Kexp Live Performances Podcast

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” So Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet. Or to put it another way - The ocean is big. For this week’s Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson compares the vast mysteries of the ocean with the immense magic of the massive city of Kinshasa, which is the second-largest city in Africa and boasts more people than LA. Kinshasa native Jupiter Bokondji is evidence of the rich talent coming from the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. His project Jupiter & Okwess fuses traditional Congolese music styles like soukous, rumba, and kwassa kwassa with more universal ones like rock, funk, and blues for something completely unique and yet wholly universal. Jupiter & Okwess’ KEXP session was recorded under threat of loss of electricity at any moment, in Kinshasa at an orphanage, as part of the no Child Sleeps Outside campaign.  Their latest album Na Kozonga (which means “I will Come Back”) is availab

This week, Live on KEXP is doing something a little different. In honor of Black History Month, we’re revisiting an incredible performance from all the way back in 2016, when KEXP moved to our new home at Seattle Center. We were fortunate enough to have Miss Sharon Jones perform mere months before passing from cancer so for this episode we’re skipping story-time and replaying as many songs from this iconic performance with the Dap-Kings as we can fit in 25 minutes.  Recorded 04/16/2016. 100 Days, 100 Nights People Don’t Get What They Deserve Slow Down, Love Natural Born Lover These Tears Stranger to My Happiness Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rapping is hard. To deliver lyrics clearly, with speed and cadence, with rhythm and syncopation and with meaning, with TRUTH, is really dang HARD. Blimes Brixton and Gifted Gab are two of those special humans with these exceptional capabilities. The self-described “cool aunties” have been separately killing the game in their respective regions of San Francisco and Seattle for years now but, after meeting on Facebook, decided to join forces for a collaborative release. That album, 'Talk About It,' was released last year under the apt name Blimes and Gab. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson delves into the history of both rappers while speculating whether an ancient English stone has anything to do with the unique abilities of Blimes and Gab, who virtually perform five songs off 'Talk About It.' Recorded 09/22/2020. Shellys (It’s Chill) Un Deux Trois Sacred Baptism My Way Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for

It’s a rarity and an honor when a band is able to not only stick around for 20 years but still make music that people love and connect to. Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers are in this honorable position, having channeled the power of collaboration to make it the long haul. Last year, the AC Newman-fronted band dropped by KEXP mere weeks before the world shut down to play songs off their latest album, 'In the Morse Code of Brake Lights.’ For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson connects the strength of magnets and the technical difficulty of Morse code with the enduring legacy and prowess of The New Pornographers. Magnets are magic. The more someone tries to explain them scientifically the more magical they seem. Recorded 01/30/2020. Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile The Surprise Knock Higher Beams You Won’t Need Those Where You’re Going Dreamlike and on the Rush Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listen

If there’s one thing that hit shows like ’Sopranos’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ have taught us, it’s that we love an anti-hero. On American musician Caroline Rose’s latest album ’Superstar,’ she crafts a story centered around a brazenly confident anti-hero that plays out like a film with a beginning, middle, and an open ending. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson breaks down the thematic elements of the record, offering tidbits of background on the glamorous Chateau Marmont, the scene for which the album is initially set, as well as diving into Rose’s progression from folk/Americana to the poppier ’Superstar’ and how he ended up with a cardboard cutout of Rose in his basement. Recorded 10/08/2020. Do You Think We’ll Last Forever? Feel The Way I Want More of the Same To Die Today Soma Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The older they get, the cooler your parents are (or whoever plays that role in your life.) Mexico City-raised trio Son Rompe Pera know this well. The brothers may have initially shunned their parents’ push towards playing marimba as teenagers in favor of punk and cumbia, but eventually came back, putting their own unique and modern spin on the rich traditions of marimba. Troy Nelson delves into the brothers’ journey while also digging into some background education on the history of cumbia, rosewood’s unique status amongst other types of wood, what an idiophone is (spoiler alert: it’s not a phone that makes you do stupid stuff), and how all of these things play into the marimbas that Son Rompe Pera famously break. Recorded 10/09/2020. Proteus FOS Reina de Cumbias Ay David! El Palo Poste Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, way back when, in 2020, there were 262 “working days.” Whatever that means. Nevertheless, KEXP favorites IDLES spent one of those days joining Kevin Cole for a virtual live performance recorded at Abbey Road Studios. With cat meows censoring the FCC-unfriendly words, the British band barrels into four tracks off their latest album, ‘Ultra Mono.’ Ahead of the fiery performance, Troy Nelson dissects the diverse collaborators involved and the very deliberate four-part strategy behind making their acclaimed third studio album. Recorded 10/06/2020. Model Village Mr. Motivator War Grounds Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube  Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adia Victoria hails from Spartanburg, South Carolina, informally known as “The Upstate” just a few miles down Highway 9 from the trucks hurtling along Interstate 85 between Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia to the south. This geographical background heavily informs her music, which is often referred to as “gothic blues” and takes inspiration from Black blues artists like Robert Johnson, Skip James, John Lee Hooker, Junior Kimbrough, and RL Burnside.For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson maps her physical journey from South Carolina to New York to Atlanta as well as her musical journey from early loves The Strokes and The Black Keys to ending up working with founding member of another well-known “The” band, Aaron Dessner, on her latest full-length, 2019’s ‘Silences.' Telling Dessner she wanted the record to sound like, “Billie Holiday got lost in a Radiohead song,” the album is a dense and expansive expression of the blues in the hands of a creati

In summer 2019, when the world looked vastly different, Hot Chip dropped their seventh full-length, ‘A Bath Full of Ecstasy.’ One of their strongest releases in years, the album marks the first time in their 19 years together that Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard brought in outside producers to help round out their sound. With Philippe Zdar and Rodaidh McDonald by their side, the album is a blissfully cathartic release. Last September, Hot Chip dropped by KEXP to play three songs from ‘A Bath Full of Ecstasy’ as well as a throwback 2008 track. Join Troy Nelson to listen to them here on Live on KEXP. Recorded 09/19/2019 Hungry Child Bath Full of Ecstasy Spell Made in the Dark Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the very first Francophone band signed to Sub Pop, Corridor prove that they’re worth their salt with their third studio album, ‘Junior.' Released in fall 2019, the album expertly mingles woozy shoegaze and ethereal French vocals with tightly-wound angular guitars for a completely hypnotizing effect. Troy Nelson explores the history of the Montreal band and the swift making of Junior while the band plays a selection of songs off the record. Recorded 12/12/2019.  Agent Double Junior Grand Cheval Domino Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a long, community-driven career in music, Courtney Marie Andrews’ Grammy nomination for her latest album, ‘Old Flowers,’ feels more than well earned. The eighth studio album from the Nashville-based, Phoenix-born (and at one point Washington-dwelling) singer-songwriter is nominated for Best Americana Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards. A breakup record, through and through, the songs on the album convey the heartbreak and loneliness following the end of a relationship. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson dives deep into Andrews’ rich musical biography, which traces back to when she was just 15 years old and playing in coffee shops. While the stages may have eventually grown bigger from there, Andrews’ focus on collaboration and community has remained strong. It’s a great reminder that music builds community and community builds musicians. Recorded 10/06/2020. Break the Spell If I Told It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault One of These Days Ships in the Night Watch the full Li

“It is not enough to say that justice takes time but it’s coming soon. Justice that is not exercised when appropriate is not justice.” These words from Pierre Dubois exemplify the ethos Chilean artist Ana Tijoux embodies in her politically charged music. With a rich and unconventional history, it’s difficult to unpack her life story in just 10 minutes but Troy Nelson makes that attempt.  Everything from her unorthodox childhood with fiercely intelligent parents that instilled the radical passion that would carry her the rest of her life to her time topping the charts as an MC with the group Makiza to her successful solo career is covered in this week’s Live on KEXP followed by a vivaciously strummed set that Tijoux recorded for KEXP during the pandemic. Her latest album, ‘Antifa Dance,’ is available on Firebrand Records. Recorded 10/01/2020. Sacar La Voz Shock Antipatriarca Calaveritas Cacerolazo Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: h

Today’s episode is brought to you by the letter “B,” with the brooding brutalism and bashing bombardment of Bambara. Using the beloved writing technique known as alliteration, Troy Nelson burrows into the biography of the Brooklyn-based band while also bestowing beholders with a brief background on the letter itself before the bands break into a blazing set, recorded live at KEXP right at the very end of the “before-times.” Recorded 03/04/2020. Serafina Death Croons Heat Lightning Stay Cruel Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sooner you start, the greater chance you have of doing something for half your life. This is something Frances Quinlan understands, as she’s on the verge of reaching the half-mark milestone for playing music. Beginning with the solo project Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, when she was in high school, Quinlan went on to release three records with the renamed full band Hop Along as well as a 2020 solo record, 'Likewise,' under her own name. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson details Quinlan’s trajectory, her influences, and the people who helped her go from the basement to the studio. Recorded 03/05/2020. Detroit Lake Now That I’m Back Rare Thing Went to LA Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever take a bath in sound? Like a full-on gong-bathing sonic immersion? Well, that’s what the music of Kelly Lee Owens both sounds and feels like. It’s a complete sensory experience that melds electronica, dream pop, and techno with Owens’ heavenly vocals for an otherworldly encounter that’s possibly just as relaxing and centering (and certainly cheaper) than a day at the spa. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson traverses Owens’ beginnings, from Wales to Manchester to London, where she made her first steps in the music industry, working at a record store and interning at XL Recordings. Forging connections with like-minded musicians led to her gaining the ears of influential people like Alexander McQueen, Bjork, and Jenny Hval and has made her a recent NME covergirl. Her latest album ‘Inner Song’ is available on Smalltown Supersound. Recorded 07/20/2018. 8 S.O. Lucid Anxi. (feat. Jenny Hval) Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.o

Writing of reality, like all forms of truth-telling, is dangerous. That hasn’t stopped Brazilian musician Sessa from forging ahead and blending the imaginary with all-too-real scenarios. Laughing in the face of danger, his specialty is sensuality, honing in on the experience of sex in flowery yet less-than-veiled Portuguese terms on his debut album ‘Grandeza.’ For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson contextualizes Sessa’s work alongside the words of other influential Brazilians including poet Carolina Maria de Jesus, documentary filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho, and singer Erasmus to make a Brazilian lovefest (although perhaps not the kind Sessa’s typically referring to).Recorded 02/06/2020. Flor do Real Dez Total (Filhos de Gandhy) Infinitamente Nu Grandeza Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Rumi, “The Wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Iranian American band Habibi know this better than most and use their simple, catchy songs that blend garage, psych and surf with the Middle Eastern influences they grew up adoring to spread love, positivity and change. Led by Brooklyn-via-Detroit duo Rahill Jamalifard and Lenny Lynch, activism plays an integral role in the spirit and ethos of the band. Troy Nelson delves into how the Michigan music scene shaped their influences and the long-held cognitive dissonance within the US’s relationship to Iran. Recorded 03/06/2020. Angel Eyes Hate Everyone But You Stronghold Come My Habibi Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle-based collective Polyrhythmics specializes in a flavorful blend of progressive funk, psychedelic rock and modern afro-beat. As Troy Nelson explains in this week’s episode of Live on KEXP, it’s music for the "heads.” Their songs take time to unravel, rewarding patient listeners with a lush and intricate experience that defies the current song trends for something more gratifying. When the world is a whirlwind, don’t forget– take the time to let something develop. Listen to Troy Nelson wax poetic about the value of music “heads” as well as delving into the often-limiting current trends happening with music ahead of Polyrhythmics’ spirited set featuring four songs from 2020’s 'Man From The Future.’ Recorded 02/21/2020. Digital Cowboy The Cutdown Yeti, Set, Go Chelada Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know that feeling you get when you hear something that's just the right kind of new? Seattle-born, Brooklyn-based Kassa Overall is redefining jazz for a new era, chopping and screwing live improvisations to make his own densely experimental and colorful world. In May, he unveiled his third release in less than two years, 'SHADES OF FLU,' a play on Madlib's iconic 'Shades of Blue' that has been called "a gift for the Corona-weary masses." For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson explores the influences and personal journey that led to the one-of-a-kind style of music that Overall describes as "backpack jazz" before Overall and band burst into one of the most unique live sessions KEXP's ever hosted.  Recorded 03/02/2020. Prison and Pharmaceuticals My Friend Darkness In Mind Who's On The Playlist? Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer/songwriter Andy Shauf is a master storyteller who adeptly weaves complex stories and tenderly realistic emotions with softly strummed folk rock. Earlier this year, he released his sixth studio album, ’The Neon Skyline,’ via Anti- and received critical acclaim for his skillful songwriting that centered around the concept of one man’s perspective of a particular night in a dive bar. For Live on KEXP, Troy Nelson details Shauf’s upbringing in a tiny town in Saskatchewan, from Radio Shack to Christian pop-punk as well as his musical journey from the tiny record label P is for Panda to a Polaris nomination. Jeff Tweedy even makes an appearance to bestow accolades upon the Canadian musician so you know Shauf is legit. Recorded 02/25/2020. Neon Skyline Thirteen Hours Try Again Things I Do Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTubeSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.