Bob Mould occupies an important role in the history of American rock, having been behind seminal groups like Hüsker Dü and Sugar and then pursuing a lengthy and varied solo career. So his appearance at our Grand Opening was particularly exciting for rock veterans and the grunge sector. He eschewed what we normally think of when we hear "solo guitar set," opting to sling the electric with full distortion, bellowing his lyrics in a voice prototypic for singers like Eddie Vedder, dripping in sweat by the end of the first song.
Mould earned a long, loud applause when he took a moment out of his set to preach the gospel of local radio: at a time when it's easy to pay a per-month fee for unlimited streaming from a "huge, data-mining corporation" (a description that inspired several of those piercing, baseball game whistles), it's important not to forget that local radio gives you music you never knew you needed, while paying attention and advocating for local community causes that something like Spotify would never know about. We love you, too, Bob!
Hey Marseilles are another band that feel close to the KEXP DNA - a group of Seattle boys that developed a sound quite unlike anything else coming out of our city, they've brought their talent through our studio before, so they were a perfect band to fit into a day of celebrating both our past and…
Icelandic heartthrobs Samaris are familiar to KEXP's most loyal fans, but they were clearly a surprise and a radical departure to the newcomers. The trio - vocalist, clarinetist, and beat maker/DJ - had the burden of having to follow-up Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings inside the Gathering Space, b…