Kexp Live Performances Podcast

At the end of the band's previous tour, Okkervil River leader Will Sheff returned to a Bob Dylan lyric that he's always circled back to: "He not busy being born is busy dying". With rebirth in mind, Sheff gathered a new group of musicians and created a new musical mindset that eventually evolved into the Austin, Texas band's eighth album, Away. Joining Troy Nelson in the KEXP studios, Sheff and his bandmates display a band that sounds intriguingly reborn and hungry for adventure once more. Recorded 10/8/2016 - 4 songs: Okkervil River R.I.P., The Industry, Judey On A Street, Unless It's KicksSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From trip-hop to R%26B to bossa nova - to name only a few styles incorporated in the Washington D.C. collective's music - Thievery Corporation's diverse rhythms and textures remain a vibrant touchstone to numerous styles of music 20 years after the band's formation In a career-spanning session on Wo' Pop, Rob Garza, Eric Hilton, and co. flow through five songs from their catalog and discuss the band's origins, initiative to stay independent of major labels, and the secret of keeping a band together for two decades. Recorded 11/10/2016 - 5 songs: Forgotten People, Le Monde, All That We Perceive, Amerimacka, Culture Of FearSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On their third LP, Sunlit Youth, Local Natives created their darkest and densest record to date, but in this pared-down performance in the KEXP Gathering Space, they're anything but that. Agile and direct, the quintet's performance shows that the festival anthems that built their reputation outside of their native Los Angeles work just as well in an intimate setting as they do in an open-air park in this session with four Sunlit Youth cuts and an old favorite. Recorded 09/20/2016 - 5 songs: Past Lives, Coins, Wide Eyes, Dark Days, Fountain of YouthSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the legendary dub musician starts this session with a spiritual thesis statement ("Let Scratch arise... let Scratch enemies be scattered"), it's only the first sign that the vibe of the room is about to be elevated. Lee "Scratch" Perry may be 80 years old, but his ability to conjure otherworldly, reverb-drenched atmosphere is still inimitable. Backed by Subatomic Sound System, the Jamaican pioneer's potent energy shines through in this four-song session and wide-ranging interview on Wo' Pop with Darek Mazzone. Recorded 09/18/2016 - 4 songs: Happy Birthday, I Am A Madman, Black Ark Vampires, Dread LionSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"When I was a kid, they didn't allow rappers to reach 44 years old." Atmosphere MC Slug may joke about his middle age ("dad rap - it's what I do now!"), but it belies his sense of pride in the Minneapolis group's two decade career. Joining Kevin Cole in the KEXP studio, Slug and his partner in crime Ant discuss the experience of having a two decade hip-hop career and rock four tunes that show that the pair haven't lost a step as they enter their "brush your teeth, wear your seatbelt" phase. Recorded 09/15/2016 - 4 songs: Seismic Waves, Pure Evil, Perfect, HappymessSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Much was made of Nao's jazz backgroud when she was a buzzy artist in 2015, but the London musician's debut full length, this year's For All We Know (named for a jazz standard) displays a singer with significant funk credentials and forward-thinking, electronic-tinged production. In this kinetic session, Nao joins Larry Rose to play four songs and discuss growing up in a music-centric household, the original name for her record label, and singing backing vocals for Pulp at Glastonbury. Recorded 09/23/16 - 4 songs: Happy, DYWM, Apple Cherry, Bad BloodSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When DJ Sharlese asks MASZER frontman STITCX about growing up in Tel Aviv, he immediately, enthusiastically replies "Born and raised!" As the Israeli musician points out, however, there's musical influences from all over the globe that go into the Seattle-based group's roaring, percussive rock. Even if you don't speak Hebrew (which some of these songs are sung in), there's plenty of rich musical landscape to dig into during this session on Audioasis. Recorded 09/30/16 - 4 songs: California Sees You, Ma Nia, Dancing Mice, DecisionsSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Michigan outfit Heaters took the “space rock” tags that were put on the band after their debut to heart, naming their sophomore outing, Baptistina, after the asteroid that was once presumed to have ended the dinosaur. Doubling down on the heavier, more gauzy elements of their music for their second album, Heaters expand the KEXP studio a swirling, acid-lined universe in session with Cheryl Waters. Recorded 09/09/2016 - 4 songs: Dali, Elephant Turner, Centennial, Ara PacisSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Courtney Marie Andrews isn't out of her twenties yet, but she's spent more time on the road than most musicians ever will. Yet the inspiration from her newest album, Honest Life, came from her experience getting off the touring circuit and bartending in a small town, and the results are some of her most affecting songs to date. Courtney joins Greg Vandy in the Roadhouse to discuss the characters that inspired the songs and learning how to live on and off the road. Recorded 09/07/2016 - 4 songs: How Quickly Your Heart Mends, Irene, Table For One, Rookie DreamingSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When My Bubba entered the studio for their third LP, this year's Big Bad Good, they didn't have any songs, but the Swedish-Icelandic duo didn't take that as a reason to not craft a new set of tunes on the spot. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Studio, Guðbjörg Tómasdóttir and My Larsdotter share four songs from Big Bad Good and a short history of the perpetually-traveling group. Recorded 07/30/2016 - 4 songs: Big Bad Good, Charm, Carolina / Going Home, Ghost SweatSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Franti will, without hesitation, say that his 20-plus year career was built on one thing: tenacious optimism. And even if you can't see it in the room, Franti's optimism radiates just as brilliantly through the songs of his new album Soul Rocker as anything else in his catalog. Franti, along with his band Spearhead, join Kevin Cole for a semi-acoustic session of songs and emotional stories from both the artist and the host. Recorded 09/02/2016 - 5 songs:Get Myself To Saturday, Good To Be Alive Today, I Got Love For Ya, Crazy For You, My LordSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xenia Rubinos' evocative, electrifying voice is a singular one to say the least, and in her sophomore album, this year's Black Terry Cat, she has a set of songs that have just as broad of a musical spectrum. Painting with a hard-to-categorize set of sounds drawing from R&B to punk, Rubinos' return to KEXP is an engaging and rhythmic gem that vividly captures the musical and social experiences of the Brooklyn songwriter's Afro-Caribbean heritage. Recorded 09/15/2016 - 4 songs: Lonely Lover, Black Stars, Mexican Chef, Don't Wanna BeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of 2016's breakout artists, Margo Price has been hailed as a champion for traditionalist country, but that tag doesn't do her justice. The songs on the Illinois-via-Nashville songwriter's 2016 album Midwest Farmer's Daughter certainly have echoes of her predecessors, but the songwriting is too affecting and the performances too sharp to try and box Price in with the past. Joining Greg Vandy in the KEXP studio, Price isn't afraid to look back, but she's clearly set on moving forward. Recorded 09/04/16 - 5 songs: Tennessee Song, Hands of Time, This Town Gets Around, Four Years of Chances, No ExpectationsSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The music of Explosions in the Sky has always lived up to the expectations set by the band's evocative name, and on their seventh studio album, The Wilderness, the Austin, Texas outfit continues to create singular, cathartic, and often breathtaking instrumental compositions. Joining host Troy Nelson during Bumbershoot 2016, the post-rock titans play five of the most expansive and, in every meaning of the word, epic songs that the KEXP studio has seen to date. Recorded 09/03/16 - 5 songs: Wilderness, Infinite Orbit, The Ecstatics, Colors In Space, Disintegration AnxietySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brooklyn band Caveman continues to evolve on their third album, updating the harmonic indie-folk of 2011's CoCo Beware and the expansive space-prog of their 2013 self-titled LP for a larger, more atmospheric, '80s-steeped pop-rock sound. While the concept story behind Otero War is vaguely sci-fi, the songs traverse more human terrain lyrically, focusing on existential topics like relationships and personal satisfaction. Whatever you take from them, there's no doubt that Caveman, in-studio at KEXP, sounds all too real. Recorded August 12, 2016 - 4 songs: Lean On You, Never Going Back, Life Or Just Living, All My LifeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those Pretty Wrongs frontman Jody Stephens was a key member of the seminal Memphis band Big Star, but while he was behind the drum kit in that outfit, he's front and center on his new project with Luther Russell (The Freewheelers). In this acoustic performance, Stephens and Russell's songwriting takes center stage, riding the line between intimate and expansive with its rich melodiousness. The band performs four songs from their self-titled debut album and discusses the virtues of starting band practice early in the day in this session with DJ Troy Nelson. Recorded 07/09/16 - 4 songs: Ordinary, Lucky Guy, Thrown Away, Never GoodbyeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If Thao and the Get Down Stay Down and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were related and they had a uniquely uncompromising third sibling it would be vocal-and-guitar-wailing Weaves. The Toronto four-piece isn't afraid to push the envelop in an free form, experimental effort to expand their own style of indie rock. Having been a band for two years and just released their self-titled debut album this summer, Weaves have already struck it rich in music scenes around the world with their mercurial song arcs, devious display of offbeat distortions, and playful panache. Watch as they play it up, live in-studio at KEXP with DJ Cheryl Waters. Recorded 08/16/16 - 4 songs: Birds & Bees, Sentence, Hulahoop, One MoreSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swedish rockers Peter Bjorn and John have been proselytizing their pro-60s pop prowess since 1999, but the trio really took the indie world by storm back in 2006 with their dance-floor hit “Young Folks.” Ten years later, they're still artfully writing their whistle-catchy songs like the title track to their latest album, Breakin' Point. Live in the KEXP studio, Peter, Bjorn, and John hammer out four bright, upbeat songs and chat gregariously with DJ Cheryl Waters about a “secret society of Swedish pop” and the four years of trials and tribulations in making it to Breakin' Point. Recorded 08/31/16 - 4 songs: Breakin' Point, Do Si Do, In This Town, DominosSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday afternoon may not be the ideal time for a loud, full-force rock show, but it is, however, the perfect setting for a set of winding, country-colored jams, which is what the audience received when Israel Nash and his band took the stage. The Dripping Springs, Texas musician's lush, almost psychedelic desert jams reached a new peak on his latest LP, 2015's Israel Nash's Silver Season, but nothing captures the loose, free-flowing energy of Nash's best work like snapshots of his live sets like this one recorded at the Triple Door on a breezy July afternoon. Recorded 07/25/16 - 7 songs: Rexanimarum, Mansions, LA Lately, Lavendula, Parlour Song, Rain Plans, Isn't It A PitySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CHVRCHES' synth-powered anthems took the Glaswegian trio from basement Soundcloud phenoms to festival-conquering stars in the span of about 18 months, so it's to their credit that they withstood that rapid rise and channeled that velocity into their catchier, denser, and overall sharper sophomore effort Every Open Eye. More dynamic than ever as an onstage unit, the group join Stevie Zoom in the KEXP studio for a set of reworked tracks from Every Open Eye and the single that started their meteoric climb. Recorded 07/24/2016 - 4 songs: Never Ending Circles, Leave a Trace, Afterglow, The Mother We ShareSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.