Arga Bileg swings. And we're incredibly grateful the Mongolian band made time to swing by KEXP recently to record a session with Wo'Pop's Darek Mazzone. Currently on their second tour of the U.S., Arga Bileg fuses traditional Mongolian instruments such as the horsehead fiddle — made of bamboo and horse tail — with Western compositions. The layers of sounds, ancient and modern, played by nationally-recognized musicians make for emotive, beautiful music. And it's a band that is as much fun to watch as it is to listen to. "How do you say cool cats in Mongolian?" posits Wo'Pop host Darek Mazzone. There may be no direct translation, but we'd like to offer up Arga Bileg.
Wo'Pop, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Lifelong invite you to join us at the EMP Museum to observe World AIDS Day on Monday, December 1st. This free, all ages event will run from 5-10 p.m., featuring art, snacks, educational materials, cultural elements, and musical performances from …
The otherworldliness of Iceland's landscape is never lost on those who live or travel there. Not just a land of fire and ice, it is also a land of light and dark, starkness and majesty, community and isolation. The only thing that isn't a wonder about Iceland is how artists of all kinds echo its un…
In 1998, Old Crow Medicine Show were busking in front of Pike Place Market. In 2014, they're headlining the 2,800-capacity Paramount Theatre. Along the way, the Nashville, Tennessee-based group became one of the primary figures in the 2000s roots music revival, bringing the same energy from their b…
Ziggy Marley, the multi-Grammy award winning musician and son of Reggae legend Bob Marley, likens being a musician to being a farmer – he waits for the writing season, tends the seeds of ideas, and harvests a crop of songs. "The music comes organically," he says. And what sweet fruit it is. Watch a…
