Kevin Cole

Check out a KEXP book review on "Song and Circumstance: The Work of David Byrne from Talking Heads to Present": blog.kexp.org

In describing how he feels pop music has changed, Byrne says, "I've just been talking about the surge towards performance but with a lot of music being produced now, you don't need to be a performer at all. When we formed Talking Heads, everyone had to be a performer. That's no longer the case. I mean, just the laptop scene. People make incredible music without ever setting foot on a stage. Or outside their bedroom. That's a great thing too. It means you don't even have to have an image. We forget how important the look was to punk and to glam or whatever. The look was the attitude as much as the music. The look was a kind of context too." Read more here: www.theguardian.com

Majestico are currently on tour; see if they're coming to a town near you: www.majesticomusic.com

"Barnett’s forwardness and complete lack of self-editing makes for a highly engaging four minutes - its opening line of 'I got drunk and fell atop the sheets but luckily I left the heater on' is somehow the song’s least interesting bit - and as she meanders through tangents of romance, travel, art school, and getting drunk (again), it’s hard not to follow her down whatever delightfully random path she chooses." Read more (and download!) your very own copy of "History Eraser" right here. blog.kexp.org

The always-wonderful Katie Kate once blogged prior to her in-studio session, “This is literally a dream come true. I used to listen to KEXP in New York, thinking I was very cool, and in the back of my brain I dreamed of being on this station. I’m so thankful!" And we were so happy to have her come play. Read more about her, plus download your very own copy of "Copenhagen," right here: blog.kexp.org

Random fact about Blondie's "Call Me": It was written for the film, "American Gigolo." "Stevie Nicks was originally asked to help write it, but had to decline since she signed with a new label. Harry was working with German disco producer Giorgio Moroder, and given a rough instrumental track called 'Man Machine,' and wrote the lyrics and melody within a few hours. Also, Harry said that the song was about driving, and said, 'When I was writing it, I pictured the opening scene, driving on the coast of California.'' To read more, and also enjoy the track, click here: blog.kexp.org

Fresh off our blog, download the Truckers' "Pauline Hawkins" here: blog.kexp.org They're also coming to town, playing April 23rd at Showbox SoDo, with Shovels and Rope opening.

An All-Star supergroup of their own, The Baseball Project is comprised of members of R.E.M., Dream Syndicate and the Minus 5, played at MFNW 2013. Hear our coverage of their performance. kexp.org This song was a loving ode to late baseball legend Mark "The Bird" Fidrych; you can read more about his accomplishments, personality, and tragic fate, here: www.nytimes.com

"Early in the band’s career, Turner claimed his biggest influence wasn’t The Strokes or The Libertines (essentially the progenitors of nearly all English guitar bands during the ’00s), but Roots Manuva, an English rapper who preceded the U.K. grime explosion of 2003. Turner noted that his fixation with Manuva’s storytelling wasn’t because of his attention to detail but his off-kilter perspective to his narratives. (As Turner bluntly put it during an interview with Spin, 'He was a fucking stoner, so it’s all got this weird, canted angle.')" Read more in our album review of "AM" here: blog.kexp.org

The Brooklyn electro-pop darlings are not only beloved in Seattle for being a wonderful part of the Barsuk family, but also for generously playing a private afternoon show for KEXP's Amplifier Club members. Enjoy video from the show here: blog.kexp.org If you'd like to learn how to receive invitations to these exclusive "thank you" performances, simply click here: www.kexp.org

Back in February, 2013, The Walkmen performed at Seattle's Neptune Theatre with Father John Misty opening to benefit a local organization called, "Youth In Focus." A co-presentation of KEXP, Starbucks, and STG, this epic Little Big Show #5 can be revisited here: blog.kexp.org

Here's a fascinating interview with Hamilton Leithauser, conducted by Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig. In discussing what it was like to work with esteemed Seattle producer, Phil Ek, Leithauser said, "Like, on the first day, he was like, 'Okay, just write down everything you want to do.' So we wrote down every name of every song and he was really taken aback. Because he had just done the Fleet Foxes record and they had written 12 songs and recorded 12 songs, and there are 12 songs on the record. So we wrote 32 down. He told me after that he'd never done a record like this before, which I'm really surprised to hear because it doesn't sound that weird to me at all." www.spin.com

Future Islands' recent appearance on Letterman is now the stuff of legends. In case you missed it, check it out here: www.youtube.com Read our extensive review of this album in our blog, which describes "Singles" as "top to bottom chock full of heart-breaking romantic tragedy, soundtracked by 80s synth pop dance magic. The combination finds a happy place somewhere between The Cure, OMD, The Smiths, and New Order, while all the time entirely its own bizarre, melancholy monster." blog.kexp.org

Vancouver-bred, Montreal-based Grimes came by our studio and played an impassioned set a few years back. Relive the magic here: blog.kexp.org

"I used to live alone in the top-floor turret of this Edward Scissorhands-style house that overlooked the highway a few years back. It was a cauldron for me, a beautiful little cocoon. When I couldn't sleep, I would sit by my window and watch the cars. I started playing a game called 'No One's Going Anywhere,' where I would count out the stretches when no cars were on the highway whatsoever. Maybe it would be 20 seconds, and then 30 seconds, and suddenly you're at a minute. But I wouldn't get back to sleep because my heart would start pounding, thinking that no one's going anywhere. And while I would do this, I was obsessed with Jónsi & Alex's Riceboy Sleeps." pitchfork.com For more reading and listening pleasure, check out our Song of the Day feature on Drew's "Frightening Lives":blog.kexp.org

Of this newly-released loveliness, KEXP's Don Yates writes: "Formerly recording under the name WALL, this British singer-songwriter has shed that moniker and now offers up her debut album under her own name. It’s a well-crafted set of dreamy indie-pop inflected with subtle shades of ‘60s girl groups, ‘80s synth-pop, Kate Bush art-pop and other styles, featuring a beautifully layered sound with atmospheric keyboards, chiming guitars, breathy, plaintive vocals, intimate lyrics and wistful melodies."

A song by the Scottish band about baseball, with some of the most exquisite lyrics written about the sport: "The catcher hits for .318 and catches every day / The pitcher puts religion first and rests on holidays / He goes into cathedrals and lies prostrate on the floor / He knows the drink affects his speed, he's praying for a doorway / Back into the life he wants and the confession of the bench / Life outside the diamond is a wrench." Read our review of their 2010 performance at Benaroya Hall here: blog.kexp.org

Here is a "lost interview" with the Beastie Boys talking about "Being Stupid": www.youtube.com For more fun, check out one of our Review Revues of "Cooky Puss": blog.kexp.org

"Chuck Berry’s music was so catchy it was played on the radio before anyone asked what race he was. Some called it “instant integration” since music lovers of all colors would come to see Chuck play. Not only was he a phenomenal guitar player, but he cut a fashionable figure onstage in sharp suits and a swanky hairdo. He could dance and the poetry he sang made you want to shake. And when he’d do his famous “duck walk”, squatting down to walk while tearing up a lead on guitar, the crowd would go wild." Listen here for an exclusive documentary, produced by KEXP writer, producer, and DJ Michele Myers: blog.kexp.org

Howler was featured in a blog post rich with videos from SXSW; check it out here, as well as see other performances by Shearwater, Imperial Teen, and the Barr Brothers: blog.kexp.org

#4 in our Portraits of Post-Punk documentary series by DJ Michele Myers, "Siouxsie Sioux and her friends had never picked up an instrument when they performed at the Punk Rock Festival at the 100 Club in 1976, making them an official punk band." Sit back and enjoy the show here, along with a slew of other treasures: kexp.org

Perfect Pussy made a massive splash this year at SXSW; of "Say Yes to Love," Don Yates writes, "the debut full-length from this Syracuse, NY band is a fierce set of blistering noise-punk with in-the-red production featuring feedback-drenched guitars and energetic rhythms accompanying Meredith Graves’ distorted, shouted vocals and brutally honest lyrics." They have a bunch of tour dates coming up, including the Black Lodge in Seattle on May 22nd. For more info, check out their Bandcamp page: prrfectpussy.bandcamp.com

Happy 49th Birthday to Mudhoney's Steve Turner! Born in Houston, Texas, in 1965, his first band was called The Ducky Boys, which at the time also included Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard. As well as working on his own solo projects, Turner has also been involved with The Thrown Ups, Monkeywrench, and The Fall Outs. Check out our footage of Mudhoney's historic performance atop the Space Needle last summer, all full of blue sky and blazing energy: blog.kexp.org

This song came with one of the cutest videos of all time; prepare yourself for some under-the-tree poetry readings of Rush: www.youtube.com The New Jersey trio came by our studio last year and played a fantastic set; explore more from their session here: blog.kexp.org

"You get mistaken for strangers by your own friends / When you pass them at night under the silvery, silvery Citibank lights / Arm in arm in arm and eyes and eyes glazing under / Oh, you wouldn't want an angel watching over, surprise, surprise, they wouldn't wanna watch / Another uninnocent, elegant fall into the unmagnificent lives of adults." Described by Michael Moore as "one of the best documentaries about a band that I've ever seen," "Mistaken for Strangers" will be screened at Seattle's Grand Illusion Theatre on April 11th. For film and ticket information, click here: mistakenforstrangersmovie.com

"The first half of Joyland is incredibly telling for TRUST. The opening: atmospheric, then gothic rave, then beautiful, then questioning, all before you flip the record (theoretically) and dance your ass off to side B. Side B is old TRUST perfected. 'Ichabod' is a spacey, spooky cut along the Depeche Mode lines of 'Dressed For Space,' keeping things from getting too murky before 'Four Gut' goes for the throat." Read more from our review here: blog.kexp.org Trust will perform in Seattle at Barboza on April 28th.

Perhaps best known for their infamous "Oh Yeah," featured on "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," the Swiss duo received the ECHO Lifetime Achievement Award from the German Phono Academy; it was presented to them just yesterday at an awards ceremony at the Messe Berlin. www.yello.com

Pillar Point, the most recent project of Scott Reitherman of Throw Me The Statue, came by the studio and played an emotionally engrossing set. Enjoy the videos here: blog.kexp.org

From Iceland, Apparat Organ Quartet came and played a delightful set here at our studios. An ever-cheerful Kevin Cole is a clear and happy bonus in the band photo: blog.kexp.org

"Ever the seekers, the Midwest band has always tackled the big questions, the universal, philosophical and existential one -- who are we, where do we come from, where do we go, what do we do with each other while we’re here? Cloud Cult albums are like roadmaps, self-help guides and (non-denominational) theological treatise all wrapped together, yet despite any resulting soul-searching, or maybe because of it, the band’s music remains at the forefront." Read more here, plus see video from their most recent visit to our studio: blog.kexp.org On April 14th, the band will be releasing "Unplug,' a new full-length live acoustic album.

Seattle's Iska Dhaaf ~ or more specifically, Benjamin Verdoes (of Mt St. Helens Vietnam Band) ~ bring a whole new meaning to multitasking when they came to our studio and performed songs off their new and highly-anticipated album. Check out the mad, magic genius (and testament to droves of talent and hours upon hours of practicing) here: blog.kexp.org

Vancouver's Japandroids was featured in our Song of the Day, a track described as "a gnarly assault of arena rock guitars, raw-sounding vocals, and that trademark explosive drumming"; you can download the raucous fun right here: blog.kexp.org

A few years ago, Kevin Cole featured "Hootenanny" on the Afternoon Show; read about it here: blog.kexp.org

"Emerging from Cincinnati, Ohio, just as alternative rock was becoming a national phenomena, The Afghan Whigs always stood apart from their contemporaries. As punk was enthroned as the era’s primary influence, the band regularly covered R&B classics in their sets. When flannel was in vogue, they wore finely tailored suits. And as self-loathing reigned as every frontman’s go-to approach, frontman Greg Dulli brought a series of magnetically destructive characters to life in a fashion that made moral ambiguity fascinating long before Christopher Nolan even made his first film." The Afghan Whigs' "Algiers" was a featured Song of the Day; read more, and download the track here: blog.kexp.org

"Not sure if it’s a compliment to be called a “thinking man’s metal band” (or at least, it’s not so nice to the other metal bands), but long running alternative metal band Helmet have always made smart music that never loses its punch." Helmet came by our studios and performed a searing session for us; enjoy it all here: blog.kexp.org

"A work in progress since 2007, 'Something for Everybody' features the punk fury of Devo’s earliest recordings combined with synth production courtesy of Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, The Bird and the Bee) and Santigold." Read more from our preview of the album here: blog.kexp.org

A request from Mark! Here's a fun tidbit by Kevin on Wipers: "Kurt (Cobain) cited Portland band Wipers as a huge influence; not only did Nirvana cover their songs, but they invited frontman Greg Sage to open for them on tour." For some incredible fun, and more Kevin Cole and his trademark heart-filled playlists, check this out: blog.kexp.org

BPF split their time between Toronto, Ontario, and Austin, Texas, and are doing a small tour, with a date in Seattle TBD, but in around the second week of May. Keep up top of their happenings and mind their website for more information as it comes: blackpistolfire.com

"Hanni El Khatib may not yet be a household name, yet millions of households have blared his song 'I Got a Thing' as this Nike ad featuring nighttime sports jam flashed across their TV screens. The Bay Area musician himself is an avid skateboarder and a working artist. Though his heritage is international - he’s of Palestinian and Filipino descent - his love for classics styles of American rock, surf and soul is undeniable." Explore more of his music in some live videos we shot during his visit here to the station a few years ago: blog.kexp.org

Vertical Scratchers, a new project featuring John Schmersal of Brainiac/Enon, are set to play live here in our studios on Sunday, April 6th, at 2pm, then later that evening at Barboza, with Black Whales and Psychedelephant opening.

A documentary featuring TV on the Radio can be streamed in its entirety here: blog.kexp.org

"From his early punk roots with Hüsker Dü in the 1980s through his alternative pop years with Sugar in the 1990s, and in the years between and afterwards with his ten solo albums, the veteran songwriter has explored a variety of styles but has returned again and again to the smart, muscular guitar rock he does so well. If you didn’t know better, you might think Silver Age, his most recent release, with all its ferocious attacks and anthemic hooks, was cut decades earlier." Read more, and explore some live performances from Bumbershoot's Music Lounge, right here: blog.kexp.org