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Magic Spells and Musical Healing With Nailah Hunter Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

Harpist and composer Nailah Hunter released her debut EP, ‘Spells,' in May of this year. Hunter says she sees composition as an act of magical healing and, as the title suggests, each song is like a spell. Her mystical approach to music-making has the power to transport listeners, while also allowing Hunter to deepen her connection with her Haitian roots.

In this interview with KEXP’s Dusty Henry, Hunter also explores mythology, the importance of rest, and her choice to remain soft amidst the hard realities of 2020.

“As a Black woman living in 2020, singing about dragons and princes and stuff is such a choice but I still feel like it is political in some ways,” Hunter says.

Read the full interview here.

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Dirty Projectors on Their “Mosaic” of New Releases Nov 26, 2020

Show notes

Dirty Projectors released five markedly different EPs in 2020, jumping between sonic realms of folk, classical, avant garde, bossa nova, and soulful pop.

The first four EPs in the series feature a different vocalist from the band singing lead on each. As frontman Dave Longstreth explains, “a goal was to present a kind of mosaic ideal of this band. One in which everyone takes turn singing lead.”

Longstreth joins Sound & Vision to share the band's collaborative process of songwriting for the inventive project.

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Alice in Chains' 30-Year Career Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Alice in Chains' debut album, 'Facelift.' On December 1st, the band will be presented Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture’s Founders Award.

To talk about the band’s legacy are founding members Sean Kinney (drummer) and Jerry Cantrell (vocals and guitar) as well as William DuVall (lead vocalist) who joined the band in 2006, four years after the death of frontman Layne Staley.

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Marie Davidson on Divesting from Perfectionism Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

Marie Davidson’s popular 2018 song, “Work It,” was a club hit, but also pointed to workaholism, in both her own life and society at large. Her latest album, 'Renegade Breakdown,' is a conscious departure from the club sound. It explores her process of detachment from commercial ideals and “industry in general."

In this episode, Davidson discusses working through her various addictions that were fueled by the pressures of capitalism, her connection to the life and music of Karen Carpenter, and how she’s embodied the punk rock spirit of “enough is enough” by being unapologetically herself.

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Study Finds Ways to Prevent COVID-19 Spread at Concerts Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

On November 1st, Germany announced that they would be in partial lockdown for the month of November. That meant bars, clubs and cinemas could not host any guests. This came one day after a study was published that found that if indoor music and sporting venues followed good ventilation and social distancing measures, chances of virus transmission would be low.

Dr. Michael Gekle is part of the team at Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg who conducted the study. He discusses the findings of the research and what venues will have to keep in mind in the future to prevent the spread of the virus.

Further reading:

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Marshall Law Band on Underscoring the Seattle Protests Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Marshall Law Band has been the de-facto house band for the ongoing Seattle protests that began following the death of George Floyd. The band is out with a new album, '12th and Pine,' representing their experience at the heart of the protests and the resounding messages they carry.

KEXP’s Larry Mizell Jr. talks with frontman Marshall Hugh about the role of music in protest, the events and activists they highlighted in the new record, and how we all must sustain the movement through dedicated work.

“We really believe that 12th and Pine is something that all sides need to hear, no matter where you sit on this fence,” Hugh says. “It’s really important that you use music for education and understanding other people’s perspectives and we believe that 12th and Pine represents our perspective from a frontlines lens.”

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Sa-Roc Reflects on Self-Love and Her New Album Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

Sa-Roc’s latest release, ‘The Sharecropper’s Daughter,’ is KEXP DJ Gabriel Teodros’ favorite hip-hop album of 2020. Teodros spoke with Sa-Roc about her song, “Forever." She says her goal for the song was to champion “the individual, particularly individuals that didn’t see themselves reflected within media imagery, or if they saw themselves reflected, it was in a negative light.”

“Forever" is a song about self-love, but it also explicitly points out that the scars on her wrists are from self-harm. Sa-Roc says it’s an issue that’s not discussed in all communities and her fans responded. “As a Black woman who experienced self-harm, that’s rare or not talked about. So a lot of Black women were coming up to me and saying, ‘Thank you for sharing this, I thought I was the only one.’ Or, ‘My daughter had been experiencing this and I didn’t know how to deal with it because I thought it was something that happened outside of our community.'”

Read about another song from the album, "The Black Renaissance (feat. Black Thought)," on KEXP's Song of the Day feature.

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War on Women Make This 'Wonderful Hell' Worth Living In Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

The new album by the feminist hardcore punk band, War on Women takes on issues of race, gender and politics. It’s called 'Wonderful Hell.'

The theme of the record is encapsulated in the title track with the lyrics, “There’s got to be a better way than giving up and wallowing. Let’s raise some wonderful beautiful hell and make this world worth living in.” As frontwoman, Shawna Potter explains, “You’ll find that theme through the record. Stuff sucks but let’s get to work now.”

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Laura Veirs' Songs Predicted Her Divorce Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

Laura Veirs calls her latest album, 'My Echo,' her “my songs knew I was getting divorced before I did" album. Her now ex-husband, Tucker Martine, was her producer of 20 years and produced the record.

Veirs talks about how artist couples handle parenting, going through a divorce, her renewed sense of self and juggling music and motherhood during a pandemic.

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