Live on KEXP

Jeremy Enigk

28 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Twenty two years after its release, Jeremy Enigk's Return of the Frog Queen continues to enrapture with its baroque arrangements and Enigk's...

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio

26 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Seattle soul trio Delvon Lamar Organ Trio (a.k.a. DLO3) speaks volumes without a singer. The warm chemistry of Lamarr's organ, Jimmy James&ap...

Emel Mathlouthi

21 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi breaks cultural and musical boundaries on her own terms, bringing in traditional Tunisian sounds with modern produ...

The Gods Themselves

19 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A trio of Pacific Northwestern veterans gathered together to give thanks for angular rhythms and chrome-streaked guitars, The Gods Themselves' ineffab...

Alt-J

14 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For their fifth session (and first in KEXP's new Live Room), longtime station favorites Alt-J went intimate to match the insular tone of their la...

Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares

12 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

One of Wo'Pop host Darek Mazzone's most anticipated sessions in recent memory, Le Mystery des Voix Bulgares fill the KEXP Live Room with the...

Portugal. The Man

07 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Even if the definition of "Northwestern band” has to be stretched a little to include the Alaskan outfit Portugal. The Man, they have plenty of...

Weyes Blood

05 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mellifluously melodious and dripping with rich vocals, Front Row Seat to Earth, Weyes Blood's latest album, is her most shimmering and accomplish...

Bread & Butter

30 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best and Seattle's Bread & Butter like to keep it free and easy with big, crunchy chords and juicy po...

Father John Misty

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Father John MIsty's songs have always been filled with vivid (and often flawed) characters, but he's never been as starkly human as he is on his lates...

Sashay

23 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Loud and proud, Seattle queer punk band waste no time with introductions, blasting out hardcore tales of love, loss, and queer life in Seattle at a hu...

Rahim AlHaj

21 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The compositions of the Iraqi oud composer and performer Rahim AlHaj do not have lyrics, but the tension, force, and vitality of his songs speak volum...

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

16 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Embodying the sounds and spirit of New Orleans' French Quarter for more than four decades, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is nothing short of an...

Cataldo

14 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Louder, Faster, Better, and More Romantic, Cataldo leader Eric Anderson took a few cues from the bliss of his long-term relationship on his new album ...

Mitski

09 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“This is my work. This is what I do.” Mitski Miyazaki lays her manifesto out early on in her return trip to the KEXP Live Room with a full band to...

DahkaBrakha

07 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Kyiv folk quartet DakhaBrakha created their latest album Шлях (English: The Road) as a tribute to their Motherland, and in this vital session,...

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

02 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's impossible to say the name of the Melbourne sextet King Gizzard & Lizard Wizard without conjuring images of fantastical garage fury and ...

Tinariwen

31 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The long-running group Tinariwen hail from Mail, but there's nothing lost in translation with the collective's spiraling, sprawling guitar v...

Sera Cahoone

26 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When Sera Cahoone moved to Seattle, forcing herself to play open mic nights at the (now-defunct venue) OK Hotel  was only the beginning of a career t...

Dude York

24 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Although they've been constant staples in Seattle venues, it had been more than four years since Dude York's last KEXP session, but with the...

Kate Tempest

19 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Kate Tempest's performance of the first half of her 2016 opus Let Them Eat Chaos at KEXP's broadcast from Iceland Airwaves 2016 was a highli...

Strand Of Oaks

17 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

With his previous record, Timothy Showalter sought to look inward. On his latest LP as Strand of Oaks, Hard Love, Showalter is looking outward with hi...

Porter Ray

12 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

From his beginning with a pen and paper in 2009 to the release of his 2017 full-length debut Watercolor, Porter Ray has been one of the increasingly p...

Haley Heynderickx

10 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There's a low-key nuance to Haley Heynderickx's silvery guitar-based songs, but their brilliance radiates through stronger at a quieter leve...

Bash & Pop

05 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Tommy Stinson put Bash & Pop on hold for just over two decades before reviving it last year, but the Minneapolis group's raucous, delightfully unh...

Jens Lekman

03 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

After taking time to do projects that allowed him to, in his own words, “take some time off from being Jens Lekman,” the Swedish musician has retu...

Julia Massey and the Five Finger Discount

28 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

With their latest album HeartTones, Julia Massey and the Five Finger Discount have sharpened their kinetic pop-rock more than ever before, building th...

Meatbodies

26 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ranging from searing heat to sludgy gravel, Meatbodies' powerful, muscular, and meaty (of course) garage rock is an immediate rush of blood to th...

Paris Combo

21 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paris Combo's most recent album, this year's Tako Tsubo, is named for the Japanese-named condition of what's commonly known as “broke...

Chicano Batman

19 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

While everyone else in Seattle was decked out in rain boots and all-weather jackets, the dapper Los Angeles quartet Chicano Batman returned to the KEX...

Cloud Nothings

14 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

“Well, we couldn't get faster.” That's how Cloud Nothings frontman Dylan Baldi explains the (relatively) slower tunes on their latest al...

Cherry Glazerr

12 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Cherry Glazerr's rip-roaring rock and roll documents, to paraphrase band leader Clementine Creevy, “the struggles of a 17 year-old”, at the only v...

Ty Segall

07 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The last time Ty Segall was in KEXP's studio, he ripped off a baby mask and squealed into the mic before he'd even played a single song. Abo...

Middle Kids

05 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There's a wave of fantastic music coming out of Sydney at the moment, but Australia's Middle Kids never get overshadowed by their scene sibl...

Maiah Manser

31 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The first thing that jumps out listening to Seattle's Maiah Manser is her loping, almost acrobatic vocals. But as the session goes on, it's...

Howe Gelb

29 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Howe Gelb's multiple-decade catalog is hard to pin down, but the one current that runs through it all is the Tucson, Arizona musician's warm-burning s...

Nail Polish

24 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

There's a reason Seattle's Nail Polish called their most recent release Authentic Living. The trio's rapid-fire punk pulls no punches when it comes t...

Springtime Carnivore

22 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Greta Morgan went into an “intense headspace” for her latest album as Springtime Carnivore, and the result was Midnight Room, her most finessed an...

Haley Bonar

17 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Including her rich new album Impossible Dream, Haley Bonar has released seven albums of resonant, roots-refined rock and in her debut session in the K...

Yeasayer

15 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For their fourth album, Amen and Goodbye, Yeasayer spent the longest time they've spent to date working on writing songs, and the end result contains ...

Hamilton Leithauser

10 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hamilton Leithauser is a veteran of the KEXP studios by this point in his career, but his rough and tumble brand of doo wop-damaged rock has never sou...

Jaimeo Brown Transcendence

08 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"This is the music of the spirit," proclaims host John Gilbreath ahead of Jaimeo Brown's Transcendence's majestic set. It's high praise, cer...

LVL UP

03 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

With three songwriters and a wave of melodic guitars behind them, LVL UP have more depth and nuance than most of their peers, but their music is never...

Naked Giants

01 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

They're wearing clothes and are normally sized (at least in this session), but make no mistake - Naked Giants rip and roar as powerfully as they ...

Regina Spektor

24 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Moscow-via-New York songwriter Regina Spektor has been writing songs to capture a wide spectrum of vivid anecdotes, observations, and narratives f...

Lee Fields and The Expressions

22 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's always a special night (or day) when the soul journeymen Lee Fields enters KEXP's studios. Fields' energy is as infectious as that of any frontma...

Sloucher

17 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Their name implies that they have bad posture, but Sloucher are definitely not slackers leaning back in their desks at the back of the classroom. The ...

The Veils

15 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

When Finn Andrews first entered the KEXP studios in 2004, he was barely 20 years of age, but his evocative songwriting was already fully-formed. Retur...

Industrial Revelation

10 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"With the challenges in our lives, sometimes you have to go in order to truly blossom." That's the theme behind Industrial Revelation's &quo...

Foxx Bodies

08 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ragged, scrappy, and gloriously unfiltered, Tucson, Arizona's Foxx Bodies only play one kind of music: loud. Leading with the dual-pronged attack...

Manatee Commune

03 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Grant Eadie's loping, colorful electronic compositions have been bubbling on tastemaker radars for some time now, but with his self-titled debut ...

Thee Oh Sees

01 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

You may not be able to expect how little time the prolific Californian garage rock luminaries will take between albums or what their lineup will look ...

Kamasi Washington

27 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

To name your debut LP The Epic takes quite a bit of confidence, but in the case of Kamasi Washington, it's the only title that would make sense. The C...

Angel Olsen

25 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Angel Olsen excels in hitting those long, sustained notes that speak volumes, and her songwriting pairs perfectly with her rich vocals, unwinding slow...

Against Me!

20 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Against Me! have always operated with as much self-awareness as they have articulate, external fury, and their latest album, 2016's Shape Shift W...

Drive-By Truckers

18 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Drive-By Truckers have never shied away from writing about social themes, but in the light of recent events, the long running Georgia outfit recor...

Fishbone

13 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Since their formation in 1979, Fishbone's kinetic, funky mixture of rock and ska has remained a singular sound, not least because of Angelo Moore...

Digable Planets

11 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Just over twenty years after their initial dissolution, Digable Planets took the stage for their longest reunion to date in 2016 and it's not only rem...

Moji and the Midnight Sons

06 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Only a little over a year before the release of their debut full-length, What I Saw On The Way To Myself, Moji Abiola and Frosti Jón Runolfsson had m...

Kate Tempest

30 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When Kate Tempest released a song titled "Europe Is Lost" in late 2015, she showed a eerily foreshadowing fury that preceded the seemingly u...

Fufanu

30 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Fufanu's electrifying live performances are what the Reykjavík outfit's sterling reputation is built on. After previously displaying it during a remo...

Fémina

28 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Fémina's take on acoustic rock music has plenty of melody, but the San Martin de los Andes, Argentina trio don't ever let their harmonious voices tak...

Okkervil River

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of the band's previous tour, Okkervil River leader Will Sheff returned to a Bob Dylan lyric that he's always circled back to: "He not ...

Thievery Corporation

21 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

From trip-hop to R%26B to bossa nova - to name only a few styles incorporated in the Washington D.C. collective's music - Thievery Corporation's div...

Local Natives

16 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

On their third LP, Sunlit Youth, Local Natives created their darkest and densest record to date, but in this pared-down performance in the KEXP Gather...

Lee "Scratch" Perry & Subatomic Sound System

14 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When the legendary dub musician starts this session with a spiritual thesis statement ("Let Scratch arise... let Scratch enemies be scattered&quo...

Atmosphere

09 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

"When I was a kid, they didn't allow rappers to reach 44 years old." Atmosphere MC Slug may joke about his middle age ("dad rap - it's ...

NAO

07 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Much was made of Nao's jazz backgroud when she was a buzzy artist in 2015, but the London musician's debut full length, this year's For All We Know (n...

MASZER

02 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When DJ Sharlese asks MASZER frontman STITCX about growing up in Tel Aviv, he immediately, enthusiastically replies "Born and raised!" As th...

Heaters

30 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The Michigan outfit Heaters took the “space rock” tags that were put on the band after their debut to heart, naming their sophomore outing, Baptis...

Courtney Marie Andrews

25 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Courtney Marie Andrews isn't out of her twenties yet, but she's spent more time on the road than most musicians ever will. Yet the inspirati...

My Bubba

23 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When My Bubba entered the studio for their third LP, this year's Big Bad Good, they didn't have any songs, but the Swedish-Icelandic duo did...

Michael Franti and Spearhead

18 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Franti will, without hesitation, say that his 20-plus year career was built on one thing: tenacious optimism. And even if you can't see it in ...

Xenia Rubinos

16 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Xenia Rubinos' evocative, electrifying voice is a singular one to say the least, and in her sophomore album, this year's Black Terry Cat, she has a se...

Margo Price

11 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

One of 2016's breakout artists, Margo Price has been hailed as a champion for traditionalist country, but that tag doesn't do her justice. The songs o...

Explosions In The Sky

09 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The music of Explosions in the Sky has always lived up to the expectations set by the band's evocative name, and on their seventh studio album, T...

Caveman

04 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Brooklyn band Caveman continues to evolve on their third album, updating the harmonic indie-folk of 2011's CoCo Beware and the expansive space-pr...

Those Pretty Wrongs

02 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Those Pretty Wrongs frontman Jody Stephens was a key member of the seminal Memphis band Big Star, but while he was behind the drum kit in that outfit,...

Weaves

28 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If Thao and the Get Down Stay Down and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were related and they had a uniquely uncompromising third sibling it would be vocal-and-gui...

Peter Bjorn And John

26 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Swedish rockers Peter Bjorn and John have been proselytizing their pro-60s pop prowess since 1999, but the trio really took the indie world by storm b...

Israel Nash

21 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Monday afternoon may not be the ideal time for a loud, full-force rock show, but it is, however, the perfect setting for a set of winding, country-col...

CHVRCHES

19 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

CHVRCHES' synth-powered anthems took the Glaswegian trio from basement Soundcloud phenoms to festival-conquering stars in the span of about 18 mo...

Wolf Parade

14 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Montreal-formed band Wolf Parade, now mostly based in Vancouver, make up for 13 years of not performing live on KEXP with an extra-long set in our new...

Twin Peaks

12 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If the Rolling Stones had started their career in 2014 Chicago, they might have been called Twin Peaks. The warm, laid-back chemistry exuded by this c...

Beth Orton

07 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

During the Norwich songwriter's four-year gap between releases, Beth Orton took the biggest stylistic leap of her career, springing from her most trad...

NAVVI

05 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Channeling sounds both neon and nocturnal, NAVVI's precisely languid take on electronic pop tempers its dark undercurrents with a subtle pop sensibili...

The Jayhawks

30 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Even though there was no explicit goal in mind when Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris started work on the songs that would eventually make up the Minneap...

Wand

28 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

With three album released in the span of 13 months across 2014-15, there was a lot of musical ground for Wand to cover when they made their KEXP debut...

Boss Hog

23 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

For a glorious sixteen minutes, Boss Hog's garage rock fever barely stays on its rails, with Jon Spencer's guitar twisting and turning at every whipla...

Thunderpussy

21 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Without even an album under their earth-shaking name, Thunderpussy shred like no other outfit... and outfits they have aplenty. The Seattle four-piece...

Margaret Glaspy

14 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A native of Red Bluff, California, Margaret Glaspy moved across the country to Boston, where she cut her teeth with master classes at Berklee (regardl...

Lucius

09 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

"It was like being in a car that hit the brakes and suddenly we had all this stuff to say." After spending nearly two years on the road behi...

Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog

07 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It almost goes without saying that anything that Marc Ribot touches turns to gold, and Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog is no exception. Aside from his own pr...

Kevin Morby

02 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A modern journeyman of sorts, 28 year-old songwriter Kevin Morby has spent close to a decade releasing music while moving through different musical ou...

Acapulco Lips

31 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Maria-Elena Juarez, Christopher Garland, and Jordan Adams have been slaying Seattle clubs as Acapulco Lips with their cataclysmic six-string hurrica...

Bombino

26 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

When Omara Moctar first started picked up a guitar, he was merely having fun with his friends. Fast forward to 2016, and the musician better known as ...

Desert Mountain Tribe

24 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

London-via-Köln psychedelic outfit Desert Mountain Tribe were a lock-tight live unit well before they started work on their first album, so when they...

Draze

19 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Representing his experience as the son of Zimbabwean musicians, a father, a soon-to-be husband, and a man from Seattle's South End, Draze poured himse...

Frightened Rabbit

17 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchinson's move from his native Scotland to Los Angeles forced both the songwriter and his bandmates to rethink the...

Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaries

12 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

From his first appearance with the station during SXSW 2011, Charles Bradley has been a longtime KEXP favorite, and it's easy to see why. Talking love...