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St. Vincent Goes 70s May 20, 2021

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Musician and producer St. Vincent is out with her sixth solo studio album, 'Daddy’s Home.' It was inspired by the music of the 70s. KEXP’s Cheryl Waters recently caught up with St. Vincent to talk about the record, what about the 70s inspired her, the power of backup singers and the women St. Vincent shouts out in her song, "Melting Of The Sun."

“Whether it was Nina Simone speaking out about civil rights or Tori Amos speaking about sexual assault and being punished for being honest, I just wanted to say thank you for being brave and being authentically yourselves, even when the world was hostile to that,” St. Vincent said. “You made my life easier as a female artist, and I hope that I make the next generation's life easier too"

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Grief & Loss of Gang of Four Guitarist, Andy Gill May 18, 2021

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A new tribute album is coming out in a few weeks that covers songs by The English post punk band, Gang of Four. The album features Gang of Four Covers by The Dandy Warhols, IDLES and more. This album, titled 'The Problem of Leisure,' is a celebration of Gang of Four guitarist, Andy Gill, who died February 1, 2020. It was an album Andy Gill was working on at a hospital in the final days of his life. His widow, author and activist Catherine Mayer has worked to ensure the album's release. She talks about the record, Andy Gill’s death, grief and her upcoming book, 'Good Grief: Embracing Life at a Time of Death.'

“The way to move through grief is not to try to expel it but to embrace it because you are embracing the person you’ve lost. And what you want to be able to do is get to a point where the dead are part of your life and that gives you pleasure and sustenance and you are able to remember them with joy instead of just flinching with pain.”

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Musicians Respond to Racism Against Asian Americans May 13, 2021

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Reports of violence against Asian Americans have increased dramatically since the start of the pandemic, by nearly 150 percent in 2020 compared to the year before. Then 2021 saw a mass shooting in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six Asian Americans. The rise in media coverage about racism towards Asian American communities has ignited a conversation about how we, as a country, view Asian Americans.

Grace Madigan reports on how Asian American musicians have been impacted and responded through their music.

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[Unedited] Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Hip Hop History May 11, 2021

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'Can’t Stop Won’t Stop' was a book first published in 2005 by Jeff Chang that chronicled the early hip hop scene. It has now been rereleased with updates and a focus on a young adult audience with writing contributions by DJ, historian and professor Davey D Cook. KEXP’s Gabriel Teodros caught up with Davey D and Jeff Chang about the new edition and the power of hip hop.

“This is the hidden history of America,” Chang says. “Hip hop has that sort of hidden transcript of what really went on, what didn’t end up on the front page.”

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Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Hip Hop History May 11, 2021

Show notes

“This is the hidden history of America,” Chang says. “Hip hop has that sort of hidden transcript of what really went on, what didn’t end up on the front page.”

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Seattle’s Long Lost Punk Record May 06, 2021

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Before Seattle's Duff McKagan went on to become the bassist for Guns N’ Roses and before Seattle’s Mother Love Bone started influencing the city’s grunge sound, there was The Living. It was an early 80’s Seattle punk band made up of a teenage Duff McKagan on guitar, Greg Gilmore (of Mother Love Bone) on drums, Todd Fleischman on bass, and John Conte as the band’s frontman.

Seattle’s Loosegroove Records, which is co-run by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard, has just released The Living’s album, titled ‘1982,' for the very first time. “It’s Seattle hardcore, pre-grunge [...] it really showcases who the real king of grunge is and I think it might be Duff and Greg and Todd and John,” Gossard says.

For this episode, drummer Greg Gilmore talks about the themes on the record and how it's finally seeing the light of day.

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London Grammar Reacts to Industry Misogyny in New Album May 04, 2021

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London Grammar frontwoman Hannah Reid talks about how misogyny in the music industry inspired her band’s latest album, 'Californian Soil.'

“I just encountered a lot of what I would call daily sexist assumptions and microaggressions,” Reid says.

She also talks about nearly giving up on music, how burnout led to her developing fibromyalgia, which causes fatigue and pain all over the body, and how she manages it as a performer.

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Tune-Yards on Appropriation vs. Inspiration Apr 29, 2021

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When Tune-Yards first hit the scene with their 2009 album, 'Bird-brains,' you could hear that some songs pulled sounds, melodies and rhythms from African music traditions. Their 2018 album, ‘I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life,’ was written after frontwoman Merill Garbus took a six-month workshop on race. You can hear the effects of that workshop on the track, “Colonizer.”

With all that in mind, for Live on KEXP At Home, Larry Mizell Jr. chatted with Garbus about the work she’s done on race, on appropriation vs. inspiration and Tune-Yards' most recent album, released March 26th, called 'Sketchy.'

Watch the full session on KEXP's YouTube channel.

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What I Played When the Verdict Came Down Apr 27, 2021

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It’s been one week since former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all three charges for the killing of George Floyd. Larry Mizell Jr. was DJing live on KEXP the moment the verdict came down last Tuesday. Here’s his essay reflecting on the day, the death of George Floyd and many other Black lives, through music.

Read Larry's essay here.

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Sharon Van Etten Breaks Down Anniversary Cover Album, 'epic Ten' Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

Sharon Van Etten has just released 'epic Ten,' a double album celebrating the tenth anniversary of her 2010 release, 'epic.' The release features both the original record and an LP of covers by Fiona Apple, Big Red Machine, IDLES, Courtney Barnett with Vagabon, Lucinda Williams, and more.

KEXP’s Cheryl Waters talks with Sharon Van Etten about ‘epic Ten' and has her break down some of the covers on the record.

You can read the full interview here.

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