Kexp Live Performances Podcast

The Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi breaks cultural and musical boundaries on her own terms, bringing in traditional Tunisian sounds with modern production and protest themes on her latest album, Ensen (English: Human.) Joining Darek Mazzone on Wo' Pop, Mathlouthi performs four songs from Ensen and discusses her music during the Arab Spring and breaking down Tunisian identity as a person and as an artist. Recorded 5/15/2017 - 4 songs: Dfina (Burial), Lost, Thamlaton (Drunkeness), Kelmti Horra (My Word Is Free)Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A trio of Pacific Northwestern veterans gathered together to give thanks for angular rhythms and chrome-streaked guitars, The Gods Themselves' ineffable cool is only matched by their space-smart songwriting. Joining Sean Nelson on Audioasis, the band run through four cuts from their latest LP, Be My Animal with stylish, kinetic aplomb. Recorded 3/25/2017 - 4 songs: Be My Animal, Tech Boys, Dance With Me, LoveSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For their fifth session (and first in KEXP's new Live Room), longtime station favorites Alt-J went intimate to match the insular tone of their latest LP, Relaxer. With a pared-down semi-acoustic setup, the English trio play a pair of new tracks and a trio of old favorites in reworked fashions on the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole. Recorded 4/28/2017 - 5 songs: 3WW, Tessellate, Warm Foothills, Dissolve Me, In Cold BloodSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Wo'Pop host Darek Mazzone's most anticipated sessions in recent memory, Le Mystery des Voix Bulgares fill the KEXP Live Room with the power of a 23-person choir using open-throat singing to perform traditional Bulgarian music with contemporary arrangements. Running through a half hour of intricate and mellifluous vocal arrangements, the Prof. Dora Hristova-led ensemble perform a stunningly beautiful set alongside an interview between Hristova, Mazzone, and Jazz Theater's John Gilbreath. Recorded 4/21/2017 - 12 songs: Moma Houbava, Sama Li Si Den Zhanala, Horo. Shops Napevi, Izlel E Delyo Haidutin, Mehmetyo, Dai Mi Bothe, Yova, Vito Horo, Douda E Bolna, Dilmano Dilbero, Ergen DedaSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even if the definition of "Northwestern band” has to be stretched a little to include the Alaskan outfit Portugal. The Man, they have plenty of Northwest ties. Returning to the KEXP studios for a session featuring songs from their last three albums (all of which had a portion recorded in Seattle), they join Cheryl Waters for a recap of their last few years, including stories from working with Danger Mouse and Mike D. Recorded 3/6/2017 - 4 songs: Purple Yellow Red and Blue, So American, Modern Jesus, Feel It StillSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mellifluously melodious and dripping with rich vocals, Front Row Seat to Earth, Weyes Blood's latest album, is her most shimmering and accomplished to date. Laced with intimate lyrics and an atmospheric shine, Natalie Mering and her band enter the KEXP Live Room to play four songs and discuss the art of wild herb crafting with DJ Troy Nelson. Recorded 2/24/2017 - 4 songs: Used To Be, Seven Words, Generation Why, Do You Need My Love  Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best and Seattle's Bread & Butter like to keep it free and easy with big, crunchy chords and juicy power pop hooks. The quartet are no joke though - the crashes and choruses on their debut album are plenty effective and sound best turned up loud. Palling around with DJ Kevin Cole on the Afternoon Show, the group discuss making their debut LP, pressing “butter” colored vinyl, and post-practice Youtube parties. Recorded 4/14/2017 - 5 songs: Worst Of Times, Cool In The Water, Shoot My Mouth Off, Keys To The City, DesperationSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Father John MIsty's songs have always been filled with vivid (and often flawed) characters, but he's never been as starkly human as he is on his latest full length, 2017's stunning Pure Comedy. The longtime KEXP favorite's newest LP is a sprawling, sometimes dark opus, but in this stripped down session on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, the artist sometimes known as Josh Tillman is more revealing than he often is in conversation and across four Pure Comedy songs. Recorded 5/24/2017 - 4 songs: Pure Comedy, Total Entertainment Forever, Things It Would've Been Helpful To Know Before The Revolution, Ballad of the Dying ManSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Loud and proud, Seattle queer punk band waste no time with introductions, blasting out hardcore tales of love, loss, and queer life in Seattle at a hundred miles a minute. Joining DJ Larry Rose in the KEXP Live Room, the Seattle quartet thrash through four songs from their forthcoming debut with equal parts speed and style. Recorded 6/9/2017 - 4 songs: Call Me Tania, Rainbow Crosswalks, Brosexual, SkinnySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The compositions of the Iraqi oud composer and performer Rahim AlHaj do not have lyrics, but the tension, force, and vitality of his songs speak volumes about the power of music in the face of terrible strife. Backed by a string quartet and bassist on Wo' Pop, AlHaj speaks boldly about valuing different cultures and keeping an empathetic, open mind towards them in the face of challenges, both in conversation with Darek Mazzone and through songs from his latest collection, Letters From Iraq.Recorded 3/17/2017 - 3 songs: Letter 5. Going Home, Letter 6. Unspoken Word, Letter 4. The Last Time We Will Fly BirdsSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Embodying the sounds and spirit of New Orleans' French Quarter for more than four decades, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is nothing short of an institution of American jazz music. Still touring extensively, the energy of the New Orleans-style jazz compositions is as vibrant as ever, certainly during this performance in KEXP's Gathering Space to a packed room.  Recorded 4/17/2017 - 6 songs: So It Is, Santiago, Convergence, La Malanga, One Hundred Fires, MadSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Louder, Faster, Better, and More Romantic, Cataldo leader Eric Anderson took a few cues from the bliss of his long-term relationship on his new album Keepers, and the LP's rich, buoyant tone both embodies the satisfaction Anderson has in his own life while carrying the torch of Pacific Northwestern indie rock. Returning to the KEXP studios, Anderson joins Sean Nelson on Audioasis for four Keepers tracks with a full band. Recorded 4/8/2017 - 4 songs: Photograph, Person You'd Be Proud Of, Little Heartbeat, Straight Up Western (White Noise)Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“This is my work. This is what I do.” Mitski Miyazaki lays her manifesto out early on in her return trip to the KEXP Live Room with a full band to follow up the solo session she performed shortly after the release of 2016's masterful Puberty 2. A year on the road has only made her sharper, and the results of her touring show in this session with DJ Morgan where Mitski plays three Puberty 2 tunes, an old favorite and discusses the advantages of playing a portable instrument. Recorded 4/8/2017 - 4 songs: I Bet on Losing Dogs, Francis Forever, Your Best American Girl, HappySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kyiv folk quartet DakhaBrakha created their latest album Шлях (English: The Road) as a tribute to their Motherland, and in this vital session, it's easy to hear the multitude of voices both figurative and literal that make up a stirring snapshot of a people pushing forward during a difficult time in their country's history. The Ukrainian folk outfit return to KEXP's Live Room for a moving set of kinetic songs on Wo' Pop with Darek Mazzone. Recorded 4/23/2017 - 4 songs: Vesna, Carpathian Rap, Monakh, BabySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's impossible to say the name of the Melbourne sextet King Gizzard & Lizard Wizard without conjuring images of fantastical garage fury and on each of their records, the prolific group have only further honed their scuzzy, slashing rock with tones both spacious and slaying. The band with the best name in the world returns to KEXP's live room to play four songs from their new (also well-named) album Flying Microtonal Banana and talk about the pronunciation of the word “banana” with DJ Cheryl Waters. Recorded 4/10/2017 - 4 songs: Doom City, Sleep Drifter, Billabong Valley, Nuclear FusionSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The long-running group Tinariwen hail from Mail, but there's nothing lost in translation with the collective's spiraling, sprawling guitar visions that glide across headphones with as much richness as the languid works of Kurt Vile or Alain Johannes (who also guest on the group's latest album, Elwan.) The desert guitar masters return to the KEXP Live Room for a striking set of tunes from Elwan and an interview between Wo' Pop host Darek Mazzone and bassist Eyadou Ag Leche. Recorded 4/04/2017 - 4 songs: Talyat Girl, Assàwt (The Voice of Tamashek Women), Sastanàqqàm (I Question You), Nànnuflày (Fulfilled)Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Sera Cahoone moved to Seattle, forcing herself to play open mic nights at the (now-defunct venue) OK Hotel  was only the beginning of a career that would lead her to literally play on top of the Space Needle. In her far-closer-to-the-ground return to the KEXP Live Room, Cahoone joins John Richards to talk about her new record From Where I Started, talk about where she literally started, and writing tributes to loved ones passed on. Recorded 3/30/2017 - 4 songs: Better Woman, Ladybug, Up To Me, Time To GiveSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although they've been constant staples in Seattle venues, it had been more than four years since Dude York's last KEXP session, but with the release of their sophomore LP Sincerely, the self-styled “America's Band” have triumphantly returned with a new set of catchy garage jams. Joining Sharlese on Audioasis, the group play four Sincerely tracks and tell the process of writing their latest “hits” with the help of Netflix and the value of eschewing DMs to praise bands publicly on Twitter. Recorded 2/22/2017 - 4 songs: Black Jack, Tonight, The Way I Feel, Love IsSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kate Tempest's performance of the first half of her 2016 opus Let Them Eat Chaos at KEXP's broadcast from Iceland Airwaves 2016 was a highlight of both the festival and the whole year, so it's no surprise that her return trip to KEXP's Seattle studio is yet another furious rapture of a session. Joining Cheryl Waters in the Live Room, Tempest lives up to her namesake with four more rapid-fire Chaos songs that demand to be heard. Recorded 3/28/2017 - 4 songs: Pictures on a Screen, Perfect Coffee, Grubby, Breaks Tunnel VisionSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With his previous record, Timothy Showalter sought to look inward. On his latest LP as Strand of Oaks, Hard Love, Showalter is looking outward with his most expansive and expressive songs to date. Opening with the crushing, lengthy, and affecting “Taking Acid and Talking To My Brother”, the Philadelphia group's latest session is a stunning performance of four Hard Love tracks and a discussion between Kevin Cole and Showalter on how making shows sacred led Strand of Oaks to its next chapter. Recorded 3/1/2017 - 4 songs: Taking Acid and Talking To My Brother, Radio Kids, Rest Of It, EverythingSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.