Live on KEXP

On the show this time, it's the Japanese art-punk rock trio TsuShiMaMiRe.  TsuShiMaMiRe is a triple-punch-kick of a rock band, celebrating their 25th anniversary together.  Their latest album is called “Mizumono” translated as “the band is like water”.  The trio made up the phrase to describe themselves - they say “It roughly means that being a band is...

On the show this time, Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul slap some bass and get downright funky.  Cultural appropriation and racism. Social media vanity. Post-colonialism and political correctness. These are not talking points that you’d ordinarily hear on the dancefloor but Charlotte and Bolis have ripped up the rulebook with their debut record. All four songs from this set come from...

On the show this time, Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul slap some bass and get downright funky.  Cultural appropriation and racism. Social media vanity. Post-colonialism and political correctness. These are not talking points that you’d ordinarily hear on the dancefloor but Charlotte and Bolis have ripped up the rulebook with their debut record. All four songs from this set come from...

On the show this time, we replay our vaguely holiday-themed traditional episode - the dual-drum druid jazz of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The Melbourne, Australia based psych-rockers released five albums in 2017, and played at the KEXP studios in support of the releases: “Polygondwanaland” and “Gumboot Soup." Crumbling Castle The Fourth Colour Deserted Dunes Welcome Wea...

On the show this time, we replay our vaguely holiday-themed traditional episode - the dual-drum druid jazz of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. The Melbourne, Australia based psych-rockers released five albums in 2017, and played at the KEXP studios in support of the releases: “Polygondwanaland” and “Gumboot Soup." Crumbling Castle The Fourth Colour Deserted Dunes Welcome Wea...

On the show this time, from Bogota, Columbia - the birthplace of Cumbia - it's the energetic joy of Frente Cumbiero.  Frente Cumbiero has been making cumbia music since 2006, bringing their nuanced take on the music of the Latin-American people all over the world.  They’ve worked with dub magician and producer Mad Professor.  They’ve worked with avant-classical string pl...

On the show this time, from Bogota, Columbia - the birthplace of Cumbia - it's the energetic joy of Frente Cumbiero.  Frente Cumbiero has been making cumbia music since 2006, bringing their nuanced take on the music of the Latin-American people all over the world.  They’ve worked with dub magician and producer Mad Professor.  They’ve worked with avant-classical string pl...

On the show this time, it's the warm dreamy grooves of New York band Cults. New York indie-pop band Cults return with their 6th full length, 'To The Ghosts.' It’s been 14 years since Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivian formed the band. A playlist of music from filmmaker John Waters that they popped in the deck on a road-trip revealed a shared love of 60s girl groups. Organically, that led to them m...

On the show this time, it's the warm dreamy grooves of New York band Cults. New York indie-pop band Cults return with their 6th full length, 'To The Ghosts.' It’s been 14 years since Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivian formed the band. A playlist of music from filmmaker John Waters that they popped in the deck on a road-trip revealed a shared love of 60s girl groups. Organically, that led to them m...

Indie rockers and former Tacoma locals Widowspeak released their sixth studio album The Jacket in Spring 2022 as a semi-concept album loosely telling the story a chain stitcher turned New York rocker. Vocalist Molly Hamilton relayed to Cheryl Waters in this episode of Live on KEXP the story behind the album before launching into four dreamy tracks off the record as well as professing their love fo...

Indie rockers and former Tacoma locals Widowspeak released their sixth studio album The Jacket in Spring 2022 as a semi-concept album loosely telling the story a chain stitcher turned New York rocker. Vocalist Molly Hamilton relayed to Cheryl Waters in this episode of Live on KEXP the story behind the album before launching into four dreamy tracks off the record as well as professing their love fo...

On the show this time, a talented producer meets the right singer and magic happens - the psychedelic soul of the Black Pumas.  It seems unbelievable that the Black Pumas are just now releasing their second studio album. Their first self-titled album came out in 2019, and became an instant classic. It just feels like that record has existed since the 1970’s. The new offering is titled 'Chronicles...

On the show this time, a talented producer meets the right singer and magic happens - the psychedelic soul of the Black Pumas.  It seems unbelievable that the Black Pumas are just now releasing their second studio album. Their first self-titled album came out in 2019, and became an instant classic. It just feels like that record has existed since the 1970’s. The new offering is titled 'Chronicles...

On the show this time, it’s the joy and heartbreak R&B of Shannon & the Clams. Shannon & The Clams formed when bassist Shannon Shaw met guitarist Cody Blanchard at the California College of the Arts. The band is rounded out by Nate Mahan on drums and Will Sprott on Keys, and for this performance Victor Franco on percussion. They play unapologetically weird pop - a sometimes surfy blend...

On the show this time, it’s the joy and heartbreak R&B of Shannon & the Clams. Shannon & The Clams formed when bassist Shannon Shaw met guitarist Cody Blanchard at the California College of the Arts. The band is rounded out by Nate Mahan on drums and Will Sprott on Keys, and for this performance Victor Franco on percussion. They play unapologetically weird pop - a sometimes surfy blend...

On the show this time, it’s the whip-smart emotional storytelling of Indonesian singer-songwriter - NIKI. NIKI is Nicole Zefanya, born in Jakarta Indonesia, now based in the USA. She started making music pretty young, teaching herself to play guitar at the age of 9. She had a pretty happening Youtube channel going, playing her own songs from home, and then she won a contest at the age of 15 - unbe...

On the show this time, it’s the whip-smart emotional storytelling of Indonesian singer-songwriter - NIKI. NIKI is Nicole Zefanya, born in Jakarta Indonesia, now based in the USA. She started making music pretty young, teaching herself to play guitar at the age of 9. She had a pretty happening Youtube channel going, playing her own songs from home, and then she won a contest at the age of 15 - unbe...

On the show this time, it’s the loud bark and deep bite of Philadelphia rock band Mannequin Pussy. Mannequin Pussy is a punk rock band from Philadelphia, originally formed by school-friends Thanasi Paul and singer “Missy” Dabice as a drums and guitar duo back in 2010. Reforged and remade, the current lineup makes intense meaningful music, powered by a full band commitment to the sound and the show...

On the show this time, it’s the loud bark and deep bite of Philadelphia rock band Mannequin Pussy. Mannequin Pussy is a punk rock band from Philadelphia, originally formed by school-friends Thanasi Paul and singer “Missy” Dabice as a drums and guitar duo back in 2010. Reforged and remade, the current lineup makes intense meaningful music, powered by a full band commitment to the sound and the show...

On the show this time, it’s the Cambodian psych rock of Los Angeles band Dengue Fever. Dengue Fever was formed in 2001 in Los Angeles by brothers Ethan and Zac Holtzman. They had both fallen in love with Cambodian psych-rock music, one while traveling there, the other through the record store he was working at in San Francisco. They recruited musicians from the Los Angeles scene who shared that pa...

On the show this time, it’s the Cambodian psych rock of Los Angeles band Dengue Fever. Dengue Fever was formed in 2001 in Los Angeles by brothers Ethan and Zac Holtzman. They had both fallen in love with Cambodian psych-rock music, one while traveling there, the other through the record store he was working at in San Francisco. They recruited musicians from the Los Angeles scene who shared that pa...

On the show this time, it’s the Guembri driven Moroccan rock of Bab L’ Bluz. Bab L’ Bluz is at its core a duo - Singer / guitarist Yousra Mansour and producer/ guitarist Brice Bottin. They met through music, and a shared love for Moroccan Gnawa music led them to learn how to play the Guembri - a kind of 3 stringed bass instrument - and its smaller relative the Awisha. They started composing music...

On the show this time, it’s the Guembri driven Moroccan rock of Bab L’ Bluz. Bab L’ Bluz is at its core a duo - Singer / guitarist Yousra Mansour and producer/ guitarist Brice Bottin. They met through music, and a shared love for Moroccan Gnawa music led them to learn how to play the Guembri - a kind of 3 stringed bass instrument - and its smaller relative the Awisha. They started composing music...

On the show this time,  it’s the good-times shake-your-booty belongingness of Sinkane. Sinkane is the large band solo project of Sudanese-American musician Sinkane, née Ahmed Gallab.  The music incorporates flavors from multiple genres, but always lands squarely in the danceable zone. A meaningful message rides shotgun in the party machine, with positive vibes, inclusivity, supportiveness and hope...

On the show this time,  it’s the good-times shake-your-booty belongingness of Sinkane. Sinkane is the large band solo project of Sudanese-American musician Sinkane, née Ahmed Gallab.  The music incorporates flavors from multiple genres, but always lands squarely in the danceable zone. A meaningful message rides shotgun in the party machine, with positive vibes, inclusivity, supportiveness and hope...