Live on KEXP

Underneath shimmering textures and spiky rhythms, The Drums have always kept their heart on their musical sleeves, with Jonathan Pierce effortlessly dropping sentimental expressions alongside darkly-tinted humor alongside each other. That's no different on the band's latest album “Abysmal Thoughts”, and which gets highlighted (along with some older material) in this VIP Concert at the Triple Door in Seattle. Recorded 7/17/2017 - 7 songs: Heart Basel, Days, Book of Stories, Blood Under My Belt, Money, I Need a Doctor, Head of the HorseSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Considering her earliest DIY recordings and her days in P.S. Eliot, Katie Crutchfield is practically a veteran at this point, so it's no surprise that her fourth and most recent album as Waxahatchee, Out in the Storm, is her most confident yet. In session with Stevie Zoom, the Birmingham-born songwriter and her bandmates perform four Out of the Storm tunes. Recorded 7/24/2017 - 4 songs: Recite Remorse, Silver, Hear You, Never Been WrongSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although the musicians surrounding them aren't always the same, the couple of Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia's impeccable chemistry has kept their Malian rhythms dazzling for more than 30 years. Their first record in five years, La Confusion, is as vibrant as any of their previous work and in this session on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, their danceable songs cut straight to the point. Recorded 8/9/2017 - 4 songs: Bofou Safou, Filaou Bessame, Beaux Dimanches, La RéalitéSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's an understatement to say The War On Drugs' return to KEXP was highly anticipated, but it's the best that words can do for this sublime session from Adam Granduciel and company. Featuring four songs off the band's beautiful new album A Deeper Understanding, the Philadelphia outfit join DJ Troy Nelson for a quick catch-up on the last three years, the making of their new album, and cold calling engineers through their Geocities site to come work on a record. Recorded 8/1/2017 - 4 songs: Pain, Holding On, Strangest Thing, You Don't Have To GoSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Joint isn't a curse, right?” El-P always asks the important questions, both on his records and in his sessions. This was only moments before he, Killer Mike, and Trackstar the DJ rock the KEXP Live Room with an incendiary (and, impressively, profanity free) session. A quartet of Run The Jewels tunes rocks DJ Kevin Cole and the Jewel Runners in the Live Room audience (“we can't hear you but make some noise”) before a conversation on music, life, and being too high to remember your cameo in Baby Driver. Recorded 7/21/2017 - 4 songs: Legend Has It, Don't Get Captured, Early, DownSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bringing your backup dancers to a radio session is a surefire way to know someone isn't messing around, so it shouldn't be a surprise that Lizzo's visit to the KEXP Live Room is an immensely fun twenty minutes. Performing a quartet of new cuts and discussing the role of music in activism, Lizzo joins DJ Morgan for a set of charismatic and kinetic hip-hop. Recorded 7/22/2017 - 4 songs: Good As Hell, Phone, Scuse Me, Coconut OilSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kentucky songwriter Joan Shelley's latest album contains some of her richest songs, highlighting Shelley's rich voice and mellifluous guitar playing. Performing four songs from the self-titled record, Shelley and guitarist Nathan Salsburg join Greg Vandy on the Roadhouse for a crisp, beautiful performance. Recorded 7/19/2017 - 4 songs: If The Storms Never Come, The Push and Pull, Where I'll Find You, Over and EvenSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a few years off, Beach Fossils returned earlier this year with Somersault, the band's finest set of songs to date and also the first to be written and recorded as a band. Dustin Payseur and co. bring four new tracks to the KEXP Live Room with Kevin Cole and talk about Somersault, people actually liking authority figures, and being nervous about asking Slowdive's Rachel Goswell to sing on your song. Recorded 7/11/2017 - 4 songs: Saint Ivy, Be Nothing, Sugar. Closer EverywhereSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten years into her career, Javiera Mena's music continues to get more colorful and vibrant while remaining introspective. The Chilean musician's latest album Otra Era is full percolating and percussive electronic sounds that are highly danceable, not least by the dancers that join her in this session on El Sonido with DJ Chilly. Recorded 7/18/2017 - 4 songs: Hasta La Verdad, Sincronía, Pegaso, Cámara Lenta, Otra EraSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He wasn't a goth - although he had goth sensibilities, by his own account - but John Darnielle and the Mountain Goats' new album Goths is a vivid, humorous account of the lives of the black-clad subculture. Joining Cheryl Waters in the KEXP Live Room, Darnielle discusses growing up all over the United States, the differences between writing songs on piano and guitar, and losing your leather jacket on your first European tour. Recorded 6/6/2017 - 4 songs: Blood Capsules, Andrew Eldrich Is Moving Back To Leeds, Shelved, San BernardinoSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dropping a pair of albums on one day is an ambitious move, but convention has never been for the inimitable Shabazz Palaces. Those records - Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines and Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star - are filled with some of the duo's most engaging work yet, and those records shine through in this session with Stas Thee Boss in the KEXP Live Room. Recorded 7/14/2017 - 4 songs: Since C.A.Y.A., Welcome to Quazarz, When Cats Claw, Shine a LightSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The warm, golden Finnish-style Americana of Tuomo & Markus flows with the aqueousness of jazz and bursts of a post-rock glow. Backed with a crack band, the Helsinki duo join Kevin Cole in the KEXP Live Room to play songs from their latest releases, tell the story of how they became a band, and the importance of libraries in discovering new music. Recorded 6/20/2017 - 5 songs: Over The Rooftops, Life Leaving Your Body, Land of Real Men, Don't Shut Down Your Radio, Jack StrawSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven years is a long time between albums, but Land of Talk's Liz Powell took that time to walk away from music and recharge, returning with some of her most affecting songs yet on this year's Life After Youth. Joining John Richards in the KEXP Live Room, Powell plays four new songs and talks about leaving music behind, returning to it, and the unforgettable time she saw Fugazi in Dublin. Recorded 6/28/2017 - 4 songs: Yes You Were, Loving, Inner Lover, This TimeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eyelids' jangling guitar rock channels elements of American lo-fi and the Dunedin sound, chiming through the indie rock tradition with a DIY scrappiness that certainly comes from the band members' experiences in numerous rock groups (not least, The Decembrists and The Jicks.) Joining John Richards on the Morning Show, the Portland quintet play four songs from their latest record, Or, (and an older tune) and discuss crocheted album covers, band nicknames, and the Sounders/Timbers rivalry. Recorded 6/23/2017 - 5 songs: Falling Eyes, Camelot, My Caved In Mind, Bound To Let You Down, So It GoesSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They'd previously ripped up Kex Hostel as part of the Iceland Airwaves broadcast, so it should be no surprise that the Reykjavik trio Moji & The Midnight Sons torch the KEXP Live Room in Seattle with the same potent soulful hand grenade of a sound. On the heels of their debut album, What I Saw On The Way To Myself, the trio join Stevie Zoom in the studio to play a quartet of bluesy songs from that record and tell the tale of how the cross-continental collaboration first began. Recorded 6/12/2017 - 4 songs: Keep My Memory, Ocean Hymn, If It Fits, Heat WaveSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crawlspace, the debut album from Tei Shi, is named for the space where the Buenos Aires-born singer would go as a child to confront her fear of the dark, and that bold approach carries through to her skittering, electronic compositions. Joining DJ Chilly in the KEXP Live Room, Tei Shi runs through four tracks from Crawlspace and discusses the origins of her music. Recorded 6/16/2017 - 4 songs: How Far, Year 3k, Justify, Say You DoSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Alynda Lee Segarra first thought of making a record with a concept storyline, she heard a voice in her head telling her she was too lazy to do it. Fast forward and Hurray For The Riff Raff's striking album The Navigator features a collection of vivid songs featuring a young female Puerto Rican protagonist. Performing a quartet of Navigator songs and in conversation with John Richards about growing up in New York City and traveling around the country as a musician, Segarra fills the KEXP Live Room with a raucous, inimitable energy in this session. Recorded 6/15/2017 - 4 songs: Hungry Ghost, Rican Beach, Living In The City, Pa'LanteSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“If the book you want to read doesn't exist, write it.” Quoting the inimitable Toni Morrison, Jamila Woods crafts a story worth diving into on her debut album HEAVN. Joining DJ Morgan in the KEXP Live Room, the Chicago poet and songwriter tells the tale of how she went from singing in her church choir as a child to releasing her solo debut project alongside four HEAVN tracks. Recorded 6/6/2017 - 4 songs: Heavn, LSD, Way Up, Blk Girl SoldierSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The dusty desert-damaged rock of All Them Witches made its debut in the KEXP studios earlier this year, and it only underscores how the wait was too long. The long-evolving Nashville outfit's latest album. Sleeping Through The War, is a fiery, gritty LP that's highlighted in this session with Cheryl Waters, where the band discuss the roots of the project, the benefits of all the band's members not living in the same town, and playing a Rhodes strictly because they'd already paid for it. Recorded 5/5/2017 - 5 songs: Am I Going Up?, 3-5-7, Alabaster, Talisman, The Death Of Coyote WomanSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Close Eyes to Exit is the title of the Klangstof's debut album, and listening to their debut session in KEXP's Live Room, it's easy to be inclined to close your eyes and dive into the Amsterdam group's expansive sound. Alternating between echoing post-punk and crashing guitars, the quartet join Larry Rose in the studio to tell their origin story and perform four Close Eyes tracks. Recorded 5/16/2017 - 4 songs: Hostage, Sleaze, Ignore Me, IslandSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are moments during Valerie June's return to KEXP where she steps away from the mic and simply begins dancing to the rhythm, regardless if the song in question is a blues rocker or a sparse, country crawl. Performing four varied tracks from The Order of Time, the Tennessee songwriter and her band bring her astral Americana into the KEXP Live Room with Cheryl Waters and discuss the process of unlocking her “bubble” to get the songs out into the universe. Recorded 6/2/2017 - 4 songs: Astral Plane, Two Hearts, Shakedown, Got SoulSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The jazz-inflicted, inspirational dub of Jah9 fills the KEXP Live Room with positive energy in this session. The Jamaican singer leads her band, The Dub Treatment, through songs on her new album, 9, and discusses doing improvisational dub soundtracks to yoga class and linking up with Mad Professor to do a dub version of the record in this session with DJ Miss Ashley. Recorded 6/12/2017 - 4 songs: In The Midst, Greatest Threat to the Status Quo, Unafraid, Steamers A BubbleSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vieux Farka Touré's latest record, Samba, may mean “second boy” in Songhai, but the dazzling guitar work he displays in this session on Wo' Pop is second to none. Playing songs from Samba and paying tribute to his family with his music, Touré brings a snapshot of Mali's rich musical history into the KEXP Live Room. Recorded 5/2/2017 - 4 songs: Ni Negaba, Missing, Samba Si Kairi, Ba KaitereSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During her latest session in the KEXP Live Room, Laura Marling speaks of her music in film metaphors when describing her new record, Semper Femina, to Cheryl Waters. The London songwriter's sixth LP has all the touches of a classic film, filed in with rich scenery (a tight, expansive band) and a thick plot (some of her best songs to date) in this exquisite session. Recorded 4/28/2017 - 4 songs: Nothing, Not Nearly, Wild Fire, Next Time, DaisySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most gorgeous and sweeping sessions recorded in the KEXP Live Room to date, Jóhann Jóhannsson - best known as the soundtrack composer for Arrival, Sicario, and Blade Runner 2049, among others - leads the American Contemporary Music Ensemble through songs from his latest album, Orphée, and discusses the value of music as a communicative tool in film with Kevin Cole on the Afternoon Show. Recorded 4/20/2017 - 4 songs: A Song for Europa, De Luce Et Umbra, A Sparrow Alighted Upon Our Shoulder, The Drowned WorldSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“That's all I got,” chuckles Marty Stuart after gliding through a gorgeous, breakneck rendition of “Mississippi Railroad Blues” with His Fabulous Superlatives. Notably affable and even more instrumentally impressive, Stuart runs through cuts from his latest album, Way Out West, and trades stories with Don Slack on a relaxed and dazzling set on Swingin' Doors. Recorded 5/22/2017 - 4 songs: Mississippi Railroad Blues, Whole Lotta Highway (With a Million Miles To Go), Old Mexico, Time Don't WaitSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twenty two years after its release, Jeremy Enigk's Return of the Frog Queen continues to enrapture with its baroque arrangements and Enigk's inimitable songwriting. Performing four cuts from the album alongside a new song on KEXP's broadcast from the Upstream Music Festival with a full band (including a string quartet), the return of Jeremy Enigk sounds as vibrant as ever. Recorded 5/11/2017 - 4 songs: Abigail Anne, Return Of The Frog Queen, Carnival, Fallen Heart, Ancient RoadSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Seattle soul trio Delvon Lamar Organ Trio (a.k.a. DLO3) speaks volumes without a singer. The warm chemistry of Lamarr's organ, Jimmy James' slick guitar, and David McGraw's tight, reflexive drumming is a joy to behold on this session from the Upstream Music Fest + Summit featuring tracks from their latest LP, Close But No Cigar. Recorded 5/13/2017 - 7 songs: Move On Up, Memphis, Untitled. Concussion, I Don't Want To Play That, Tacoma Black Party, Top Going Down, Bottom Going UpSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

From his beginning with a pen and paper in 2009 to the release of his 2017 full-length debut Watercolor, Porter Ray has been one of the increasingly prominent, hardest-working talents in Seattle for some time. His art has never been more fully realized than it is on Watercolor, which finds him meditating on his life in Seattle and the death of his brother with poignance and incision laid across smoky, almost-levitating beats. In this session on Street Sounds with Stas THEE Boss, Porter Ray tells his story up to Watercolor and highlights five tracks from the album. Recorded 3/14/2017 - 5 songs: Waves, East Seattle, Sacred Geometry, Navi Truck, BeautifulSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a low-key nuance to Haley Heynderickx's silvery guitar-based songs, but their brilliance radiates through stronger at a quieter level. That's to say nothing of the Portland-based artist's positivity-seeking outlook (“We saw a bald eagle and five rainbows on the way up here!”) and the colorful additions of the brass and horn arrangements she brings to this session on Audioasis with DJ Sharlese. Recorded 3/1/2017 - 4 songs: The Bug Collector, Fish Eyes, Untitled God Song, Ride a Pack of BeesSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.