KEXP New Home Grand Opening: Car Seat Headrest

Local Music, KEXP New Home
04/17/2016
Scott Kulicke
photo by Amber Knecht

Here we are at the end of KEXP's New Home Grand Opening: one long day, well over 7,000 guests, countless bottles of KEXP Transistor IPA, and 7 acts later, it's time for our closer. KEXP's Gathering Space has been filled to capacity since the day began, but this time the cool night air battles the emanating body heat as we all wait in anticipation. Our closing act, Car Seat Headrest, perfectly embodies Seattle's music ethos - it's three young dudes making banging, garagey arty rock, beautifully unpolished and sublimely honest, the exact sort of rawness that drove grunge from our basements to the rest of the world.

photo by Matthew B. Thompson
photo by Matthew B. Thompson

Their first song, "Fill In the Blank," opened with pounding drums and grinding bass - all the way across the crowd, you could see the flying hair and bouncing heads of a mosh - and that immediate energy never let up. The anthemic chorus of "You have no right to be depressed" blasted away any possible fatigue the crowd might have felt after the day's festivities, reminding them that there's no reason to stop the party yet... photo by Matthew B. Thompson

photo by Matthew B. Thompson

photo by Matthew B. Thompson

... at least, not until Car Seat Headrest ripped through their set, proving that great music has a future, that there is always more to discover and new bands to inspire us all. This is why KEXP has a new home, a place for music fans locally and worldwide, to find that inspiration and discover the wealth that musicians - younger or older, untried or tested, raw or venerable - can still offer us today.

photo by Matthew B. Thompson

None of this great day could have been done without the support from KEXP's listeners and collaborators. We want to thank everyone who came out and the talented artists who graced our stages and airwaves with their talent and hard work, and to all those who have also financially supported KEXP now and throughout the years, simply because they believe that great music deserves to be shared.

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