KEXP Live Performances Podcast

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 Blood

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 Deda

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 Still

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  

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, Desperation

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 Man

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, Skinny

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 Birds

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, Mad

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)