Cheryl Waters

Warpaint's fourth studio album (their first in nearly six years) will be out on May 6th. You can pre-order 'Radiate Like This' here: www.warpaintwarpaint.com. The first single "Champion" is about “being a champion to oneself and for others,” the band said in a press release. “We are all in this together, life is too short not to strive for excellence in all that we do.” Here's Live Video from Warpaint's 2016 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. www.kexp.org

Fontaines D.C. will play the Showbox SoDo on Saturday, May 14th, 2022! The phrase “skinty fia” is Irish, translating to “the damnation of the deer.” The title and cover art are both references to the extinct Irish giant deer, with a press release alluding to the idea that the band seized on the symbol for an album that meditates on their Irish identity. bit.ly Official Video: youtu.be Here is Fontaines D.C. Live on KEXP at Home session from November 2020: youtu.be. fontainesdc.bandcamp.com fontainesdc.com

Nelo Case will play Woodland Park Zoo on Thursday, June 16. Neko stopped by the KEXP studios back in 2018. Check out her full performance here: www.youtube.com. 'Fox Confessor Brings the Flood' is Neko Case's fourth solo album. Most of the songs on the album were based on her life experiences. Case shared in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, "I've always been fascinated by fairy tales, But we really don't have fairy tales anymore. Movies have taken their place, and modern fiction seems to be in this rut of the coming-of-age story, which is getting really boring. I'm trying to find things on the outer limits of experience. I really love the Eastern European fairy tales because they're not only dark but they're also funny and not overly moral." nekocaseofficial.bandcamp.com

#202 on KEXP's countdown of the top songs from the past 50 years! This was the second single released off the only studio album from Jeff Buckley. He passed away tragically of an accidental drowning in 1997. www.jeffbuckley.com

Sharon Van Etten is playing with Julien Baker and Angel Olsen at Marymoor Park on Wednesday, August 3rd. Enjoy Live Video from Sharon Van Etten's 2014 KEXP In-Studio: bit.ly. "Porta' is her first solo single since 2020. She says the song came about at a particularly dark time in her life. "For most of my adult life I have struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety and coping mechanisms," she says in a statement, "and I sometimes let those dark moments get the best of me." She says that during the time that inspired "Porta," she was feeling "very dissociated," disconnected from her body and out of control. These feelings resonate hard in the song, as when Van Etten sings "I want to live my life, but you won't allow," but so also does the feeling of facing these emotions and confronting them. Here' the official video of this song: www.youtube.com

Australian artist Hatchie (Harriette Pilbeam) will be at Neumos on Saturday, May 21st, 2022. She says '“Quicksand” is about dealing with the realisation that you’ll never be satisfied. I was feeling guilty and ungrateful for not being happy about a few different things in my life that were technically going well. I had to work through some tough learned thought processes and emotions that had been working away for years to try to understand how to be happy with my present, and stop fixating on my past and future.' bit.ly Check out Hatchie’s 2018 session live in the KEXP studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: youtu.be. hatchie.bandcamp.com

Flock of Dimes (the solo project of Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner) has shared two news songs, “Pure Love” and “Time,” and announced some new tour dates. Both songs are out now digitally and will be released on 12-inch vinyl in mid-July via Psychic Hotline (the label founded by Sylvan Esso), which also feature instrumental and a cappella versions of “Pure Love.” Wasner had this to say about the songs in a press release: “After spending so much time over the past two years sitting with my grief—both personally and creatively—I’m thrilled to offer up two songs that center joy, hopefulness, and pleasure. What can I say about ‘Pure Love?’ It’s a fun pop song about how wanting more is the cause of so much suffering! To me, overall, it’s a song about reaching for a more pure way of being—finding a way to accept our humanity and all of its failures and imperfections so that we can be at peace for a little while while we’re alive. It is also, hopefully, a lot of fun.” bit.ly flockofdimes.bandcamp.com www.flockofdimes.com

This is the new single from Foals' forthcoming album, 'Life Is Yours,' due for release June 17th. Frontman Yannis Philippakis says, “Musically ‘2am’ is one of the poppiest songs we’ve ever written. It’s about repetitive cycles of destructive behaviour, which I think lots of people can relate to, and certainly it’s an expression of something that I struggle with. There’s something cathartic about expressing that feeling to this upbeat music that’s got a sense of release and the hope of resolution.” bit.ly Check out Live Video from Roals' 2013 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. lifeisyours.foals.co.uk

Dry Cleaning performance Live on KEXP at Home last April. Enjoy the performance: bit.ly. From Dry Cleaning's 2018 'Sweet Princess' EP. These six cerebral, spiky songs extract something touching and tragic from the mundanity of social media and social anxiety. On “New Job,” a sing-song tribute to a couple called Jimmy and Olga—the kind you might imagine scratched into a bathroom stall or a school desk—transforms into a spoken list of anxieties: conversational missed connections, overstepped boundaries, desperate attempts to grasp something in common. bit.ly drycleaning.bandcamp.com

A.R. Rahman will play Marymoor Park on Sunday, July 17th. This song was on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. It was composed by Indian musician A. R. Rahman and British producer M.I.A. Rahman got interested in M.I.A. after listening to her debut album, and upon meeting Rahman the singer said she was a big fan of his work. bit.ly A.R. Rahman won two Academy Awards for his work on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. www.arrahman.com

Bonobo is playing LIVE in the KEXP studio TOMORROW - Tuesday, March 22 at 10:30 AM. This session is NOT open to the public, so be sure to tune in. Later that night, they'll play with Jordan Rakei at Showbox SoDo. Bonobo's seventh studio album features Jamila Woods, Joji, Kadhja Bonet, O’Flynn, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Jordan Rakei on this track. Bonobo stopped by the KEXP studio back in 2017! Check out their full performance: youtu.be. bonobomusic.bandcamp.com

You can hear Sea Lemon (with Ducks Ltd.) at the Sunset Tavern this Thursday, March 24th (and don't miss Ducks Ltd. LIVE on KEXP that morning at 9:30 AM)! Sea Lemon is Seattle singer-songwriter Natalie Lew: floodmagazine.com. sealemonmusic.bandcamp.com

Japanese Breakfast will play Seattle Center's Fisher Green Pavilion on Friday, August 12th as part of the Day In, Day Out festival. www.dayindayoutfest.com Here's Live Video from Japanese Breakfast's Live on KEXP at Home performance last July: bit.ly. michellezauner.bandcamp.com michellezauner.bandcamp.com

Swedish artist Jens Lekman performed at the KEXP Studios back in 2017. Enjoy Live Video from the session: bit.ly. jenslekman.bandcamp.com

Playing a sold out show Sunday, June 19 at Woodland Park Zoo! Andrew Bird says of this song, "I focus on the moment when Sisyphus gets to the top of that mountain and actually feels like he might have a choice. Either he’s going to jump and end the struggle or let the rock roll down. And I imagine, "Who’s down there when the rock rolls down. Is there a village that’s getting destroyed?" Read Bird's comments on each song on 'My Finest Work Yet': bit.ly. Andrew Bird performed this track live in the KEXP studio in October 2019. Watch the full session here: www.youtube.com. andrewbird.bandcamp.com

Amber Mark is playing a sold out show at Madame Lou's on Saturday, April 9. Her debut album 'Three Dimensions Deep' was released last month. Amber Mark was featured as a guest DJ on KEXPs Midnight in a Perfect Word in 2017: www.kexp.org. www.ambermarkmusic.com

Ambar Lucid was in the KEXP Gathering Space in September 2021 playing LIVE as KEXPs first guest since the pandemic started. Check out her wonderful performance and interview with Cheryl Waters. youtu.be Cheryl selected this song as a KEXP Song of the Day in 2021. It's available for FREE download here: www.kexp.org. ambarlucid.com

Nilüfer Yanya will be at The Crocodile on Saturday, May 21. Don't miss Live Video from Nilüfer Yanya's March 2021 Live on KEXP at Home performance & interview with Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. This London-based artist’s second album is an impressive set of sharply detailed indie-pop ranging from crunchy, ‘90s-influenced rock to anxious, electronic-tinged pop. www.kexp.org niluferyanya.bandcamp.com niluferyanya.com

Check out KEXP's Exclusive Interview: Beck from 2017, with DJ Morgan: www.kexp.org. Beck played an acoustic show at SXSW this past week - ending with a Daniel Johnston cover: bit.ly. www.beck.com

We lost Bill Withers nearly 2 years ago (March 30, 2020). "Use Me" was Withers' 2nd highest charting song in the US (at #2, second to the #1 charting "Lean on Me"). bit.ly Here's a video of Bill performing this song. We miss him. www.youtube.com

"The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" features the Gospel Queens on backing vocals over an arrangement by the Menahan Street Band. See the late, beloved Charles Bradley in the video for "The World (Is Going Up in Flames)": youtu.be, and in a performance Live on KEXP in 2016: youtu.be.

Brand new music from Sasami! She will play Barboza on Sunday, April 10th, and be sure to tune in for SASAMI LIVE on KEXP the following day, Monday April 11th at 12:00 PM. Enjoy Live Video from Sasami's beautiful 2019 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. www.sasamiashworth.com KEXP is celebrating International Women’s Month all March long. Women have been at the forefront of musical movements and sonic innovations, and we’re taking this time to spotlight their contributions.. All month you’ll hear featured voices, mixes, live sessions, historical highlights, and of course, a little more of the music you hear all year long on KEXP. Learn more about what we have planned for International Women’s Month at kexp.org.

Can you believe that 'Whip Smart', Liz Phair's second album, came out in 1994? Revisit this sophomore album by a musician who "defied expectations of what a female rock star could be": bit.ly.

Enjoy KEXP's "Live Review: Patti Smith at The Moore Theatre 1/5" from back in 2016 - were you at this sublime show? bit.ly www.pattismith.net

Mitski is playing Friday, August 12 at Day In Day Out Festival (Seattle Center's Fisher Green): www.dayindayoutfest.com. This New York artist’s sixth album is a diverse set of ‘80s-steeped pop-rock ranging from bright, propulsive synth-pop to moody ambient-pop, with the songs revolving around troubled relationships and disaffection with the musician life. kexp.org Mitski stopped by The Midday Show back in 2018. Check out her full performance here: youtu.be. mitski.bandcamp.com

Check out Live Video from Seattle artist Cumulus' November 2018 KEXP performance at Avast! Recording Co. bit.ly. cumulus.bandcamp.com

From NYC, New York. Here's Live Video from Bodega's 2018 KEXP In-Studio: bit.ly. bodegabk.bandcamp.com

Yard Act will broadcast LIVE on KEXP Monday April 18 at 12:00 PM, and later that night you can see them performing at Madame Lou's! “It’s about gentrification, class fetish and how the human brain is so powerful that with enough time and processing power combined it will be able to justify, defend and/or continue to commit the actions of any human being it controls,” says Yard Act about "Payday". bit.ly Yard Act hails from Leeds, UK. yardact.bandcamp.com

Playing The Showbox Friday, April 22nd. Check out Live Video from Parquet Courts' 2018 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. parquetcourts.bandcamp.com

Did you get to see Fruit Bats this past weekend at the Showbox? If not, never fear - you can enjoy Live Video from Fruit Bats' 2016 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. fruit-bats.bandcamp.com

Don't miss Live Video from Ben Gibbard's 2018 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. "There's something about the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps it's being overshadowed by towering evergreens that instills a modest reverence for beauty. Perhaps it's the evergreens remaining ever green under the gusts of snow which keeps hope alive. Perhaps it's the cradling of cold coast and the Rocky wall. Whatever the causes, the Pacific Northwest has played womb to some of the most skyward, heart-wrenching, and gentle pop music of recent history." Read more of the Pitchfork review for Death Cab's 'We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes' here: bit.ly. deathcabforcutie.bandcamp.com

Built to Spill's Doug Martsch plays solo shows at The Triple Door: Thursday March 31st and Friday April 1st. Live Video from Built to Spill's 2015 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. www.builttospill.com

Happy Mercer Monday! Here's Live Video from The Shins' James Mercer, playing a 2012 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. theshins.bandcamp.com

Rosalía explained in a statement that she came up with the beat for "SAOKO" while playing an upright piano at Electric Lady’s Studio B in New York. From there, she added classic reggaeton drums from a music library sent to her by the producer Mr. NaisGai, a go-to collaborator of Rauw Alejandro. Rosalía added that she wanted to use the “Saoco” sample because it was: “the most direct homage I can make to classic reggaeton, a genre that I love and that has been a constant and great inspiration throughout the Motomami project.” www.rosalia.com

Enjoy Live Video from Kishi Bashi's beautiful 2016 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. kishibashi.bandcamp.com

Happy 2nd day of Spring! My Morning Jacket will play Marymoor Park Thursday, August 11th. My Morning Jacket hails from Louisville, KY. mmorningjacket.bandcamp.com

Ibibio Sound Machine's new album, Electricity (produced by Hot Chip) drops on March 25th! Enjoy Live Video from Ibibio Sound Machine's 2019 performance at Studio 9294 in Hackney Wick, London, during KEXP's International Clash Day broadcast: bit.ly. ibibiosoundmachine.bandcamp.com www.ibibiosoundmachine.com

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever will play Neumos on Thursday, August 18. Check out Live Video from Rolling Blackouts CF's 2018 KEXP In-Studio, hosted by Cheryl Waters: bit.ly. While initial ideas for 'Endless Rooms' were traded online during long spells spent separated by Australia’s strict lockdowns, the album was truly born during small windows of freedom in which the band would decamp to a mud-brick house in the bush around two hours north of Melbourne built by the extended Russo family in the 1970s. “It’s about how ending up in your particular situation in life is the result of absolute randomness,” the group said of the track. “If you happen to be born into wealthy Australia or happen to be born into a war zone in Syria. That’s just the way it shatters. So it’s when this good luck is mistaken for a sense of pride in one’s self or their country they become confused and deluded about what’s important. It’s when those on the other side of the luck scale are completely othered and considered not worthy.” bit.ly and youtu.be 'Endless Rooms' comes out May 6. rollingblackoutscoastalfever.bandcamp.com

Auckland band The Beths shared a very special set of live music, recorded in New Zealand just for KEXP, and chatted with Troy Nelson in July 2020: youtu.be. The Beths are back in full force with a new single called “A Real Thing”, their first new song since the release of their acclaimed album Jump Rope Gazers in 2020. “This song is a kind of anxiety dream. It's a bit muddled, a bit frantic, a bit sinister” says lead singer Liz Stokes. Stokes wrote this song in late 2020, following the election in New Zealand and the U.S, attempting to reach for optimism about the future, but ultimately playing more apocalyptic scenarios of climate change in her head. The upbeat urgency in the song is palpable from the very start and paired with the band’s signature bright, raucous guitar hooks and cooing harmonies, the song races and soars, much like an increasing heart rate. The Beths' infectious and insightful songwriting on “A Real Thing” is an exciting marker of more excellent work to come. thebethsnz.bandcamp.com

The Robert Glasper Experiment played KEXP's Bumbershoot Music Lounge in 2013 - here's the live video: bit.ly. Tears For Fears released 'Songs From the Big Chair' 37 years ago last month! They also released a new album in February, entitled 'The Tipping Point'.