Cheryl Waters

"Into the Blue’ sees singer Ritzy Bryan share lead vocal duties with bassist Rhydian Dafydd. It's the band's first new music in three years. Watch the official video for this song about surrendering to love and magic: www.youtube.com

"It took the band eight years to complete 2015’s Strangers to Ourselves, and although Isaac Brock promised another album 'as soon as legally possible,' it took them another six years to finish 'The Golden Casket.'" The wait was certainly worth it!: pitchfork.com

Amber Mark is a New York based singer, songwriter, and producer. Her debut album will be out later this year. www.ambermarkmusic.com --- You must see the stunning choreography in the video for "Competition.": www.youtube.com

“Feel Nothing” is the first new music from Amen Dunes (Damon McMahon) since the songwriter and producer released his fifth album "Freedom" in 2018. He is joined by Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods on this single.: www.youtube.com

Cheryl was the host for this live performance in the KEXP studio in 2014: www.youtube.com -- Enjoy this in-depth KEXP review of "With Light and With Love": www.kexp.org

Cheryl selected this fine song from Boston band Quilt as a free KEXP Song of the Day: www.kexp.org

Sunflower Bean broke down each song on their 2018 sophomore release, "Twentytwo in Blue": bit.ly -- The band joined Cheryl Waters in the KEXP studio in 2018. Watch them perform "Twentytwo" here: www.youtube.com

Wolf Alice will be at The Showbox on Monday, October 25th, 2021. It's an all ages show. -- Their third album, "Blue Weekend," is being called a "masterpiece.": bit.ly

Born in Madrid in 1990, Antón Álvarez Alfaro studied philosophy at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and found his own sound while integrating influences such as the Beastie Boys, Drake, and Kanye West. His first encounter with music was playing in a family band: His father was on the guitar, his uncle and cousin Carola de Sevilla on the strings and vocals.: bit.ly --- KEXP's Albina Cabrera, co-host of El Sonido, talked to Tangana, as he breaks down 'El Madrileño' track by track. www.kexp.org ctangana.com

This is a cover of the song by Thirteenth Floor Elevators' Roky Erickson. It is from the upcoming "May The Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute To Roky Erickson" tribute album, out on July 17th.: bit.ly

Danielle Haim is the romantic partner of producer Ariel Rechtshaid, who was diagnosed with cancer while she and her sisters were making Something To Tell You. This sunny, horn-laden song was inspired by that difficult time. (According to Danielle, he's in the clear now.) Danielle explained the story of the song: "We were touring on and off at this time and every time we were on the phone with each other or when I would come home in between shows, I wanted to be this light that shined on him when he was feeling very dark. I wanted to be his hope when he was feeling hopeless." After realizing the "doot doot doot part" of "Summer Girl" reminded them of Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side," Haim and Rostam Batmanglij added a bass line as a homage to the classic 1972 tune.

If you don’t know, Bo Burnham is a 30-year-old American comedian, musician, actor, poet and more. In June, he released a 1 hour, 27 minute long Netflix special titled “Inside” that was written, directed, filmed, edited, and starred all by Burnham himself. The comedian recorded everything in his house during the recent pandemic without a crew or audience. The shining moment of that special was this song.: whatstrending.com

Andy Shauf will be at the Spanish Ballroom at McMenamins Elks Temple in Tacoma, WA on Sunday, September 26th, 2021. Andy Shauf played this track in his session live in the KEXP studio in late February 2020. Enjoy this one! youtu.be

José González is back with his first new song in more than 5 years and it's his first Spanish language release. -- He wrote the lyrics with help from his young daughter. He said, "I started writing "El Invento" around 2017 when Laura was born. The song is about the questions - who we are, where we’re going and why? Whom can we thank for our existence? Historically, most traditions have invented answers to these questions. Thereof the name of the song: "The Invention (god)." : bit.ly

Avant-pop multi-instrumentalist Chong the Nomad (Alda Agustiano) teams up with West Coast singer-songwriter Laureli for a blissful, spaced out RnB excursion on "No Pulp," lifted from the new Kitsuné America: West Coast Edition compilation: Avant-pop multi-instrumentalist Chong the Nomad (Alda Agustiano) teams up with West Coast singer-songwriter Laureli for a blissful, spaced out RnB excursion on "No Pulp," lifted from the new Kitsuné America: West Coast Edition compilation

Shaina Shepherd will be at the Wetmore Theatre Plaza in Everett, WA on Friday, August 13th, 2021. Read a Freakout Records profile of this Seattle artist: www.freakoutrec.com

Here's a biography of one of reggae's leading female vocalists: www.allmusic.com

"Boogie On Reggae Woman" is a 1974 single by iconic Motown artist Stevie Wonder, from his album "Fulfillingness' First Finale". The track won Stevie Wonder a Grammy award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. It features Steve Wonder playing a diatonic A-flat "blues harp" rather than his usual chromatic harmonica.

Haruna Kimishima, known by her stage name Haru Nemuri, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and "poetry rapper". Her musical style mixes influences from J-pop, rap, hard rock, and electronica. She is currently based in Tokyo.

'[Björk] said “Army of Me” was written as an ultimatum to her own brother, to regain control of his life, lest he “meet an army of me.” Enjoy the excellent Pitchfork retrospective on 'Post", released on this date in 1995: pitchfork.com

Thom Yorke composed this first song from Radiohead's "Kid A" on piano. He wrote it about how he felt after a show on their 1997 OK Computer tour. The show was in Birmingham, England, and when Yorke got off stage he went to the dressing room and felt completely burned out. The band was becoming famous, but Yorke was feeling helpless and victimized. bit.ly -- Check out Radiohead performing "Everything In Its Right Place" live at Key Arena in Seattle, WA in 2017: youtu.be

The Beta Band sampled John Barry's main title for the 1979 movie "The Black Hole." --

This song has generated lots of comments about its meaning: songmeanings.com -- Maybe you can figure it out as you watch TVOTR perform it live at The Showbox in Seattle in 2006: www.youtube.com

Goat Girl head up an emerging set of groups from South London who have been inspired by the burgeoning local scene there. A classic sketch by the late great comedian Bill Hicks inspired their band name. -- See them performing live at Studio 9294 in Hackney Wick, London, during KEXP's International Clash Day broadcast in 2019. (The set included "Cracker Drool."): www.youtube.com

Here's a NY Times introduction to Questlove's important new documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, "Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)": www.nytimes.com

Ghostpoet's "Immigrant Boogie" was selected as a KEXP Song of the Day in 2017. You may download it for yourself here: www.kexp.org -- Ghostpoet performed this song LIVE on KEXP in Studio 9294, Hackney Wick, London during KEXP's 2019 International Clash Day broadcast on February 6th! Enjoy Live Video from the full performance: bit.ly.

The True Loves (with Smokey Brights) will perform at ZooTunes on Wednesday, August 11th, 2021.

Black Pumas will perform at The Paramount Theatre on Saturday and Sunday, August 21st and 22nd, 2021.

Speaking of songs with the title "Stay Gold"... -- Klara Soderberg started writing lyrics for "Stay Gold" after reading Robert Frost's classic poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay." "I had this collection of poetry, and I thought, 'I'll open this and see if there's anything in here that inspires me,' and I came upon the line 'Nothing gold can stay,'" she said. "That was literally the first thing I saw, and it was perfect." Here's the Frost poem: poets.org

Boise's own Built to Spill will be playing the Treefort Music Fest, September 22-26, 2021: www.treefortmusicfest.com -- They'll also be at The Showbox on Thursday, December 16th, 2021.