Smi (seattle Music Insider) Radio

Kithkin is more than just a band they are truly a Tribe. This percussive and highly rhythmic outfit possess strong chops and produces and eclectic blend of afro-beat, rock and more. The band wowed audiences this past summer with powerful performances at Timber! Outdoor Music Festival and Bumbershoot 2013. The band did Cascadia proud this past week by performing at the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival. On this week's episode of SMI Radio, I chat the group about their unique sound, influences and inspirations. Music Festival and Bumbershoot 2013. The band did Cascadia proud this past week by performing at the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival. On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, I chat the group about their unique sound, influences and inspirations. Rachel Belle is a talented irreverent and funny radio Host at KIRO as well. She also has a real passion for music. I spoke to Rachel about some of her favorite artists and the continued growth of the Seattle music scene and the variety of genres represented throug

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, I catch up once again via Skype with one of the best bassists in the biz. Tony shares some tales about working with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee, Peter Gabriel and his most recent project Levin, Rudess Minnemann, produced by former Seattle resident, Scott Schorr of Lazy Bones Recordings (he also produced a project with Tony a couple of years back, Levin Torn White.) LRM features the brilliant keyboard work Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess and drummer Marco Minnemann.

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, we welcome back two of the festival organizers, Kevin Sur and Phil O’Sullivan, to update us on some of the cool happenings at Timber! 2013. You will hear featured music from the participating artists and they talk specifically about some of the activities that make their event much more than just another music festival. Timber! will feature the brilliant Andrew Joslyn and his Passenger String Quartet. Andrew has been a busy man of late working with several prominent Northwest artists. Recently Joslyn could be seen on stage with the likes of Duff McKagen, The Local Strangers. His lovely string arrangements can be heard on the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis mega-hit album, The Heist. I recently caught up with Andrew at one of my favorite interview spots in The Emerald City. You will hear that conversation as well as some tracks that Andrew lent his talents to.

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, the sisters Watt chat about the big 5 year anniversary show taking place this Saturday, April 27th. Carrie and Kristen share tales memorable moments from past events and the many artists that have made SLS appearances, and talk about their unique partnership with Melodic Caring Project. Also, we spin selected tracks from past Seattle Living Room Show artists Allen Stone, Levi Weaver, Kris Orlowski, Shane Alexander, Ivan & Alyosha, Ravenna Woods and The Local Strangers. Congratulations, Carrie And Kristen Watt, for 5 brilliant years of bringing the best artists in the Northwest and beyond to the music loving masses!

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio we will celebrate the new release of FATT’s forthcoming release by featuring selected tracks off the new release and spin a couple of faves from their first record. Ahead of last Monday’s show, I spoke to Fitzy via phone from Atlanta. We talked about what has changed for the band since they launched in Seattle in 2010 (a lot!) and the direction and making of the new record. In the second half of the show, I turn the clock back and feature excerpts from my backstage interviews with Fitz at Sasquatch 2011, as well as my conversation with drummer and former Seattle resident, John Wicks, recorded backstage at the Crocodile in Novermber of 2010.

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, I catch up with Ritzy on the road. She talks about how the band brings their intensity and rock and roll attitude whether they are playing a club, theater, arena, or festival. Ritzy also shares her love of Seattle and the passion that Seattle has for music in general. She also talks about the band’s appearance in the Jawbone / Jam Box commercial, which featured the stunning song This Ladder is Ours (See Video Below). You’ll also hear selected tracks from Wolf’s Law and the aptly titled, The Big Roar. The second half of the show features Kelly Donovan and Ben Weller from Beat 100. It’s a music video and social network with primary focus on the two music video charts; one for originals and another for covers. Every week, the charts are compiled and the top three winners are rewarded with cash prizes, along with press releases, which are distributed worldwide. BEAT100 also includes a social network, where musicians can connect with each other, find new fans, and gain likes

Artist Home epitomizes this through their efforts in the staging of innovative and popular outdoor music events, such as Doe Bay Fest, which spawned the documentary Welcome to Doe Bay (see video below), Slackfest and Summer Bonfire Series. This summer, the good folks that brought you these great happenings are putting together another special event dubbed Timber! Outdoor Music Festival. Timber! is the new outdoor music festival from Artist Home Presents uniting music, community, and the beautiful natural environment of the Pacific Northwest. To present Timber!, Artist Home is partnering with King County Parks to set the festival in the rural splendor of Carnation, Washington. The current festival lineup consists of The Helio Sequence, Fruit Bats, Lemolo, Bryan John Appleby, Kithkin, River Giant, Ten Speed Music and just recently announced, Thee Quasi celebrating their 20th year as a band!! Hobosexual, Passenger String Quartet (stay tuned to find out who they’ll be collaborating with!), Pablo Trucker, and t

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, Justin and Jim stop by the studio to talk about their long-term friendship and musical kinship. They also select a few tracks from their self-titled EP, which you’ll hear on this week’s show. If you want to see Science! do their thing live, they’ll be playing Nectar Lounge on Tuesday, March 26, at 8pm. Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers‘ sound harkens back to the days of early 70s southern California rock, which spawned the likes of Jackson Brown and The Eagles. Bluhm and her band captures the spirit of that beautiful sound while putting their own stamp on it. The band has garnered a lot of attention from the viral video recorded in their car of Hall & Oats, I Can’t Go For That, resulting in almost 2 million views. In the second half of the show, California artist Nicki Bluhm shares her thoughts in a backstage interview prior to her sold-out show at Seattle’s Triple Door. Nicki talks about some of her musical influences, such as Linda Ronstadt, Karen Carpenter, and Stev

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, I catch up with Unsigned Only’s Ben Short to gain more insight to how UO works, how it got started, and the unique opportunity that it offers unsigned, emerging artists. You will also hear some tracks from past UO winners, Lara Johnston and Laura Steel. UO is still accepting song entries. Contestants interested in submitting songs for the competition can do so here. Specific days and runtimes of this week’s episode are available by scrolling down… In the second half of the show, Tacoma native Vicci Martinez is back on SMI Radio. Vicci dials in from the road, as she makes her way back to to the Northwest to play several dates, which include a show in Bellingham on Thursday, May 14 and a special St. Patty’s Day show on Sunday, March 17 at her old stomping grounds, Jazzbones in Tacoma. Tickets for that show are available here. Vicci is also in town to make her first video, which will include several friends and associates as extras. She’ll drop some hints on the concept

Critical Sun Recordings is heading back to Austin, Texas and South by Southwest. This year, Critical Sun will be hosting the only unofficial SXSW showcase featuring a lineup comprised solely of bands from Seattle. Thursday, March 14th at Opal Divine’s Penn Field, Critical Sun @ SXSW 2013, will blow a hole in the space-time continuum with a free, five-hour showcase featuring electro rock band Furniture Girls, alt-country quintet Sightseer, pop rockers In Cahoots, singer/songwriters Rob Marcus and Yusif, soul/R&B vocalist Darrius Willrich and groove-rock duo Ghost Tribe Fires. All seven artists will perform music from their upcoming 2013 releases. On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, members from the participating bands pop by the studio to talk about SXSW and play tracks from the Critical Sun 2013 SXSW Compilation CD. (For specific air times and stations scroll down below.) Sightseer (www.sightseermusic.com) Furniture Girls (www.furnituregirls.com) Darrius Willrich (www.darriuswillrich.com) In Cahoot

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, Jason and Alissa stop by to share their stories of life on the road, touring in sub-zero temperatures while making beautiful music together. They walk us through their creative process and inspirations for their brand new record. You will get to hear songs that they selected, including a special song inspired by their 1-year-old daughter, Lillie.

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, we take you into the band’s rehearsal and work space to talk about their brand new record to be released next week. (Details and broadcast times are below) They talk about their musical influences, which range from The Beatles to Tom Jones. Ivan & Alyosha also talk about their forthcoming tour that will take them across the U.S. Before the band hits the road, they will be playing their record release show Saturday, February 23d at Showbox @ The Market.Past SMI Radio guest, Kris Orlowski, Smokey Brights and The Passenger String Quartet will also be on the bill. The show will be streamed live via Melodic Caring Project.

This week’s episode of SMI Radio features two brilliant artists, who each have very powerful and organic sounds, coupled with very strong production and songwriting: Campfire Ok and Kristen Ward. In the first half of the show, members of Campfire Ok, Michael Mychal Cohen, Brandon Milner, and the band’s newest member, Zarni De Wet (who was on the last episode here) stopped by the SMI Radio studio. These talented musicians chat up their brand new record, When You Have Arrived, and special show coming up next Saturday night, February 16 and Sunday night February 17th at The Showbox at The Market (on the bill with The Presidents of The United States of America). They share their take on their own unique and eclectic music and their appearance in the documentary, Welcome to Doe Bay. They also call out another Seattle band, Pickwick, for a throwdown – but it’ is all in good fun! In the second half of the show, we hit up Kristen Ward on the phone to talk about her stellar performance last Friday at The Triple Do

Featured on this week’s episode of SMI Radio are two extremely talented pianist and singer / songwriters, Zarni De Wet and Andrea Desmond. Both of these lovely ladies relocated to the Northwest within the last year and are both making a splash with solid vocal and piano chops coupled with catchy songs. In the first half of the show, Zarni talks about her music and her move to Seattle because of the fertile music scene. She shares a tale of her meeting with John Mayer, while attending Berklee College of Music. Zarni is ambitious as she is talented, and you’ll soon find out why. For the second half of the show, we take you inside Vitrolla Coffee in Capitol Hill for a friendly conversation with Andrea and her band’s drummer, William, for their take on music, their influences, and the recording process. You may remember that Andrea came in second at The Seattle Wave Radio Jammin’ Challenge last December.

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, we take you inside Bedlam Coffee for a revealing look into Mary’s heart. She talks about how her life has changed since the release of Same Love and her performance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Mary also opens up about her spiritual life, the distinctions of crafting songs versus slam poetry, and her upcoming tour that will take her to the East Coast. Her sendoff show and release of her book of poetry is at Fremont Abbey Saturday night, January 19th.Tickets are available here. If you can’t make it to Fremont, check out the photos of Mary playing the Seattle Living Room / Melodic Caring Project show from January 5th… The second half of this week’s episode features a visit to the rehearsal space of The Local Strangers. Aubrey Zoli and Matt Hart are coming off an exceptional performance at Doe Bay last weekend, and they open up about how they formed their musical partnership and created their newest record, Left For Better.

On this week’s episode, we welcome our friend Ben back to SMI Radio. Ben stops by to talk about making the newest record, This Blessed Union Volume II, and play his favorite tracks. Ben and the boys celebrate the release of their latest effort Saturday, January 12 at the Crocodile. (100 tickets are available for 21 and under) In the second half of the show, we take you backstage to Nectar Lounge to chat with electronic pop outfit, The Fame Riot. Glitter twins, Liz Scarlett and Shazam “Tea Time” Watkins discuss their catchy sound, their unique fashion sense and eclectic musical influences. We will feature some of some fresh tracks from the dynamic duo as well. The Fame Riot will be performing at the Ben Union Record release show along with Aaron Daniel. The event will also feature guest appearances by previous SMI Radio guests, Tess Henley, Guy Keltner of Fox and the Law Greg Floyd of Whiskey Syndicate, Matt Brown and Ayron Jones, Also, Travis Barker of Elk and Boar will make and appearance.

The Pacific Northwest weaves a rich tapestry of eclectic music and art that covers our region like a favorite blanket. We embrace artists from a variety of eras and genres, and we’re better for it. All year long, we at SMI do our best to feature the best of the Northwest. This includes established and emerging artists, and those who make us fall in love with them as they pass though town. This week’s episode of SMI Radio features holiday music from artists who have been past guests on the show. It’s like a virtual holiday card that doesn’t clutter up your space or get lost under the bills! First, Fitz and The Tantrums tear it up. Next, check out the number by harmonica virtuoso Lee Oskar, with lyrics penned by Michael Shrieve and vocals from R&B singer Ernest Pumphrey Jr. (Marmalade, Phat Sidy Smokehouse, and more). Deep Sea Diver, The HoHoHos, a wonderful Christmas medley from Jessica Latshaw, songs from Brent Amaker and The Rodeo, LeRoy Bell and Ann and Nancy Wilson (Heart) will deck your halls. The

On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, we take you inside the green room at Seattle’s Q13 Fox for a conversation with 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of fame inductees, Roger Fisher and bassist Steve Fossen. They discuss how it feels to be recognized by their peers for their significant contributions to music. They also talk about their long-term friendship that dates all the way back to junior high and what inspired them to be musicians. In addition, the two artists share their feelings on what it will be like to stand on the podium with their former bandmates to accept the special honor. Eternal Fair front man Andrew Vait joins us for the second half of the show. The band is in the home stretch of raising funds for their new record via Kickstarter, and plans to Andrew talks about a big show that they will be performing with Hot Bodies In Motion and Motopony, as part of the Everett Music Initiative. The show will take place on Saturday, January 19th, at the Anchor Pub in Everett. (Go here for tickets.) Next, we he

ast week on SMI Radio, we featured a fun conversation and music from Daydream Vacation, with David Einmo (Head Like A Kite) and Asy Saavedra. Asy spoke briefly about her other project, Chaos Chaos (formerly Smoosh), which involves her sister Chloe. Asy flew into town to perform with Daydream Vacation at The Vera Project this past Friday, and The Anchor in Everett the following night. The next night, Chaos Chaos played a show at The Crocodile. and also appeared for a KEXP session. On this week’s episode of SMI Radio, we take you backstage at The Vera Project for a conversation with Asy and Chloe. The two sisters make their home in Brooklyn, New York, but definitely consider Seattle their other home. They talk about the distinctions between their former project, Smoosh, and how it evolved into Chaos Chaos. David Einmo joins the conversation later on to talk about the new track he’s producing for Chaos Chaos while they’re in town. Also, Asy and Chloe reveal how Hurricane Sandy directly impacted them. In addit

In this week’s episode of SMI Radio, Dave Einmo visits the studio and we talk via Skype with Asy, who resides in Brooklyn, for a revealing conversation with these two talented artists. Dave and Asy tell the story of how they formed their special musical partnership and their high-functioning bio-coastal collaboration, which results in some infectious ear candy. We also discuss what goes in to making some of their artsy and fun videos (check out some of them here) In addition, you will hear some tracks, including their most recent single, The Mirage, off of their most recent effort, Dare Seize The Fire. Seven Dials is a young talented and creative power trio made up of three siblings – also at the Vera Project this Friday. In the second half of this week’s show, catch the interesting backstage interview with 14-year-old Mia Natas (lead vocals, guitar), Darius Natas (bass, backing vocals) and Damien Natas (drums, piano). They talk about growing up in a musically nurturing family, their inspirations, and uniqu