A Deeper Listen

KEXP DJs Riz Rollins and Larry Mizell Jr. discuss the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and remember the time before he had his own holiday.  Read the full story here. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alda Agustiano goes by the stage name Chong The Nomad. She’s composed music for the TV series Modern Love, contributed to a video game soundtrack, helped produce the lead single to the Marvel movie, Shang Chi, and so much more. That’s all since she quit her day job as a line cook in 2019. We go back to her days as a line cook to find out how she found musical inspiration at her day job...

The Seattle area’s Vashon Island is home to a surprising number of creatives, including a few famous musicians, like Zola Jesus   and Chris Ballew of The Presidents of The United States of America. Drew Pine reports on what it is about the island that attracts the creative type. Read the story here. (This story originally aired as part of the December 10, 2019 episode) Support the...

Ketamine treatment centers are opening all over Seattle. The psychedelic drug is used to help with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other ailments, but it does come with controversy. These treatments look and feel much different than most mental health treatments. It also sounds different because music is an important part of Ketamine infusions. KEXP’s Rachel Stevens reports on how the treatme...

KEXP staff share their favorite music of 2021. Dig deeper with these personal essays from KEXP staff. Check out this collection of KEXP DJs' top ten lists. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Fox and Larry Mizell Jr. break down the top three most played albums on KEXP this year, as well as listeners' top three albums of 2021. Top Played Albums on KEXP in 2021:   Jungle - Loving In Stereo Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams KEXP Listeners' Top Albums of 2021:  Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee   Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbea...

DJ Brian Foss shares his favorite non-traditional Christmas tunes spanning genres from garage rock to punk. He also talks about how he became KEXP's de-facto Christmas DJ. Brian will be taking over KEXP’s airwaves on Christmas Day from noon to 6pm and again from 9pm to midnight Pacific Time. Tune in on 90.3 FM in Seattle or KEXP.org worldwide. You can also check out Brian's non-traditional C...

DJ John Richards drops by to tell you about KEXP's Song of the Day podcast, where you get a DJ-curated song delivered straight to your feed each weekday. You also get to learn some context around the song, right there in the episode description. To enjoy this convenient mode of music discovery, subscribe to KEXP's Song of the Day wherever you get your podcasts. Support the show: https://www.kexp.o...

Vinyl has seen a resurgence in recent years, but the increased demand for the old-school format has been impacted by manufacturing and supply chain issues that are delaying pressing schedules by eight to nine months. Reporter George Mocharko looks at how these production bottlenecks are affecting independent recording artists and their record labels struggling to get albums out. Support the show:...

KEXP's Gabriel Teodros interviews DJ Bonds and DJ Breeze about their documentary, 'Where We’re From: Rise of L.A. Underground Hip Hop.' They also discuss issues around space in the underground hip hop community from LA to Seattle, such as needing to write essays to promoters to put on a hip hop show or needing extra insurance. Bonds and Breeze also talk about the venue they ran called "Eleme...

The Seattle band Acid Tongue released a new album earlier this month called 'Arboretum.' It’s an ode to Seattle’s Arboretum, where band member Guy Keltner came to terms with drug and alcohol abuse, as well as his struggles with his bipolar diagnosis, during the pandemic. Keltner and fellow member Ian Cunningham talk about their paths to sobriety and how collaborating with many musician...

Social media feeds were filled with fans' and musicians' “Spotify Wrapped” results last week. The feature shows listeners what artists they streamed the most this year, and musicians get a breakdown of how many times they were streamed, for how long and from how many countries. KEXP’s Gabriel Teodros, who is an artist himself, walks us through his "Spotify Wrapped" numbers and sh...

Seattle’s historic Crocodile theater had its stage graced by Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and Nirvana early in their careers. Last year, the music venue’s lease was up and the landlord didn’t want to renew. With the commercial real estate market down due to the pandemic, The Crocodile decided it would shut its doors and reopen in a bigger space a few blocks away. The new space has multipl...

In the year 2000, David Bowie recorded an album made up of songs he created decades prior. That album was called 'Toy.' It was never officially released until now. Emily Fox catches up with the producer and mixer of 'Toy,' Mark Plati, who also played guitar on the record. They talk about David Bowie and why it took the album so long to get an official release. Support the show: https://www.kexp.or...

The British band Wet Leg swept KEXP by storm with their singles, “Wet Dream” and “Chaise Longue” this year. They dropped two new singles Monday and announced their self-titled debut album will be released in April 2022. KEXP’s Larry Mizell Jr. sat down with founding members Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, and realized just how silly this band really is. Support th...

The First Nations Hip Hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids talk about addressing generational trauma in their music and being the change they want to see in their community.  “Our people were stripped of a lot of things in the past—our culture, our traditions, opportunities. We’re the seventh generation, we’re trying to gain everything that not only we lost but the opportuniti...

In 2018, Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize was awarded to Jeremy Dutcher for his album, 'Walastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa.' It fused classical music and his operatic voice with old wax cylinder recordings of the Walastoqiyik singing in their Indigenous language, Wolastoqey. There are only around 100 native speakers of Wolastoqey today. Jeremy Dutcher talks about trying to keep the language...

John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants talks about their new album, 'BOOK,' and the playful things the band has done during their 40-year career, including their Dial-A-Song music answering machine service. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we bring you an episode of the Live on KEXP podcast, featuring the recent session with José González.  For over 18 years, José González has been a master at constructing soft, contemplative guitar tunes. While, sonically, his latest album ‘Local Valley’ sounds much like his prior work, KEXP’s Larry Mizell Jr. chats with the Swedish/Argentin...

After being part of the bands Blur and Gorillaz, Damon Albarn is out with a new solo record called 'The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows.' Damon Albarn talks about how the project was originally intended as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland.  “I’ve been staring out of my window at this amazing landscape for years and years and years...

The War On Drugs released a new album at the end of October, titled 'I Don't Live Here Anymore.' KEXP’s Janice Headley spoke with the band’s frontman, Adam Granduciel, about the record's optimism despite being mostly written during a pandemic. They also discuss how his creativity has been influenced by being a new dad. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/li...

Mudhoney, known for their hit “Touch Me I’m Sick,” was a precursor to Seattle’s grunge scene. But you’d never hear Mudhoney bassist Guy Maddison uttering the words “Touch Me I’m Sick” to his patients during his day job as a nurse at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center. Maddison talks with Sound & Vision’s Emily Fox about his life in m...

Tori Amos talks about her new album, 'Ocean to Ocean,' and how she experiences visual trips of synesthesia when playing and listening to music. She also discusses how the pandemic impacted her mental health, strengthened her connection to nature, and influenced songs on the album. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sound & Vision's mini-series, Behind the Console, highlights the stories of women and nonbinary audio engineers who are navigating what is still a very male-dominated field.  Today we feature two engineers who got their start in Seattle and both love playing with sound. First we meet Alice Wilder, who has done front of house sound for Big Thief, Third Eye Blind, M.I.A., Future Islands and...

Sound & Vision's mini-series, Behind the Console, highlights the stories of women and nonbinary audio engineers who are navigating what is still a very male-dominated field.  Today we meet two monitor engineers. The first is Karrie Keyes, who was just on the road with Pearl Jam, and has previously worked for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sonic Youth, Social Distortion and more. She talks ab...