A Deeper Listen

Filipino Hip Hop 206 is a new mini series exploring the Filipino impact on Seattle’s hip hop scene. From the first DJ to have a rap radio show on the west coast to a world championship breakdancing crew to countless MCs, there’s no denying how much Filipinos contributed to the scene. During these next few episodes, KEXP DJs Gabriel Teodros, Mike Ramos and Larry Mizell, Jr. will share i...

Last year we saw protests and conversations around racism, particularly anti-Black racism, in America following the death of George Floyd. In 2020, we also saw a sharp rise in racially-motivated violence towards Asian Americans. KEXP’s Tia Ho spoke with KEXP’s Gabriel Teodros and artist Kimmortal on a song they collaborated on that was inspired by the need for Black and Asian solidarit...

Amythyst Kiah talks about her new album featuring the Grammy-nominated single, "Black Myself." She discusses mental health and the song written about her mother’s death, "Wild Turkey." She talks about breaking free of the “shut up and sing” policy and how she's now able to fully express herself as a Black and queer artist in her music and on stage. “I represent the very thi...

Seattle’s Prom Queen is releasing a Britney Spears covers EP on July 30th that will benefit the National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse. Emily Fox caught up with Prom Queen’s Leeni Ramadan to talk about the EP and the latest on Britney Spears’ 13-year conservatorship controlled by her father– whom she’s trying to remove from the post.  Support the show: https...

The anonymous British collective called SAULT released their fifth album, ‘9,’ this summer. It's only going to be available for 99 days.  KEXP’s Larry Mizell, Jr. and Gabriel Teodros discuss how this limited release sparks questions around value in the age of streaming. They also talk about how humor shows up on the album, how different songs have impacted them, and both the...

Maria Zardoya and Josh Conway of The Marías started out writing music for film. On their debut album, Cinema, they pay tribute to those early days. The bilingual album sets out to capture the feeling of a film through genre shifts and recurring motifs. Conway says, “We did want it to feel like watching a movie, maybe listening to a movie.”  Support the show: https://www.kex...

Ambar Lucid talks about how a trip on magic mushrooms inspired the title track of her new EP, 'Get Lost in the Music.' She also talks about a documentary about being reunited with her dad years after he was deported to Mexico, and how she hopes to heal her own and others' generational trauma through her music. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

The band Garbage, known for hit songs “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains” is out with their seventh album, 'No Gods No Masters.' Frontwoman Shirley Manson discusses the album’s themes of racism and sexism.   “As a woman, a lot of the time you’re not judged for your work, you’re judged for your beauty and your youth,” Manson says....

David McGraw is the drummer for the Seattle band, The True Loves and is an acupuncturist by day. Reporter Sararosa Davies caught up with the band’s drummer to hear how his day job informs his music.  “In both cases, you're dealing with other human beings and you have to be very sensitive to how they are interacting with you. Both in the healing space of an acupuncture treatment ro...

The record label Cinco7 Discos y Tapes has released a punk record made entirely through artificial intelligence. The labels founder Alejandro Chouza explains how.    Learn more at obroiion.com   Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mustafa recently released his debut album, 'When Smoke Rises.' At its core, the album is an expression of love – love for friends he lost to gun violence, and love for his community in Regent Park, Toronto. KEXP's Gabriel Teodros caught up with Mustafa during his recent Live on KEXP at Home session. They spoke about the connection between Regent Park and Seattle's South End, the tests of "un...

Kassa Overall (Seattle-raised, New York-based) is a GRAMMY-nominated MC and jazz drummer. Kassa says his middle school band teacher was integral to his success and taught him life lessons he still thinks about today. His teacher, Mr. Robert Knatt, taught at Washington Middle School near the Central District in Seattle for 36 years. Kassa says he was tough and made students want to push themselves...

Some artists and musicians have been able to make millions off of NFTs. George Mocharko reports on how smaller independent labels and venues feel about the new technology.  Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nat Puff, known by the stage name Left At London has released her first full length album. This comes three years after her self-titled EP and the Transgender Street Legend Volume 1 and Volume 2 EPs. This new full-length album is an exploration of Left at London’s mental health. The music weaves between acoustic indie folk to pop, punk, rock, hip hop and electronica, sometimes all within one...

Sound & Vision’s mini-series, Apparently, explores the stories of musicians and performers who are juggling parenthood with their art.  On this episode, Kate Stables of This Is The Kit talks with KEXP’s Rachel Stevens about what it was like taking her baby on tour and how she released an album with her now teenage daughter during the pandemic. Support the show: https...

Sound & Vision’s mini-series, Apparently, explores the stories of musicians and performers who are juggling parenthood with their art.  On this episode, Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave discusses her new book, ‘Seeing Sideways: A Memoir of Music and Motherhood.' She talks with KEXP's Rachel Stevens about touring with four boys and navigating an industry sh...

Sound & Vision’s mini-series, Apparently, explores the stories of musicians and performers who are juggling parenthood with their art. On this episode, Seattle musician JusMoni elaborates on the letter she wrote to her son, called  A Recollection of our Becoming , which she performed as a spoken word piece for Wing Luke Museum. The piece reflects on motherhood at 16, historical trau...

New Zealand has been relatively free of COVID-19 since June 2020. It’s a rare spot in the world where live music thrived this past year. Ayisha Jaffer reports on how New Zealand focused on it’s local music scene in a way they never have before, and sees music as a key pillar to recovery once the global pandemic is over.     We also hear from Amanda Palmer who’s been liv...

Nancy Wilson is a rock and roll hall of fame inductee who’s best known for being the singer/songwriter and guitarist of Heart. Nearly 50 years after joining Heart, the Bellevue-raised artist is out with her first solo record, ‘You and Me’. Wilson talks about writing songs inspired by Seattle musicians we’ve lost, Heart's upcoming biopic directed by Carrie Brownstein, and mo...

It’s been 50 years since the release of Marvin Gaye’s record, 'What’s Going On.' KEXP’s Larry Mizell Jr. talks with Emily Fox about the history of the record, breaks down some lesser-known tracks, and discusses how the album’s themes of police brutality, racism, addiction, and concerns about ecological disaster are still relevant today.   Support the show: https:...

Musician and producer St. Vincent is out with her sixth solo studio album, 'Daddy’s Home.' It was inspired by the music of the 70s. KEXP’s Cheryl Waters recently caught up with St. Vincent to talk about the record, what about the 70s inspired her, the power of backup singers and the women St. Vincent shouts out in her song, "Melting Of The Sun." “Whether it was Nina Simone speaki...

A new tribute album is coming out in a few weeks that covers songs by The English post punk band, Gang of Four. The album features Gang of Four Covers by The Dandy Warhols, IDLES and more. This album, titled 'The Problem of Leisure,' is a celebration of Gang of Four guitarist, Andy Gill, who died February 1, 2020. It was an album Andy Gill was working on at a hospital in the final days of his life...

Reports of violence against Asian Americans have increased dramatically since the start of the pandemic,  by nearly 150 percent in 2020 compared to the year before.  Then 2021 saw a mass shooting in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six Asian Americans. The rise in media coverage about racism towards Asian American communities has ignited a conversation about how...

'Can’t Stop Won’t Stop' was a book first published in 2005 by Jeff Chang that chronicled the early hip hop scene. It has now been rereleased with updates and a focus on a young adult audience with writing contributions by DJ, historian and professor Davey D Cook. KEXP’s Gabriel Teodros caught up with Davey D and Jeff Chang about the new edition and the power of hip hop.   &l...

'Can’t Stop Won’t Stop' was a book first published in 2005 by Jeff Chang that chronicled the early hip hop scene. It has now been rereleased with updates and a focus on a young adult audience with writing contributions by DJ, historian and professor Davey D Cook. KEXP’s Gabriel Teodros caught up with Davey D and Jeff Chang about the new edition and the power of hip hop.   &l...