Kexp Live Performances Podcast

“It is not enough to say that justice takes time but it’s coming soon. Justice that is not exercised when appropriate is not justice.” These words from Pierre Dubois exemplify the ethos Chilean artist Ana Tijoux embodies in her politically charged music. With a rich and unconventional history, it’s difficult to unpack her life story in just 10 minutes but Troy Nelson makes that attempt.  Everything from her unorthodox childhood with fiercely intelligent parents that instilled the radical passion that would carry her the rest of her life to her time topping the charts as an MC with the group Makiza to her successful solo career is covered in this week’s Live on KEXP followed by a vivaciously strummed set that Tijoux recorded for KEXP during the pandemic. Her latest album, ‘Antifa Dance,’ is available on Firebrand Records. Recorded 10/01/2020. Sacar La Voz Shock Antipatriarca Calaveritas Cacerolazo Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: h

Today’s episode is brought to you by the letter “B,” with the brooding brutalism and bashing bombardment of Bambara. Using the beloved writing technique known as alliteration, Troy Nelson burrows into the biography of the Brooklyn-based band while also bestowing beholders with a brief background on the letter itself before the bands break into a blazing set, recorded live at KEXP right at the very end of the “before-times.” Recorded 03/04/2020. Serafina Death Croons Heat Lightning Stay Cruel Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sooner you start, the greater chance you have of doing something for half your life. This is something Frances Quinlan understands, as she’s on the verge of reaching the half-mark milestone for playing music. Beginning with the solo project Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, when she was in high school, Quinlan went on to release three records with the renamed full band Hop Along as well as a 2020 solo record, 'Likewise,' under her own name. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson details Quinlan’s trajectory, her influences, and the people who helped her go from the basement to the studio. Recorded 03/05/2020. Detroit Lake Now That I’m Back Rare Thing Went to LA Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever take a bath in sound? Like a full-on gong-bathing sonic immersion? Well, that’s what the music of Kelly Lee Owens both sounds and feels like. It’s a complete sensory experience that melds electronica, dream pop, and techno with Owens’ heavenly vocals for an otherworldly encounter that’s possibly just as relaxing and centering (and certainly cheaper) than a day at the spa. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson traverses Owens’ beginnings, from Wales to Manchester to London, where she made her first steps in the music industry, working at a record store and interning at XL Recordings. Forging connections with like-minded musicians led to her gaining the ears of influential people like Alexander McQueen, Bjork, and Jenny Hval and has made her a recent NME covergirl. Her latest album ‘Inner Song’ is available on Smalltown Supersound. Recorded 07/20/2018. 8 S.O. Lucid Anxi. (feat. Jenny Hval) Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.o

Writing of reality, like all forms of truth-telling, is dangerous. That hasn’t stopped Brazilian musician Sessa from forging ahead and blending the imaginary with all-too-real scenarios. Laughing in the face of danger, his specialty is sensuality, honing in on the experience of sex in flowery yet less-than-veiled Portuguese terms on his debut album ‘Grandeza.’ For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson contextualizes Sessa’s work alongside the words of other influential Brazilians including poet Carolina Maria de Jesus, documentary filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho, and singer Erasmus to make a Brazilian lovefest (although perhaps not the kind Sessa’s typically referring to).Recorded 02/06/2020. Flor do Real Dez Total (Filhos de Gandhy) Infinitamente Nu Grandeza Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Rumi, “The Wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Iranian American band Habibi know this better than most and use their simple, catchy songs that blend garage, psych and surf with the Middle Eastern influences they grew up adoring to spread love, positivity and change. Led by Brooklyn-via-Detroit duo Rahill Jamalifard and Lenny Lynch, activism plays an integral role in the spirit and ethos of the band. Troy Nelson delves into how the Michigan music scene shaped their influences and the long-held cognitive dissonance within the US’s relationship to Iran. Recorded 03/06/2020. Angel Eyes Hate Everyone But You Stronghold Come My Habibi Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle-based collective Polyrhythmics specializes in a flavorful blend of progressive funk, psychedelic rock and modern afro-beat. As Troy Nelson explains in this week’s episode of Live on KEXP, it’s music for the "heads.” Their songs take time to unravel, rewarding patient listeners with a lush and intricate experience that defies the current song trends for something more gratifying. When the world is a whirlwind, don’t forget– take the time to let something develop. Listen to Troy Nelson wax poetic about the value of music “heads” as well as delving into the often-limiting current trends happening with music ahead of Polyrhythmics’ spirited set featuring four songs from 2020’s 'Man From The Future.’ Recorded 02/21/2020. Digital Cowboy The Cutdown Yeti, Set, Go Chelada Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know that feeling you get when you hear something that's just the right kind of new? Seattle-born, Brooklyn-based Kassa Overall is redefining jazz for a new era, chopping and screwing live improvisations to make his own densely experimental and colorful world. In May, he unveiled his third release in less than two years, 'SHADES OF FLU,' a play on Madlib's iconic 'Shades of Blue' that has been called "a gift for the Corona-weary masses." For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson explores the influences and personal journey that led to the one-of-a-kind style of music that Overall describes as "backpack jazz" before Overall and band burst into one of the most unique live sessions KEXP's ever hosted.  Recorded 03/02/2020. Prison and Pharmaceuticals My Friend Darkness In Mind Who's On The Playlist? Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer/songwriter Andy Shauf is a master storyteller who adeptly weaves complex stories and tenderly realistic emotions with softly strummed folk rock. Earlier this year, he released his sixth studio album, ’The Neon Skyline,’ via Anti- and received critical acclaim for his skillful songwriting that centered around the concept of one man’s perspective of a particular night in a dive bar. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson details Shauf’s upbringing in a tiny town in Saskatchewan, from Radio Shack to Christian pop-punk as well as his musical journey from the tiny record label P is for Panda to a Polaris nomination. Jeff Tweedy even makes an appearance to bestow accolades upon the Canadian musician so you know Shauf is legit. Recorded 02/25/2020. Neon Skyline Thirteen Hours Try Again Things I Do Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chicago poet and R&B songstress Jamila Woods is a budding phenom and self-love champion who radiates radically positive energy. Last year, she released her sophomore full-length, 'LEGACY! LEGACY!' Each of the 13 tracks on the album is named after and inspired by an influential cultural figure who has made an impact on Woods, including people like poet Nikki Giovanni, singer/actor/activist Eartha Kitt, and influential author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. This episode of Live on KEXP delves into the “sonic monument to iconic black and brown artists” that is 'LEGACY! LEGACY!' while connecting the dots between Jamila Woods, science fiction writer Octavia E Butler, and a particularly significant recurring date in history - February 24th. Recorded 02/25/2020. ZORA GIOVANNI EARTHA Holy Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube KEXP is a listener-funded nonprofit, and we need your help to keep creating podcasts like this one. Donate now for our Fall Fundraising Drive! Su

Over the past 14 years, Metronomy has released 6 albums that span such a diverse range of genres and sonic textures that it’s tough to pin down exactly how to categorize them. If you must, then you could call them indietronica (or electro-indie, if you prefer). Created and led by English musician Joseph Mount, the band technically includes Oscar Cash, Anna Prior, Olugbenga Adelekan, and Michael Lovett but in its embryonic stage, it's actually a solo project. Delve into why that’s the case and how solitude can be beneficial in this week’s episode of Live on KEXP. “For oft, when on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood…” Recorded 02/17/2020. Lately The Light Wedding Bells Salted Caramel Ice Cream Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube KEXP is a listener-funded nonprofit, and we need your help to keep creating podcasts like this one. Donate now for our Fall Fundraising Drive! Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/liste

Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog have spent two decades specializing in bright, jaunty sing-along tunes that have captured the hearts of a large and rabid fanbase. Troy Nelson delves into the history of our favorite riff-rockers, from bassist Toby Leaman and guitarist Scott McMicken’s high school band Raccoon to the lore of Dr. Dog’s first album The Psychedelic Swamp and all the way up to their most recent record, 2018’s Critical Equation. Along the way, Nelson educates us on the merits of analog recording as well as why it could be “freakin’ genius” for a band to start their own label. Dr. Dog likes to play in the city of Seattle on Valentine's Day - DJ Cheryl Waters says that means they must love us! Believe it or not, this was recorded live February 14th, 2020. That’s like right before… Recorded 02/14/2020. Ladada Over Here, Over There Buzzing In The Light Under The Wheels Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/don

Listening to Yīn Yīn, you might expect the band to hail from the country from which their main source of inspiration is derived: Thailand. Instead, the quartet were surprisingly born and bred in the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands. That doesn’t stop them from skillfully employing their twist on 1960s psychedelia from South East Asia, alongside a long list of other inspirations including disco, rock, dub, funk, and western. HAW PIN! This expression of unity is posted everywhere in Maastricht during the ongoing pandemic. Recorded 12/07/2019. Pingpxng One Inch Punch Chông ky Dis̄ Kô Dis̄ Kô Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Burien’s biggest musical export Travis Thompson has been building buzz since signing a record deal with major label Epic last year to release his latest album Reckless Endangerment. Filling the KEXP stage with a full band, the young rapper spits his flows gracefully and effortlessly like a seasoned pro. Troy Nelson traces Thompson’s trajectory from spitting rhymes over Lil Wayne beats to open mics to Macklemore to major label signing. For those unfamiliar, Nelson also explains the geographical relationship of Burien to Seattle and the complications of repping a small, largely-unknown city. Everyone’s always from the biggest city near to where they're really actually from.   Recorded 01/07/2020. The Move Malice Mad Mad World Don’t Run Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube (This session was previously aired on the KEXP Live Performances podcast)Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brother band Moundrag brag about their lack of guitars, which may not seem like a big deal, but you try making heavy progressive psych without it! Camille and Colin Goallen created the band from a former 4-piece project called Smooth Motion. Troy Nelson dives into a history lesson on other notable bands that have spawned from less-notable projects while also giving us the 411 on Moundrag, who hail from a small town outside of Rennes, France. The capital of the region of Brittany is where KEXP caught Moundrag for this Live on KEXP session at the fantastic Trans Musicales festival, where they wowed the audience with a fun, energetic set consisting of costumes, dueling vocals, furious percussion, wailing keys and more gongs than there are members in the band. Dang we miss going to local music shows. Recorded 12/04/2019 My Woman Hangman The Priest & The Whore Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swiss six-piece L’Eclair make eccentric grooves inspired by an eclectic combination of sources including dub, funk, krautrock, ambient, and prog. A jam band at heart, the Geneva band can stretch sets out for hours at a time, if the audience so desires. Which, they usually do. We hop the pond for a dash of European culture on this week’s Live on KEXP. Witness Troy Nelson attempt to educate listeners on the history of and difference between L’Eclair, the band, and eclairs, the French pastry, while reciting Charlotte Brontë. Imagine him with a wood pipe in hand, if necessary. “I could not go in: too resistless was the delight of staying with the wild hour.” Recorded 12/08/2019. Dallas Coke Mountain Castor MacDavid Disco Dino / Suite / Suite No. 2 Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welsh band The Joy Formidable have spent the past decade making stadium-ready indie rock opuses that sound larger than life itself. In 2019, after releasing four great albums, the band celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their debut EP, 'A Balloon Called Moaning,' with a deluxe re-issue and a major tour behind the album. That’s when the band found themselves amongst the glimmering lights of KEXP’s in-studio session room to play four songs. Troy Nelson details the history of the band, from the hallowed halls of KEXP in late 2019 to their roots as a band called Tricky Nixon, while also weaving in some education on the history of impeachment amongst American presidents. Kierkegaard said “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Recorded 12/17/2019. The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade Y Bluen Eira While The Flies Passerby Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform

Veteran electronic producer Matthew Dear is a self-described “tinkerer” and “loop-obsessed” musician who is known for crafting eclectically varied and mesmerizingly strange sounds under a number of various names including Audion, False, and Jabberjaw alongside his government name. Dear’s most recent album, 2018’s Bunny, was described by KEXP (aka myself) as having “moments of buoyancy that verge on sheer pop (granted, a twisted and discombobulated type of pop).”  Things get weird on today’s Live on KEXP, as Troy Nelson seemingly veers wildly off-topic to delve into the science behind sleep, a couple of toy makers who appreciate it, and the drugs that impair it. But trust us, there’s a point here (I think) that connects to Matthew Dear, who was quoted as saying, “Hey old man, why aren't I rested? Why's your boy so damn tired? Where's the music?” In response to not having put out music under his own name in 6 years. It’s been har

Time warp with us to a year that’s *not* 2020 to settle into the sultry sounds of Joey Quiñones and Thee Sinseers. The East Los Angeles band takes their inspiration from the soulful ‘60s of SoCal to bring some seriously sexy heat. Despite having only released a string of singles, Thee Sinseers are one of the most popular groups in SoCal, in-demand for parties up and down the California coast. Singer, songwriter, and man-who-can-play-any-instrument Joey Quiñones’ extraordinary vocals make a strong argument for “future household name” and, if our YouTube comments are to be believed, is considered “the gem of the Chicano music community.” Ahead of their set, recorded at the Transmusicales Festival in France and featuring Bryan Ponce and Adriana Flores from the Altons, Troy Nelson starts the engine and rolls down the windows to cruise back in time, taking us through the many artists that led up to and influenced the sweltering sounds of Joey Quiñones

Just in time for the sun-soaked dog days of summer, High Pulp are here to bring the heat with their jazz-influenced funky, soulful rhythms. The Seattle-based band is a giant collective ranging anywhere between 6 and 11 skilled musicians at any time who believe that collaboration is key. Troy Nelson details the band’s growth from the basement to Bad Juice and name-checks the local luminaries that have added their flavor to the High Pulp dish. Sometimes you gotta add more hot sauce.. Recorded 01/17/2020. Serena Williams Sermon Nikola Ezell's Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.