A Deeper Listen

In celebration of International Women’s Day, this episode is dedicated to some badass women making music. Rachel Stevens reports on how Washington State’s new paid family leave law is impacting musicians in the gig economy. Soccer Mommy takes us through how she organized her latest album by different colors and moods. Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast talks about how her journey to sobri...

The southeast region of the US is home to the highest percentage of LGBTQ people in the country. KEXP's Bee Egan spoke with three LGBTQ musicians from the south to find out how southern culture and their sexuality impacted their upbringing and ultimately their music. Musician and poet Jamila Woods talks about how all of the tracks off her latest album were named after black and brown artists, musi...

Sound & Vision’s series, “Northwest Classics,” dives into the stories behind iconic records from the Pacific Northwest. In today’s edition, KEXP DJ Marco Collins and music journalist and author, Charles R Cross discuss Heart’s album, ‘Dreamboat Annie’ and Soundgarden’s record, ‘Superunknown.’ Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sou...

Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie, the Microphones) wrote two albums following the death of his wife, Geneviève Castrée. Castrée was a musician, illustrator and cartoonist who was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer four months after giving birth to her first child. She passed away the following year. This week, Elverum discusses the odd enhanced recognition he got from his al...

On February 7th, KEXP celebrated “Clash for Climate” as part of  International Clash Day , a holiday KEXP invented in 2013. The Clash stood for many important issues, including environmental justice, which is why KEXP chose to focus on climate change for this year's theme. In this episode, Morning Show host John Richards explains the origin story of the holiday and highlights his...

Former Head and the Heart member, Josiah Johnson talks about his new single, "World's Not Gonna End" and his struggle with addiction that led him to leave the band, get on a path to sobriety and start a solo career. Channy Leaneagh of Poliça talks about how she almost gave up on music until she fell off her roof shoveling snow, and how the accident and her recovery process inspired many of...

Michael Kiwanuka talks about race and music, and how having his song selected as the intro music for HBO’s Big Little Lies pushed his career forward. Musician, activist and new GRAMMY voter, Madame Gandhi talks about the latest controversies surrounding the GRAMMYs and issues around gender and racial parity in the music industry. Leslie Fram of Country Music Television talks about why CMT pl...

Nissim Black (formerly D. Black) talks about growing up in Seattle amidst crime and drugs. He describes how his music and his life have changed since converting to Judaism and moving to Jerusalem. This week’s edition of "Northwest Classics" profiles the debut album of Tacoma-based band, The Sonics. Music writer Charles R. Cross explains how the band influenced the sound of punk and grun...

FKA twigs talks about dance, feminism and the impact of her recent health complications. We launch our “Northwest Classics” series, where we’ll discuss iconic albums that came out of the Pacific Northwest. We start off by talking about the life and legacy of Jimi Hendrix through his album, ‘Are You Experienced,’ with KEXP’s Marco Collins and Hendrix biographer,...

KEXP DJs share their favorite songs of 2019. We also hear interviews with some of the station’s favorite bands of the year, including a conversation with Fontaines DC about using music and poetry to document gentrification in Dublin and a discussion with Combo Chimbita about how music is allowing their all-immigrant band to find a new identity in the US. Support the show: https://www.kexp.or...

We hear how Jewish composers wrote many of the most popular Christmas songs, including "White Christmas," "Let It Snow," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and more. KEXP’s Brian Foss shares his favorite non-traditional Christmas songs and KEXP’s Owen Murphy and Troy Nelson share their favorite covers of Christmas songs. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio....

Angel Olsen discusses her latest album, ‘All Mirrors,’ how her rising fame has tested her closest relationships and the strength of learning to be on her own. Producer John Congleton breaks down the production of Angel Olsen’s song, “All Mirrors.” The hosts of the ‘Switched on Pop’ podcast break down the musical elements of some of the decade’s top p...

The coauthor of Bloomberg’s story,  “K-Pop’s Dark Side: Assault, Prostitution, Suicide and Spycams”  talks about how the K-Pop music industry functions and how it’s been riddled with controversies this year. We learn how a suburban dad became an indie pop star overnight under the name SYML, and what that name means to him. Madame Gandhi talks about...

John Richards talks about his favorite performances at Iceland Airwaves and the financial struggles musicians are facing in that country. Icelandic musicians discuss how the harsh weather impacts their creativity, why there seems to be such a high concentration of musicians in the small country and how so many musicians collaborate across bands and projects. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/...

Brittany Howard says her song “Goat Head” is about society’s reaction to her parents’ interracial marriage in Alabama. She also talks about the “gay R&B song” she wrote about musician Georgia Anne Muldrow. Thunderpussy talks about female empowerment and diversifying their sound on their new EP, ‘Milk It.’ Mary Lambert says her experiences of ment...

We share stories of loss and how music can help us heal and process our grief. We’ll hear stories from listeners, musicians and John and Amy Richards. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

KEXP’s Dusty Henry talks about Iceland’s DIY music scene and how it’s more about doing it together than doing it yourself. A panel discusses Iceland’s music culture, music's impact on Iceland’s economy, and how Iceland helps financially support musicians. Panelists are: Sólveig Matthildur, from the band Kælan Mikla; Hlynur Guðjónsson, the Icela...

Sudan Archives shares why she fuses violin with electronic beats on her latest album. Minnesota rapper Dessa describes spending two years working with neuroscientists to train her brain to get over her ex. We’ll explore why only 2% of music producers are women and how some indie artists are working to buck that trend. Macklemore protégé Travis Thompson will talk about collabora...

Jim Sullivan was a struggling LA singer/songwriter in the 60s and 70s. In 1975 he left for Nashville to see if he could catch a break there. But on the way, he disappeared in the New Mexico desert and was never seen again. Matt Sullivan of Light in the Attic records talks about the mysterious disappearance and how he discovered Jim Sullivan’s music and rereleased it decades later. Seattle&rs...

Vagabon will talk about her latest album and the meaning behind her song, “Every Woman.” Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon will fill us in on how materialism, LA culture and her “trashy aesthetic” influenced her first solo record, ‘No Home Record.’ Jónsi & Alex talk about touring on their 10-year-old album, ‘Riceboy Sleeps,&rsqu...

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Indigenous musicians will talk about joining traditional cultures with hip hop, jazz, funk and dance music. Calina Lawrence of the Suquamish Tribe will talk about using the Lushootseed language in a hip hop song of hers. A Tribe Called Red describes their song honoring John T. Williams, a Native American woodcarver who was shot and killed by a police offi...

The second installment of our “Day Job” series explores how a musician’s encounters while bartending end up being inspirations for songs. Electronic DJ and producer Octo Octa explains how nature inspires her music and discusses her gender transition. Jeff Tweedy talks about Wilco ’s new album. Kurt Cobain ’s biographer shares his idea on what should be done with Cobai...

We kick off a new series called “Day Job.” The first story in this series explores how Chong The Nomad finds musical inspiration during her day job as a line cook. Carl Newman of The New Pornographers talks about how the state of America influenced the band’s latest album. We explore music of wrongful imprisonment, including a conversation about a new Broadway musical on the subj...

Australia’s federal government will spend more than 3 times what the US will on artists and musicians this year. We hear how the Australian-based band, Haiku Hands is benefiting from their country’s funding model. Chastity Belt and Vivian Girls talk about their new albums. We hear why four Seattle musicians moved to Nashville and what that music city has to offer. Support the show...

SassyBlack discusses how mental health and Afrofuturism feature on her latest album. A Tribe Called Red talks about how the issue of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls comes up in their music and Abigail Echo-Hawk of the Seattle Indian Health Board discusses how Seattle has the highest numbers of MMIWG in the nation. The Seattle-artist ZEMBU talks about how her song, “Human&rdqu...