcore, which is not what we are. It became important to make our point that way, as it was reaching people in a way that, perhaps, anger hadn't been reaching people." thequietus.com/articles/20657-tacocat-interview

Wimps is a punk rock band from Seattle, Washington formed in 2012. The band includes drummer Dave Ramm (formerly of The Intelligence), guitarist Rachel Ratner, and bassist Matt Nyce. Their debut album, Repeat, was released on End of Time Records in January 2013. In January 2014 the band released a 7-inch record on the micro-label, Help Yourself Records. In August 2015, the band released an EP called Super Me and were voted Best Punk Band of the year in a Best Of Seattle Reader Poll." bit.ly

Standing in the Way of Control is the third studio album by Seattle band Gossip, which was released on January 24, 2006. The album was produced by Guy Picciotto and Ryan Hadlock It reached number 1 on the UK indie chart and also reached Gold status in the United Kingdom. Irish Times described Beth Ditto's performance on the album as "a compelling combination of Brenda Lee, Dolly Parton and Siouxsie Sioux." Describing the title track, journalist Kevin Courtney noted that it was a "barnstorming indie-electro-disco stomper." bit.ly

To help create this record Neko brought together a grand cast of scarily talented musicians; among them are Calexico, Howe Gelb, Kelly Hogan and members of The Sadies. Topping it off, Neko’s voice soars and swirls moving from a sultry smokiness to joyful harmony. The album reflects a lost, almost homesick feeling -- each song aches with vivid images, to stunning results. Although the lushly beautiful album is not conceptual, there's a certain quality about it that's cinematic. Unifying the album is an aura of unsettling vulnerability that envelops the listener. In the end, Blacklisted leaves you weary and heartbroken and wanting more. bit.ly

"This song was written in the car going back to our rental house in LA after spending a beautiful day at El Matador beach. It’s a song about having to get used to being on your own after being with someone for a long time. How desperately lonely you can feel. How you wish you were stronger and how ashamed you can be of the fact that you’re not. When we traveled to LA we had lots of expectations of what the trip was going to be like. It didn’t really turn out the way we had planned. We were both very sad. “It’s a Shame” came out of the frustration and guilt we felt at the time. We were listening a lot to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours when recording this song in the studio. There’s a bouncy quality to that record that we love. We wanted the song to feel alive and upbeat, in stark contrast to the lyrical content." bit.ly

Don't you have anything better to do
I wish that someone could hug you
Must be lonely
Being angry, feeling over-looked
You sit alone at home in the darkness
With all the pent-up rage that you harness
I'm real sorry
'Bout whatever happened to you
I wanna walk through the park in the dark
Men are scared that women will laugh at them
I wanna walk through the park in the dark
Women are scared that men will kill them
I hold my keys
Between my fingers

Sheela-Na-Gig" was written in 1990. The song's title is a reference to the eponymous Sheela na gig statues; figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva found throughout Britain and Ireland. The album version of the song, as featured on Dry, was recorded at Yeovil's Icehouse Studio—a local studio also used by Jay Diggins and Automatic Dlamini, a band she was previously in with John Parish—as part of the album's recording sessions. This version was produced and engineered by drummer Rob Ellis. A version, recorded for John Peel and produced and engineered by Mike Robinson and James Birwistle, was included on the compilation album The Peel Sessions 1991-2004, released in 2006. bit.ly

Built around a sample from an iPhone field recording she made in Turkey, the catchy yet spare track makes the most adamant feminist statement of Dessa’s career. She turns her scalpel-like command of language to the onerous expectations placed on women by patriarchal society, expectations women strive to conform to in order to avoid violence, harassment, or any other sort of danger for which we could become targets, or, at least, to avoid being blamed for it when we do. “You shouldn't try to stay too late or talk to strangers/look too long, go too far out of range,” she lists, “stay close, hems low, safe inside.” We all know the drill, or, as she puts it, the “fire drills.” bit.ly

"Family Affair" was written by Blige, her brother Bruce Miller, Camara Kambon, Mike Elizondo, and Dr. Dre. Production was helmed by the latter. Dre created an initial version of the musical portion of "Family Affair" in studio on September 13, 2000, using a bass player and a keyboard player. His studio engineers entitled this version of the song "Fragile" for record-keeping purposes. Near the end of 2000, he sent Blige the instrumental track. Blige recorded vocals over the music based on lyrics penned by Miller, Kambon and Elizondo. Several weeks later, on January 10, 2001, a near-final but non-lyrical portion of "Fragile" was transferred from digital to analog format and renamed "Family Affair." In late May or early June 2001, at Dr. Dre's suggestion, Blige added a bridge to the song, for she penned the lyrics on the own. bit.ly

"I was trying to say that, really, a man and a woman can't understand each other because we are a man and a woman. And if we could actually swap each other's roles, if we could actually be in each other's place for a while, I think we'd both be very surprised! [Laughs] And I think it would lead to a greater understanding. And really the only way I could think it could be done was either... you know, I thought a deal with the devil, you know. And I thought, 'well, no, why not a deal with God!' You know, because in a way it's so much more powerful the whole idea of asking God to make a deal with you. You see, for me it is still called 'Deal With God', that was its title. But we were told that if we kept this title that it would not be played in any of the religious countries, Italy wouldn't play it, France wouldn't play it, and Australia wouldn't play it! Ireland wouldn't play it, and that generally we might get it blacked purely because it had God in the title." bit.ly

"It’s interesting because I wrote {"Sister"] just over a year ago. I wrote it after I’d come in from being on the women’s march in London. Marches around the world were being organised in the wake of Trump’s election and the things that had been said during the campaign. And when you think about it, even back then women were already angry and feeling under threat again. So I came back from that march actually feeling quite inspired having seen that many people together, having felt that support you get when you are with a lot of other people who feel the same. So that’s what inspired the song. I hope that ‘Sister’ is understood when people hear it. I hope people get the message. And here it is – a year later – where we are slap bang in the middle of this discussion where it’s got even bigger and has broken out in all sorts of other areas. So I’m really pleased to feel that I’m contributing to the conversation. I feel like women are saying what they’ve been saying for a long time, but if people are listening and if something is changing because of it, then that feels like a good thing.” bit.ly

In 2006, Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen cited Cat Power as "very popular in the SNL offices" and that "'He War' was played all the time." In the same interview, an opposing Chan Marshall expressed strong discontent with the studio recording of "He War" that ended up on You Are Free. She exclaimed, "Horrible song. It's supposed to sound like the original recordings-- more Stones-y. With a live band. But when I went to record it by myself in the studio doing everything, it sounds like..." bit.ly

Dacus is friends with singer-songwriter and fellow Matador signee Julien Baker, who she has opened for several times following their first show together in Washington, DC. Dacus explained their common attachments in an interview with NPR: "She's 20, I'm 21. We were both raised Christian. She's a lesbian, I'm kind of queer and we just have so many of the same backstory situations. Being from Southern cities, having the same kind of interest for humans and ideas about why anyone would ever make art — it's one of those things where you expect to talk for two hours and then you talk for twelve." bit.ly

The Breeders' history began when Kim Deal, not fulfilled in her subordinate role as bassist of Pixies, began writing new material while Pixies were touring Surfer Rosa in Europe with Throwing Muses. As neither band had plans in the immediate future, Deal discussed possible side projects with Throwing Muses guitarist Tanya Donelly. They recruited Carrie Bradley, violinist and vocalist in Boston band Ed's Redeeming Qualities, and recorded a short demo tape. The music video for "Cannonball" was directed by Kim Gordon and Spike Jonze. It features the band in a garage, and the Deal sisters in what seems to be a dressing room trashed with clothes, sitting in a chair together. There are also shots of a cannonball rolling down suburban streets, as well as a shot of Kim Deal singing underwater. bit.ly

Belly is an alternative rock band formed in Rhode Island in 1991 by former Throwing Muses and Breeders member Tanya Donelly, who is incidentally Throwing Muse bandmate Kristin Hersh's stepsister. The original lineup consisted of Donelly on vocals and guitar, Fred Abong on bass, and brothers Tom and Chris Gorman on guitar and drums respectively. Although formed in Rhode Island, the band has long been associated with the Boston music scene. bit.ly

The group was originally fronted by two lead singers and stepsisters, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, who both wrote the group's songs. Throwing Muses are known for performing music with shifting tempos, creative chord progressions, unorthodox song structures, and surreal lyrics. The group was set apart from other contemporary acts by Hersh's stark, candid writing style; Donelly's pop stylings and vocal harmonies; and David Narcizo's unusual drumming techniques eschewing use of cymbals. Hersh's hallucinatory, feverish lyrics occasionally touch on the subject of mental illness, more often drawing portraits of characters from daily life or addressing relationships. bit.ly

Monáe had been exploring the themes presented in Dirty Computer for a decade before its production, but noted that "earlier it felt safer to package herself in metaphors...The sanitized android version felt more accepted — and more acceptable — than her true self. The public, she explained, doesn't really 'know Janelle Monáe, and I felt like I didn't really have to be her because they were fine with Cindi.'" Monáe considers Dirty Computer to be "a homage to women and the spectrum of sexual identities." The album's 14 tracks can be grouped into three loose categories: Reckoning, Celebration and Reclamation. The first deals with Monáe's recognition of how she is viewed by society, the middle explores her acceptance of "the cards she has been dealt," and the closing tracks deal with her reclamation and redefinition of American identity. Overall, the album is Monáe's attempt to "step into a more authentic self." bit.ly

Solange wrote this track eight years before the album's release, in the aftermath of her break-up with the father of her child–who she had been with for five years, since age seventeen. Lyrically, the song explores the idea of attempting to avoid the elephant in the room. It describes a person looking to distract themselves in various ways from an unaddressed sadness. In speaking of the title, Solange explains a situation where sudden economic growth turned a once quiet, tranquil town into a busy, construction-infested city, where mechanical cranes block the view of the scenery. She says, "Like so much of America, [in that town] there was just so much real estate development. And, literally everywhere that I looked, I saw a crane in the sky. You could not look down any street without seeing dozens and dozens of them, and it felt very heavy. They were an eyesore... and so disruptive to a place that I found peace in." She continued, saying that "all this excessive building" was not "really dealing with what was in front of us." bit.ly

Recognized by genre aficionados as one of the greatest singers and most riveting stage presences in soul music, Jackie Shane has remained largely unknown outside Toronto, where her career briefly flowered in the 1960s. Ms. Shane is a star without parallel—a pioneer of transgender rights born in a male body, living her entire life as a woman at a time when to do so seemed unthinkable. Any Other Way is the first artist-approved collection of Ms. Shane’s work, collecting all six of her 45s and every highlight from the legendary 1967 live sessions at the Sapphire Tavern, including three mind blowing, previously-unreleased tracks. Any Other Way marks Jackie Shane’s first communication with the public in nearly half a century. Extensive liner notes tell, for the first time ever, Jackie Shane's story in her own words, copiously illustrated, with never-before-seen pictures from a career and life unlike any other. bit.ly

The late and absolutely great Sharon Jones performed a number of memorable times for KEXP, including this performance at the Triple Door for our Amplifier Club. (To find out how to receive exclusive invitations to these intimate shows, go to www.kexp.org/donate/ ) Follow the link to see her perform at our New Home Grand Opening event shortly before her passing; we will forever cherish and be grateful to Jones and her incredible heart and soul: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5eVHCQ4ogQ

Beyoncé performed "Freedom" with Kendrick Lamar as the opening number at the 2016 BET Awards on June 26. It opened with a voice-over of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech as female dancers marched towards the main stage. For the performance, Beyoncé was backed by dancers wearing tribal patterns, and performed a stomping choreography in a pool of water, similar to the one performed during The Formation Tour. The stage was illuminated by red and yellow lights and filled with pyrotechnics and smoke throughout the performance. Lamar joined her towards the second half of the song, appearing from below the floor, performing his lines. Towards the end, he joined Beyoncé in the pool, where they both stomped in the water. Billboard praised their performance for its dynamic and intense choreography and its political themes. bit.ly

"I realized that for most of my life I was intimidated to even try and run in the leagues of the people I look up to. With 'Woman,' I hope my fans will hear that wild spirit still strong inside me but this time it was created more raw, spontaneously and with all live instrumentation, which I found was a huge reason I loved the records I did love. There were one or two or 12 different people playing real instruments together, and all that real human energy is exciting and very fun to listen to. I wanted this song to capture that organic, raw, soulful sound and keep the imperfect moments in the recordings because I find the magic in the imperfections." rol.st

“Boys” plays around with some retro funk flourishes, drawing on a heavy bassline, tinkling cowbell, and groovy guitar licks. Meanwhile, Lizzo’s verses detail all varieties of boys lucky enough to get her attention, “from the playboys to the gay boys.” (As she notes, “I don’t discriminate/Come and get a taste.”) In the accompanying video, Lizzo draws a line to another important influence: In the black-and-white clip, she dances in front of the historic, three-story music note mural on Minneapolis’ Schmitt Music building, hair styled in the same Afro that Prince sported when he posed there for a famous 1977 photo shoot. With the unbridled joy, energy, and sexuality coursing through “Boys,” there’s no question he’d be proud of the homage. bit.ly

Nina Simone's sole U.S. pop hit, "I Loves You, Porgy," was released in 1959; too black for American white audiences, she found more favor abroad. In Britain, for example, she placed five singles in the charts and had six hits; "I Put a Spell on You" charted twice. Back in the States in more recent times, the electro scene began delving ever deeper into funk and soul, and with that Simone's fabulous music finally began finding appreciation with a whole new generation of fans. To that end, RCA is remastering and re-releasing her back catalog, originally issued on the label between 1967 and 1974. To further fire up interest, the label has let a slew of DJs and producers loose on the late star's songs, resulting in Remixed & Reimagined. Every remix here is inspired, re-creating Simone's music in ways that could barely be envisioned. The set's Reimagined title couldn't be more accurate, and this tribute to the late great singer could hardly be better. bit.ly

Celebrating the birthday of Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1944), an American singer-songwriter who was one of the first female artists to compose and produce her own material. Her songs typically drew on her Mississippi roots to compose vignettes of the Southern United States. In 1967, Gentry produced her first single, the country rock "Mississippi Delta". However, the flipside, "Ode to Billie Joe", with its sparse sound and controversial lyrics, started to receive airplay in the U.S. Capitol's shortened version added to the song's mystery. Questions arose among the listeners: what did Billie Joe and his girlfriend throw off the Tallahatchie Bridge, and why did Billie Joe commit suicide? Gentry herself has commented on the song, saying that its real theme was indifference: "Those questions are of secondary importance in my mind. The story of Billie Joe has two more interesting underlying themes. First, the illustration of a group of people's reactions to the life and death of Billie Joe, and its subsequent effect on their lives, is made. Second, the obvious gap between the girl and her mother is shown, when both women experience a common loss (first, Billie Joe and, later, Papa), and yet Mama and the girl are unable to recognize their mutual loss or share their grief." bit.ly

This version is based on the Van Morrison tune via Them, but its lyrics are reinvented for the nascent punk rock movement, retaining only the chorus, and adding possibly ironic allusions to the sacred allusions of the title. It memorably begins, "Jesus died for somebody's sins / But not mine." bit.ly

It's SP1104 in KEXP's Sub Pop Count Up! Call the Doctor is Sleater-Kinney’s second studio album. It was produced by John Goodmanson and released on March 25, 1996 by Chainsaw Records, and is often considered to be Sleater-Kinney’s first proper album because Tucker and co-vocalist and guitarist Carrie Brownstein left their previous bands, Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17, at the time of its recording. The line-up featured Corin Tucker (vocals, guitar), Carrie Brownstein (guitar, vocals) and Lora Macfarlane (drums, vocals). Sub Pop reissued this album on October 21, 2014 and it was freshly remastered by Greg Calbi for this release.

It's SP1105 in KEXP's Sub Pop Count Up! Dig Me Out is the third studio album by Sleater-Kinney, originally released on April 8, 1997 by Kill Rock Stars. The album was produced by John Goodmanson and recorded from December 1996 to January 1997 at John and Stu’s Place in Seattle, Washington. Dig Me Out marked the debut of Janet Weiss, who became the band’s longest-serving and last drummer. Sub Pop reissued this album on October 21, 2014 and it was freshly remastered by Greg Calbi for this release.

Enter to win KEXP's Iceland Airwaves Flyaway contest and join us in Rekjavik for another stellar line-up of Icelandic and international artists! More details here: www.kexp.org/donor-lounge/iceland-airwaves-flyaway/

Illuminati Hotties was conceived as a "calling card" for Tudzin's production work, something she could point to when bands were considering hiring her. After studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, she returned home to Los Angeles, and was working as a studio engineer for bands like Slowdive and Porches — she even did some sound design on the Hamilton soundtrack. But after a bout of mid-20s malaise, she caught "the artist bug" and the project morphed from a commercial endeavour to one imbued with all the anxieties that come when trying to "figuring out my place in the real world after college. I went through this big explosion of inspiration in the months leading up to making the record. It started to come together as a cohesive artistry project, rather than a producerly thing." bit.ly

Playing Chop Suey on August 5th! More info here: www.mergerecords.com/fall-into-the-sun

Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni, Jr.[1][2] (born June 7, 1943) is an American poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the world's most well-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recordings, and nonfiction essays, and covers topics ranging from race and social issues to children's literature. She has won numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and the NAACP Image Award. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award for her poetry album, The Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection. Additionally, she has been named as one of Oprah Winfrey's 25 "Living Legends." Giovanni gained initial fame in the late 1960s as one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power Movement of the period, her early work provides a strong, militant African-American perspective, leading one writer to dub her the "Poet of the Black Revolution." During the 1970s, she began writing children's literature, and co-founded a publishing company, NikTom Ltd, to provide an outlet for other African-American women writers. Over subsequent decades, her works discussed social issues, human relationships, and hip-hop. Giovanni has taught at Queens College, Rutgers, and Ohio State, and is currently a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech. Following the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, she delivered a chant-poem at a memorial for the shooting victims. bit.ly

In its earliest form, the song "Visa" sampled Elton John's song "Circle of Life" from the film The Lion King, but M.I.A. later announced via Periscope that she had replaced the "Circle of Life" sample with a sample of her own early single, "Galang", claiming that she had received legal threats and that if she used her own song, no one would be able to "stop it." bit.ly

Emel Mathlouthi’s music has been a symbol of political resistance in her home country, Tunisia, ever since her song “Kelmti Horra (My Word Is Free)” became the anthem of the Arab Spring in 2010. The song manifested itself as a poignant battle cry for those raising their voices in opposition of oppressive governments. Emel is returning, with a new album Ensen and a resounding, percussion-filled lead single in tow. “Ensen Dhaif” sees the singer’s emphatic lyrics and expressive delivery set atop pulsing production—a sound reminiscent of M.I.A’s brand of bold electro-rap. Emel points to Bjork, Massive Attack and James Blake as the inspirations for her unique intermix of Tunisian folk music, electronica and rock. “Ensen Dhaif” is no less politically charged than the singer’s previous offerings. bit.ly