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Friday, May 16 2014, 2PM
"Leave it to an Australian band to save Brit Pop. Actually, they may be destroying it because reportedly Noel Gallagher is too busy listening to Jagwar Ma to get the old band back together. In truth, the young Aussies have revitalized the Madchester sound, though rather than sustain one long bacchanalian yell, they trace the sonic thread through the scenes that followed." Read on, dear Listener, and enjoy some live video produced right here in our studios from a recent visit by the young Aussies: blog.kexp.org
"Led by Australia-born singer/guitarist James Hall, the band has been a Seattle mainstay since 2007, when they released their self-titled debut album. Since then, Hall has released four more albums of Rickenbacker-powered guitar pop, incorporating elements of ’90s Britpop and early garage rock into his melodic mix." Can't get enough musical sun? Head here to download your own copy of "Wait for Summer," a featured Song of the Day on our blog: blog.kexp.org
"The roots of British quintet The Horrors lie within the 60′s garage rock and post-punk movements, the evolutions of which led directly to new wave. The five band members met and bonded over mutual love of groups like Bauhaus and The Birthday Party, infusing elements of goth and shoegaze into the Horrors’ already established sound." Intrigued? Read on, and see some sweet photos of the band while you're at it: blog.kexp.org
"French band M83 is a propulsive force. Starting with cinematic samples and pulsing atmospheric keys, these songs build in velocity to reach storied heights of energy. Join this intensely good band for a set of live atmospheric electro-rock." Follow this link to stream an in-studio performance by the boys in 2005: www.kexp.org/live/liveperformance.aspx?rId=14579
A physics major, here are some books Katy Goodman recommends: "My favorite book of [Richard Dawkins'] is 'The Greatest Show on Earth,' which is the book about evolution. His approach can be kind of snarky. And I know a lot of people are turned off by it, but I love it—the way he pokes fun at people who don't believe in evolution. I also like 'The God Delusion,' but then again, people can be kind of turned off by him. Some people I know are like, "Uh, whatever." But I like that there's somebody out there saying those things. Because evolution isn't a belief—it's science and truth. There are a lot of people who don't want to offend other people's beliefs. But there are also beliefs that are misinformed." www.interviewmagazine.com Enjoy and download La Sera's "Break My Heart" right here, right now: blog.kexp.org
Kevin Parker on his reluctance on doing encores, yet sometimes succombing: "The first one we ever did was when Craig Nicholls from The Vines was backstage with us, and we were kind of drunk by the end of the gig. Someone thought it would be a good idea if Craig would get back up and sing 'Get Free' and we'd be the backing band. So I jumped on the drums — that was our first. Anyway, we used to just make it a thing that we never did them. I've found them to be so obviously premeditated. It sort of kills the idea of an encore, where they're not meant to come back on onstage and if they do, it's this amazing thing. Nowadays, it's like 'goodbye' [claps lightly for a few seconds] and then — oh, they're back again! But now it's become where it's actually harder not to do them than to just do them. So now where we stand, is that if the fans make a big enough noise, we'll come back." www.interviewmagazine.com/music/tame-impala-lonerism/#_
Born in Philadelphia, Mirah got her musical start in Olympia, Washington, and now is based in Brooklyn. Her "kinetic, witty compositions and spectacular, childlike voice stand out in the Northwest indie-pop scene. In this live set, she sings an a cappella rain song and spins velvety stories over percussive acoustic guitar." Stream a live in-studio performance from 2002 here: kexp.org
"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. But during the 20 years Siouxsie and the Banshees stayed together they morphed their sound into the more sophisticated, spooky realm of post-punk." Wanna hear more from a killer little KEXP documentary on Siouxie and Co.? Come hither and stream away: kexp.org
"Their latest LP may be Most Messed Up, but Old 97′s are sounding their most fired up yet. Over 20 years in and now on their 10th studio album, the veteran Dallas band continues to fuel their raucous country rock sound with elements of twang-punk, power pop, and psych-tinged folk-rock while featuring mostly live recordings and raw vocals, in defiance to today’s trend of Auto-Tune and over-processed multi-track recordings. As lead singer and principle songwriter Rhett Miller said in his interview with DJ Troy during their most recent visit to KEXP, Old 97′s are 'trying really hard to fight the good fight and keep it human.'" The boys came by last week and played an infectious, live video streamed set; check it out here: blog.kexp.org
"Bred in Wiltshire, it took relocation to southwest London for the dirty psychedelic blues-rock of singer/guitarist Sam Windett, bassist Dorian Hobday, and drummer Mark Cleveland -- aka Archie Bronson Outfit -- to be discovered. Moving to attend art school (studying, incidentally, alongside future members of the Duke Spirit and the Beatings), the rock trio was randomly discovered one night by the president of Domino Records at his favorite local pub, The Cat's Back." www.allmusic.com Read more and download your own copy of "Shark's Tooth," their featured Song of the Day, here: blog.kexp.org
Jello Biafra, of the Dead Kennedys, once said of Al Jourgensen (Ministry, Revolting Cocks), "Every day he wakes in the morning he defies science.” When asked why the name change to "RevCo," Jourgensen replied, "Because it's a new generation of kids. We're like the industrial Menudo. We get done with the old guys and then we get the new guys. We made a slight change. It would be like Menudo just being Men or Menu or something." www.laweekly.com This song made #57 on 2009's Best Cover Songs of the year; more from that list here: blog.kexp.org
Peter Garrett, former Australian Environmental Minister and lead singer of Midnight Oil, spearheaded a successful international effort to cease controversial poaching by Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary (an area of 50 million square km surrounding the continent of Antarctica), leading to a ruling by the International Court of Justice to permanently suspend such activities. "I'm absolutely over the moon, for all those people who wanted to see the charade of scientific whaling cease once and for all. I think (this) means without any shadow of a doubt that we won't see the taking of whales in the Southern Ocean in the name of science." www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/japan-whaling-world-court_n_5061042.html
"'Lovely' and 'infectious' — mash those words together and it sounds something like Lucius. Watch and hear the band perform, and those words seem even more apt. Led by co-vocalists Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, the NYC-based five-piece blends gorgeous harmonies and lively percussion in girl group influenced pop songs, which sound terrific on record but truly come to life onstage." Read on to catch a cute comparison to the band made by a Facebook commenter, and see some live video from a recent show at the Triple Door: blog.kexp.org
"Robert Nesta Marley was born February 6, 1945, in rural St. Ann's Parish, Jamaica; the son of a middle-aged white father and teenaged black mother, he left home at 14 to pursue a music career in Kingston, becoming a pupil of local singer and devout Rastafarian Joe Higgs. [His] music gave voice to the day-to-day struggles of the Jamaican experience, vividly capturing not only the plight of the country's impoverished and oppressed but also the devout spirituality that remains their source of strength. His songs of faith, devotion, and revolution created a legacy that continues to live on not only through the music of his extended family but also through generations of artists the world over touched by his genius." www.allmusic.com/artist/bob-marley-mn0000071514/biography
"Since her arrival in Seattle, Katie Kate, rapper and producer, already carries one album, Flatland, as well as two singles, Buffalo and Zombie, underneath her belt. A New-York native and Cornish alum, Katie Kate’s been creating art and impacting communities on both sides of the coast. As a consequence, Katie Kate is challenging the male-dominated field of hiphop production." Check out video of performance and interview from her captivating in-studio session back in April: blog.kexp.org
"Formed on the campus of the University of Washington, the young men of Beat Connection play dance music infused with a bit of magical realism. With digital production, live guitar and drums, their songs slink, jump and dive." Read more, and see some video from their performance at MusicFestNW 2013: blog.kexp.org
"At this point, Imperial Teen should be a household name. They’ve been carving out a name for themselves in the indie rock scene since the mid-1990s and have opened up for Hole and Marilyn Manson. Their mix of post-grunge alternative and new wave earned them SPIN’s 4th best album of the year with 1996′s Seasick, and their sound is without a doubt a huge influence on bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Broken Social Scene." Catch up on their SXSW performance at Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop back in 2012, complete with some lovely photos: blog.kexp.org
"In the wake of the rather acrimonious breakup of his previous band, Galaxie 500, singer/guitarist Dean Wareham issued a 1991 solo EP, Anesthesia, and appeared on the brilliant Mercury Rev single "Car Wash Hair" before announcing the formation of a new band, dubbed Luna, in 1992. Originally named Luna², the trio was a kind of alternative pop supergroup that also included former Chills bassist Justin Harwood and ex-Feelies drummer Stanley Demeski." www.allmusic.com/artist/luna-mn0000268990/biography The band also contributed a bewitching cover of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot's "Bonnie and Clyde" to the French fauxcumentary, "Irma Vep": www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zyyc1KDlTc
"All the way from Brighton, UK, Fear of Men is an indie lo-fi band with a new album titled, 'Loom.' Lucky for us, they came to KEXP and delivered a driving live in-studio performance featuring songs from this 2014 release." Listen to a performance recorded not even two weeks ago right here! kexp.org
Seattle's Galen Disston on the strangest thing he's seen on tour: "Probably a cockroach in the green room on the food table in D.C. But the best thing I’ve seen was the Folkways (60’s New York record label) archives in D.C. The Smithsonian purchased all their stuff and we spent some time looking through everything; an archivist helped me with it. They have some incredible records, like late 50’s street kids drumming on plastic buckets and old Lead Belly recordings. They have totally insane sound effects records too, like one devoted entirely to the sounds of the office room, including 60’s fax machines." More from our fun interview with Disston here: blog.kexp.org
Tonight! At Sonic Boom Records! In 15 minutes!!! Little Dragon will be playing!!! Also... "Sonic Boom Records is hosting the Nabuma Rubberband Derby. Construct one of these nifty rubberband-propelled derby cars, and you might be the lucky winner of a limited edition signed Lithograph poster and an official Nabuma Derby trophy. The band have provided a list of materials, and Sonic Boom has a limited amount of kits ready for your construction." Catch the deets here: blog.kexp.org
Many thanks to listener Ghost Ryder's suggestion for this track, which samples Liberace's "Chopsticks" (Live at Carnegie Hall), in commemoration of Władziu Valentino Liberace's birthday today. Born this day in 1919 in West Allis, Wisconsin, he passed away on February 4th, 1987, in Palm Springs, California.
"The title is based on mythology I first heard of in Haile Gerima's film 'Teza.' I also think of Audre Lorde's term 'biomythography' when describing the album as a whole. The first voice you hear on the record is my sister Luam Kidane who also just published this incredible piece on calling ourselves into freedom: Black art and decolonial asthetics which you can read on The Feminist Wire now. This album is the first music I made after my first trip to my mother's homeland. I actually met AirMe and we started working together when I was on a 24 hour layover in DC... between Addis Ababa and Seattle. I didn't take any pictures when I was in Ethiopia but it's all in the music. Needless to say, this album is very special to me." gabrielteodros.blogspot.com Watch as Teodros performs with Hightek Lowlives here at the station in a video-filled blog post published just today! blog.kexp.org
On his approach to songwriting, Brian Wilson remarked, "This art form...can draw out so much emotion and channel it into notes of music in cadence. Good emotional music is never embarrassing... The stimulation I get from molding it is like nothing else on earth; approach my music-making as something pure from the spirit to which I can add dynamics and marketable reality... I find it possible to spill beautiful melodies in moments of great despair. A lot of the songs are the result of emotional experiences, sadness and pain... or joy, exultation in nature and sunshine. I go to the piano and play 'feels.' 'Feels' are specific rhythm patterns, fragments or ideas. Once they're out of my head and into the open air, I can see them and touch them firmly. Then the song starts to blossom and become a real thing." www.albumlinernotes.com/Interview_w_Brian_Wilson.html
When asked to speak with Interview, White requested it be conducted by Buzz Aldrin. Yes. THAT Buzz Aldrin. ALDRIN: I noticed that you did something with Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, is that right?
WHITE: Yeah. We put out a record on Third Man [a seven-inch of composer John Boswell's 'A Glorious Dawn,' which features spoken-word portions by both Sagan and Hawking]. That's one of the records that I'm proudest of having released. Carl Sagan was a huge influence. We have a secret project at Third Man where we want to have the first vinyl record played in outer space. We want to launch a balloon that carries a vinyl record player, and possibly that Carl Sagan record, and figure out a way to drop the needle with all that turbulence up there and ensure that it will still play.
ALDRIN: There's no turbulence up there if you get up high enough. But I know the guy who is CEO of Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. Maybe you should talk to him. www.interviewmagazine.com/music/jack-white
"The band originally planned to call the album ‘Soft Porn,’ and wanted to feature an image of Buckingham Palace on the sleeve." Here are 19 more things about Parklife you may not have known: www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-blurs-parklife
When asked about the choir he used on Everyday Robots' track, "Mr. Tembo," Albarn responded, "They were from the church at the end of my road as a kid, which was really special to me. I used to stand outside it on Sundays, but I never felt like I could go in. There were really high stairs and it had a big gate. I went back a couple of years ago, though, and they were really nice people. So I thought if there was a place on this record, it would be a really lovely thing to contact them and see if they’d join me.
They sing on the song 'Mr. Tembo,' and it was perfect because the song is about this little elephant I met in Tanzania, who was being brought up by very religious men. They watch a lot of gospel on television in Tanzania, so this elephant has grown up with a daily dose of gospel TV before bedtime. So it was originally my song for him; if he ever hears [the song], I figure he might sort of warm to its gospel flavor." pitchfork.com
"Self-proclaimed 'boys of melody,' Canadian pop band The Hidden Cameras perform a live concert for KEXP members and staff at Seattle venue The Triple Door." Catch it right here: kexp.org
Celebrating Jonathan Richman's birthday today; he is 51 today! Here's a... well, "fun" isn't exactly the word the interviewer would use to describe it, but it's certainly fun reading. Enjoy: www.salon.com/1996/12/16/richman961216_html/
Back in January, X was slated to play an in-studio session on a Saturday afternoon, right before playing a show later that evening. Exene Cervenka was sick with a cold, so John Doe called up his buddy (and sometimes tour mate) Mike McCready to step in last minute. With DJ Troy Nelson conducting the interview, enjoy this incredible session, with some of the most fabulous conversation captured in our studios: blog.kexp.org
