Cheryl Waters

Ibibio Sound Machine performed live a Studio 9294 in Hackney Wick, London, during KEXP's 2019 International Clash Day broadcast. Watch their full session here: youtu.be Join us tomorrow, Friday, February 5th from 5 AM to 7 PM PST as KEXP celebrates International Clash Day 2021. We’ll be playing the Clash, of course, but also diving into the band’s influences, as well as some of the amazing music being made all around the world that shares their ethos as a band. www.kexp.org

'Texas Sun' is a collaboration between Texas artists, Khruangbin & Leon Bridges. "A meeting of funk and soul to celebrate the Lone Star State." consequenceofsound.net Official video for this song: youtu.be khruangbin.bandcamp.com

Black Pumas is a psychedelic soul band based in Austin, Texas, led by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. Catch them performing live in the KEXP studio from 2019: youtu.be

Benjamin Booker performed live in the KEXP studio in 2017. Watch the full performance, including "Believe" here: youtu.be

"I wrote ‘Bad News’ last November, originally as a song about climate change – a threat that feels so big, so existential, that sometimes it’s easier for us to just look away,” says Frazer. “But today, I think it’s taken on a new meaning. It’s become a song that gives voice to the things everybody is experiencing right now: isolation, and figuring out how to get through our daily life in the face of relentless bad news.” www.soultracks.com Check out the video: youtu.be aaronfrazermusic.bandcamp.com

"'Running Red Lights' unites the iconic Melbourne duo with Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo as well as upstart Pink Siifu, whose verse interpolates revered and recently-departed Avalanches collaborator David Berman." www.thefader.com Enjoy the video: youtu.be

The Stereo MCs are a British alternative hip-hop/electronic dance group founded by vocalist Rob Birch and Nick "The Head" Hallam in the mid-'80s. Nick Hallam explained the tune's meaning in a 1993 Billboard interview: "The song 'Connected' is about human beings and the lack of connection there is between anything today. It's about the way everyone tries to categorize everything. The way every race is trying to separate from each other." www.songfacts.com Watch Stereo MCs play this one live at Cambridge Junction: youtu.be

Danielle Balbuena, better known by her stage name 070 Shake, is an American hip hop recording artist from North Bergen, New Jersey. 070 Shake is a part of the musical collective 070. Modus Vivendi is Latin for "way of life" www.070shake.net

Nilüfer Yanya shared a new music video for her song, ‘Day 7.5093’. The clip is an ode to days gone by, featuring a compilation of tour and holiday footage interspersed with scenic B-roll clips. “Making this video and going through old footage was fun to remember all the memories again and the laughs we had while out on the road. Looking forward to being back but for now I hope you enjoy ‘Day.7.5093’ and maybe even recognise a venue or festival and can relive those moments. We will be back!” www.nme.com To view the video, go here: youtu.be

Cameron Dutra directed the video for "Psycho Star." In the meta-video, Kyle Thomas (King Tuff) attempts to shoot a video while surrounded by dancers in red jumpsuits and devil horns. But the camera is more interested in the people standing around nearby, including a lady ranting about mind control and a few shadowy individuals doing mysterious things. www.stereogum.com Watch the video here: youtu.be Check out the 2014 King Tuff session live in the KEXP studio: youtu.be

K.G., subtitled "Explorations into Microtonal Tuning, Volume 2" released in November, 2020, is King Gizzard's sixteenth studio album: www.undertheradarmag.com kinggizzard.bandcamp.com

"It's my dear friend Lauren's birthday today. We are big mid-day show fans!!! I am hoping you can play something fun for her birthday, that we can dance to "together" but apart? We always try to achieve what we call "Peak Bliss" - making the most fun and joy of any situation! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUREN! Thank you Cheryl and KEXP for bringing us joy through music everyday!" Enjoy Toro y Moi's 2015 session live in the KEXP studio: youtu.be

Uncut commented to frontman James Murphy that the track is "insane." He responded: "I played it for my wife and by the back 20 per cent, she was leaning back in her chair: 'That might be too much... 'So I had to remix it and make some space. That song, for a really long time was just the drum at the start, a little percussion and voice, that's all it was. (Then) it just got bonkers. It was a bit of a beast to wrangle." Read the full Q&A for 'American Dream' here: www.uncut.co.uk See the first live performance of "How Do You Sleep?" at the Hollywood Bowl in 2018: youtu.be

The song was produced by James Murphy, who is best known for his work with LCD Soundsystem. It features backing vocals by David Bowie, who was a fan of Arcade Fire for many years. Win Butler once said of their famous supporter, "I remember when we first met David Bowie and he said, 'You'll definitely be big in the UK.' He was always enthusiastic about the band." www.songfacts.com

'The Georgia E.P." is a collection of five covers of songs by some of Death Cab for Cutie's favorite artists from the great state of Georgia (including this Neutral Milk Hotel cover - the band spent time living in Athens, GA). deathcabforcutie.bandcamp.com Here's the original from Neutral Milk Hotel: youtu.be

Teenage Fanclub is releasing 'Endless Arcade' April 30th. The album, says the band’s Norman Blake, addresses the fact that “We’re all getting older, and you can’t help but think about mortality, especially when you’re being creative and reflecting on your life.” www.spin.com Watch the video for "Home" here: youtu.be www.teenagefanclub.com

Israel Nash is gearing up to release 'Topaz' on March 12th. Nash recorded the candid, textured album at Plum Creek Sound, his studio assembled from an old quonset hut near his home in the Texas Hill Country. 'Topaz' marks the first album Nash has recorded mostly on his own, both taking his time and relishing his newfound access to immediacy, punching the red button moments after an idea hit. “It’s allowed me to capture sounds and ideas, to really get stuff out of my head and into the world so quickly,” Nash says.: americansongwriter.com israelnash.bandcamp.com

With Jacob Collier on back up vocals, this track is expected on SZA's upcoming and long-awaited second studio album. During an interview, the singer also expressed a sense of overall peace with her slow-moving creative process, saying, "Sometimes you just want to make something f**king awful just to rage against the system, but that’s not where I’m at. In this space, I just want to do what I want without any pressure, without any hyper-conversation about it.": www.nylon.com

“Darkest Hour” features as the ninth song on the digital version of Sevdaliza’s sophomore album 'Shabrang,' however it will not appear on the physical version of the album. After fan confusion around the song’s appearance, Sevdaliza took to an Instagram comment to explain, adding: [“Darkest Hour”] will be on the digital record, just not on the vinyl. I change my mind sometimes.❤️ bit.ly sevdaliza.bandcamp.com

Fiona Apple’s label wanted to release the album in October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Apple pushed for an earlier release date for self-isolating listeners. One of those self-isolating listeners was KEXP’s DJ Abbie, who stayed up late the Thursday before the album’s release to hear it at midnight. Sound & Vision host Emily Fox spoke with DJ Abbie about the themes of 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters' and some of her favorite tracks. kexp.org

The Black Tones performed live in the KEXP studio in 2019. Watch the full session here: youtu.be theblacktones.bandcamp.com

Neil Young said: "This album was a lot of fun to make and I still remember it today with a good feeling in my heart. I hope you like it." neilyoungarchives.com Neil Young and Crazy Horse performed "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" live at Farm Aid 2003 at the Germain Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio: youtu.be

boygenius (Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus) performed live at Avast! Recording Co. in November 2018. youtu.be

Here is the (Sandy) Alex G live session in the KEXP studio: youtu.be

"It is with a very heavy heart we acknowledge that the news circulating today is true. Matt Harris, bassist for the Posies from 2001 til 2014, has passed away. Matt lent his incredible skills, mischievous humor and abject sweetness to many Posies tours and his brilliant bass lines are captured on our albums "Every Kind of Light" (2005) and "Blood Candy" (2010). Rest well, Matt. You will be missed." www.facebook.com We are so saddened by this heartbreaking news. RIP Matt Harris.

Watch The Posies play "The Glitter Prize" live in the KEXP studio: youtu.be

The album artwork for Pinback's 'Autumn of the Seraphs' was created by Mike Sutfin who has also contributed work for the 'Magic: The Gathering' collectible card game. bit.ly Watch Pinback perform live in the KEXP studio from 2013: youtu.be

'Ancient Melodies of the Future' is the fifth full-length album released by Built to Spill in 2001. The album was recorded at Bear Creek in Woodinville, Washington, with overdubs recorded at Avast! Recording Co. in Seattle, Washington, and Martsch's studio, The Manhouse, in Boise, Idaho. bit.ly Pitchfork review: "our faithful indie-turned-major guitar hero Doug Martsch and his friends aren't pompous, and they're more clever than all that. The title Ancient Melodies of the Future signifies nothing more than the music of the present. The future's ancient melodies are being made as we speak. It's the perfect heading for Martsch's latest set of beautiful, unencumbered, unpretentious melodies. It leaves these songs to speak for themselves as they exist now, rendering comparisons, projections and superlatives practically unnecessary." pitchfork.com Watch Built to Spill play live in the KEXP studio in 2015: youtu.be

MorMor sharing songs recorded exclusively for KEXP and talking live with Cheryl Waters for Live on KEXP at Home. "Outside" was one of the tracks performed. Watch the full session here: youtu.be

"Today is my best bud Snax' birthday. We listen to the Midday show religiously and Snax refers to Cheryl as "our mystic radio mother." If you get a chance, could you play one of these jams and give a birthday shout out to Snax from Murph? ATLiens - Outkast" ~ Emily Happy Birthday, Snax!!! "Now throw your hands in the air And wave 'em like you just don't care And if you like fish and grits and all that pimp shit Everybody let me hear you say oh yea yer" Enjoy the video for "ATLiens": youtu.be

The latest full-length from Valerie June, 'The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers' emerged from a long-awaited revelation on the part of the Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter. “With this record, it finally became clear why I have this dream of making music,” June says of her third album for Fantasy Records. “It’s not for earthly reasons of wanting to be awarded or to win anybody’s love—it’s because dreaming keeps me inquisitive and keeps me on that path of learning what I have to share with the world. I think when we allow ourselves to dream like we did when we were kids, it ignites the light that we all have within us and helps us to have a sort of magic about the way we live.” valeriejune.bandcamp.com 'The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers' comes out March 12th.

Valerie June performed live for KEXP at The Little London Plane during Upstream Music Fest in 2018, opening with "Shakedown": youtu.be

Interesting behind the scenes footage of The Walkmen and some concert footage from a show live in Leeds, England. Enjoy! youtu.be Join KEXP on Thursday, February 18th for Live Music Heals. At a time when beloved music venues are shuttered, and artists and others who make their living from live music are struggling, it’s more important than ever to talk about why live music matters. Share your stories about what live music has meant to you by leaving us a voice message at 1-833-303-KEXP or by emailing stories@kexp.org. www.kexp.org

Watch this special acoustic session with Orville Peck, featuring Bria Salmena and Duncan Hay Jennings, performing live at Rainshadow Recording at Fort Worden during THING 2019: youtu.be