In Our Headphones

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with Sonic Reducer co-host DJ Jenn to dig deeper into the depths of punk. This time Jenn brings a new remix from the recent reissue of post-punk icon Anne Clark’s 1984 album Our Darkness. Jenn talks about her love of finding new “old music,” Anne Clark’s legacy, and why her music still resonates so much today.  Produced by Dusty HenryMa...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with Sonic Reducer co-host DJ Jenn. Jenn braves the daylight hours to sit down with Evie to talk about all things punk and her recent discovery of the Australian band Station Model Violence. She shares the song “Heat” from the band’s 2026 self-titled debut album, out now on Static Shock Records. Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProductio...

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with DJ Kevin Sur, host of KEXP’s Sounds of Survivance. This time, he brings in a new track from the L.A. duo (plus their dad) War Pigs. The band is fronted by two kids, a third-grader and a seventh-grader. Evie and Kevin dig into how much the duo rips, their coolness at such a young age, and finding hope for the future in the next generation. War Pigs’...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with DJ Kevin Sur, host of KEXP’s Sounds of Survivance. Kevin brings in a new song from the UK Band Modern Woman and shares how the song's unpredictability and tension stopped him in his tracks. “Dashboard Mary” comes from Modern Woman’s latest album, Johnny’s Dream World, out now on One Little Independent Records.  Produced by Dusty He...

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with Ripley Johnson of Wooden Shjips, The Rose City Band, and Moon Duo. This time he brings some new music from his hometown of Portland with the psychedelic jazz of The MerKaBa Brotherhood. Evie and Ripley talk about their love of jazz, listening to music on the road, and what inspires him about music he couldn’t imagine playing himself. “Obelisks (Sun...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with Ripley Johnson, the musician and songwriter known for his work in Wooden Shjips, The Rose City Band, and Moon Duo. He brings in a song from Chicago duo BCMC and talks about the intricacies of the band’s process and their analog recording methods. “Kaleidosmoke” is from the band’s forthcoming album, Stash, out June 26 via Drag City. Produced b...

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with Bree McKenna and Robin Edwards of Seattle duo Faerie Born, a band themed around Sarah J. Maas’ popular A Court of Throne and Roses romantasy series. This time the group shares a new track from Detroit’s Deadbeat Beat which, it turns out, is about the soda Sprite and not magical sprites. The song comes from the band’s recent album From Here to...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with Bree and Robin of Seattle duo Faerie Born. The group takes inspiration from Sarah J. Maas’ wildly popular romantasy book series A Court of Thorns and Roses. The three chat about their mutual love of the books, playing fantasy conventions, and their debut album Morally Grey. They also share a song from Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore, the stunning “...

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with KEXP DJ Greg Vandy, host of our Sunday morning roots radio show The Roadhouse. The two talk about a new track from Los Angeles-based songwriter Mia Wilson. The two talk about the magic of finding music without any context and the wondrous beauty of Wilson’s 70s California sound. Wilson’s self-titled debut is out now on Royal Oakie Records.Produced...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with KEXP DJ Greg Vandy, host of our Sunday morning roots radio show The Roadhouse. Greg talk about his earliest days getting into KEXP with a cassette demo and his love for Bay Area group Sonny & The Sunsets. He talks about the band’s adventurous spirit, including writing whole albums for fictional bands and their most recent album recorded in Senegal with Sen...

DJ Larry Mizell Jr. fills in for Evie Stokes this week to sit down with Seattle band Black Whales. The duo talk about their love of dreamy music, raiding their dad’s record collections, and how it led them to falling in love with music like London group Deary. Deary’s “Seabird” comes from their 2026 album, Birding, out now via Bella Union.Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by:...

DJ Larry Mizell Jr. fills in for Evie Stokes this week to sit down with Seattle band Black Whales. The group recently put out their first album in 11 years, A Guide To Photographing The Sun. Singer Alex Robert details coming back from a serious health episode and finding solace in music. They also share a song from Luke Temple and gush about his songwriting prowess. Temple’s “Echo Park...

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with jazz musician Kassa Overall. Kassa talks about his time in the jazz scenes between Seattle and New York and some of the great talents working today. This time he brings in “Sweet Surrender” by Marquis Hill and talks about the idea of “jazz having a moment” and how he interprets that idea. “Sweet Surrender” comes from Marquis...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with Seattle (and New York) based jazz musician Kassa Overall. Kassa talks about falling in love with jazz and hip-hop and how he finds the common ground between both genres on his latest album CREAM. He also shares a song from LA rapper My Favorite Color and music that passes the car and home stereo test. “Sis” comes from My Favorite Color’s 2025 album...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with DJ Sharlese from Mechanical Breakdown on the eve of World Goth Day. Sharlese digs into what the idea of goth means to her. She also brings in a new song from Bay Area post punk group Sympathy Flowers and their song “Sworn to Silence.” The song comes from the bands 2025 album Dreams of Lurking Fear, out now on Cellofame Records.Produced by Dusty HenryMast...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with DJ Sharlese from Mechanical Breakdown to talk all things dark wave, synth, and “wavy” music. Sharlese  brings in a fresh find from the Netherlands – Dutch band Desinteresse. She shares their song “Zwart Wit” from their 2025 album, Onschuld, out now via Fabrika Records. Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction sup...

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with Seattle band Plash to get nerdy about some of their favorite math rock. This time the band brings in a song from the band Totorro (no, not the Ghibli character) and their song “Matthew’s Bridge.” The band talks about being labeled a “math rock” band themselves and talk about the future of the group. “Matthew’s Bridge&r...

Host Evie Stokes sits down with emerging Seattle math rock band Plash to talk about their latest album i live alone and the music that inspires them. The band talks about their origins in the Seattle scene, playing drums with coathangers, and their method of writing in both English and Korean. They share “Dermis,” a beautiful expansive song by Carlos Giffoni featuring Mabbe Fratti. The...

This week Larry Mizell Jr. fills in for host Evie Stokes to talk with Seattle band Chinese American Bear. The duo bonds with Larry about their mutual love of breakbeats with shoegaze guitars. All perfectly embodied in their song choice this week, Melody’s Echo Chamber’s song with El Michels Affair, “Daisy,” from her 2025 album Unclouded – out now on Domino Records.Pro...

This week Larry Mizell Jr. fills in for host Evie Stokes to talk with Seattle band Chinese American Bear. The three get into the husband and wife duo’s origins, embracing pop, and writing songs in two languages. They also share a recent favorite of there’s, the song “you and forever” by Bleachers” and dig into the brilliance of Jack Antonoff.Produced by Dusty HenryMas...

Host Evie Stokes talks with songwriter Liz Cooper. The two dig more into the creation of Cooper’s latest album, New Day, and the life of a touring musicians. They also dig into Cooper’s bandmates band Robber Robber. Cooper shares “The Sound it Made” from Robber Robber’s latest album Two Wheels Move the Soul, out now via Fire Talk Records.  Produced by D...

Host Evie Stokes talks with songwriter Liz Cooper. The two dig into life on the road, Cooper’s latest album New Day, and the music that’s moving her right now. Cooper shares one of her favorite new discoveries, New York-based rapper Salimata, and shares her song “Cake Up.” The song comes from Salimata’s 2025 album, The Happening, out now via 10k. Produced by...

Host Evie Stokes talks with KEXP video producer Carlos Cruz to get more stories from the video team’s time in Rennes, France at Trans Musicales. This time they’re talking about the now famous session with Quebec-based micro-tonal masked math rock group Angine de Poitrine. Carlos talks about editing the band’s session, the experience seeing it live, and what the video crew ge...

Host Evie Stokes talks with KEXP video producer Carlos Cruz to get the inside scoop of what it’s like to work with our Live on KEXP sessions. Carlos reflects on KEXP’s recent trip to film sessions in Rennes, France for the Trans Musicales Festival. He shares a song from one of his favorite performances this last year, “Premières lueurs” by the French band Photons.&nb...

Host Evie Stokes talks again with Dr. West, one of the rotating hosts on KEXP’s punk show Sonic Reducer. Evie gets the good doctor talk about his newfound appreciation for pop music and digs into the efficiency of punk music. The two talk about Citric Dummies’ blazing “I Dropped Out of Punk” and the band’s tongue-in-cheek nods to Turnstile. “I Dropped Out of Pun...