For a third year, KEXP is proud to once again be part of Pianos in the Parks program, an initiative to bring a little musical magic into hundreds of Seattle and King County's parks and open spaces.
For those who are new here, or perhaps just never knew, every summer, reclaimed pianos that were previously sitting lonesome and out-of-tune in landfills and recycling centers are given new life by Classic Pianos, and a local artist gives it a fresh new look. The piano is then placed in a public park around the city, available for anyone to play. If you've visited KEXP's Gathering Space, you'll see our 2015 piano on display to the right of the DJ booth window -- you can watch Ben Watt and Bernard Butler play the piano here.
Tonight, Thursday, July 13th at 5:00 PM, Pianos in the Parks kick off the 2017 season at 12th Avenue Arts with performances by classical pianist Lisa Bergman and KEXP fave Tomo Nakayama. At 7:00 PM, the party heads to 11th and Pike for Pike People Street, with music and a dance performance by Xaviera Vandermay.
And from July 15th to 30th, KEXP will again host a piano in the courtyard, right outside the garage doors to the Gathering Space. We invite you all to come by and play! Though there are no pianos used in the session, revisit a 2013 in-studio with Tomo Nakayama below.
Ballard and seafood are practically synonymous. Before the neighborhood became synonymous with hip bars and a thriving music scene, it was all about fish. Personally, I come from a lineage of family who left their homes and sought out Ballard. My grandfather worked out on a tugboat and his father b…
