“This Southern California band follows up last year’s promising Pikul EP with an even better album of psych-tinged indie-rock, sounding like classic Gish/Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins filtered through hypnotic My Bloody Valentine shoegaze, with lots of noisy guitar effects and powerful song hooks.” - Don Yates

Stream two songs from the new record Carnavas at their MySpace page, and check out a couple videos from the Pikul EP…

Comeback Kid (Directed by Chris Cafferty) - (WMV)
Kissing Families (Directed by Suzie Vcek) - (WMV)

Listen to an exclusive in-studio performance from Silversun Pickups on 3/16/06 from SXSW - (WMA, Real)

The new record is due out July 11, and KEXP is proud to present Silversun Pickups at the Capitol Hill Block Party on July 29 with a whole bunch of killer bands!

Love Battery is heading up an awesome lineup tomorrow night at our Audioasis live remote broadcast! John in the Morning will be down at High Dive starting at 6 pm, doing the show live from 6 to 9 pm with Sean Nelson, Abe Beeson, Lisa Wood, and special guest Cheryl Waters. As John likes to say… It’s so big we need FIVE DJ’s! Here’s the line up:

Awesome - 6:30 pm, LIVE ON THE AIR! (download MP3s)
Love Battery - 8 pm, LIVE ON THE AIR! (stream some songs)
Memphis Radio Kings (download MP3s)
John Roderick of the Long Winters (download MP3s)
The Valley (download MP3s)

The show benefits International Rescue Committee and tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets!

The next two days are replete with a long awaited Iron Composer battle, twangie goodness from a brand new Seattle label, and local label Suicide Squeeze’s anniversary parties.

A Drink for the Kids Benefit for the Vera Project, The Showbox (Friday, June 30)
Friday is a rare opportunity to see a renowned Saturday Night Live cast member (and the drummer of 90s punk band Trenchmouth) match songwriting wits against a couple of indie-rock darlings. Behold the spectacle that will be Fred Armisen pitted against The Shins‘ Marty Crandell & Dave Hernandez in a 45-minute songwriting competition chock full of classic Iron Composer distractions and peculiarities. The end product, a song based on a random interview with an audience member, will be performed in front of a live (and slightly inebriated, likely confetti-drenched) audience. It will be critiqued by an illustrious panel of judges composed of big-shot comedians David Cross, Todd Barry and Jon Benjamin. The night will be filled with hilarity, shenanigans, and be worth scrapbooking. Visit the event’s website to learn about some of the great raffle items you can win, how to get VIP seating for the grand finale, and
 why The Vera Project is so important to Seattle. One thing is for sure, there’s no finer way to have a Drink for the Kids and support the Vera Project than with the Iron Composer crew.

Anna Coogan & North 19/Conrad Ford/Vivian Linden, Crocodile Cafe (Saturday, July 1)
Tarnished Records is a brand new Seattle-based label with upcoming releases from Mike Dumovich, Vivian Linden, Conrad Ford, and Palodine. While we haven’t heard all these releases yet, all indicators point to Tarnished as a new champion for somber, off-the-beaten-bath, twang-tinged artists. Saturday night Tarnished will host their first-ever music showcase at the Croc. Make sure you get there early for Vivian Linden, a contemplative, country chanteuse whose debut release Watch the Light Fade releases July 17. The release features performances by members of many alt-rock luminary bands, including Jessie Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, Transmissionary Six, Downpilot Come see what all the fuss is about.

Suicide Squeeze 10th Anniversary Party, Neumos (Sat, July 1)
Suicide Squeeze, the local record label that has brought you indie-rock staples such as Hint Hint, The Aislers Set, Pedro the Lion, is having their 10th Anniversary triathalon of music fest at Neumos on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It’s three nights of local rock-packed good times. Our favorite night features Earlimart, Headphones, Metal Hearts, Eugene Mirman, and Minus the Bear. Minus the Bear is like the best friend you’ve had for years but all of a sudden realize you’re in love with. We’ve known about Minus the Bear for years but it took their latest release, Menos El Oso to make us realize just how much their syncopated smart rock meant to us. Their math rockclammer, crisp beats and structured guitar sound like the invention of a blue collar overachiever. Lead singer, Jake Snider, has an unwittingly sultry voice’ which is downplayed by the intricate, spacey guitar and concise drum beats. With Eugene Mirman MC’ing the event (the comedian who set his credit card identity confirmation question to “What are you wearing?” with the correct response being “I don’t think that’s appropriate!”) Saturday night will be a night to rock and roll with laughter.

Wicked burn!
dana, liz, char
*three imaginary girls*

In high i-pod rotation:
Parenthetical Girls
Alabaster
Sera Cahoone

(Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows. ig Liz also bakes a mean vegan chocolate chip cookie.)

Tonight, we’re proud to sponsor the first show of a new monthly showcase called “PDXplore.” It’s curated by our own John Richards, Gang of Four’s Dave Allen and Portland Tribune music writer Barbara Mitchell. The event is designed to highlight emerging artists from the burgeoning Portland scene, and will take place at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard on the last Friday of each month. The showcase is a great chance to catch two acts each month at a listener-friendly happy hour show (7-9 pm) for a modest $5 cover.

Tonight’s show features The High Violets and Point Juncture WA…

The High Violets - Sun Baby (MP3)
The High Violets - 44 Down (MP3)
Point Juncture, WA - Cardboard Box (MP3)
Point Juncture, WA - Happy Ending (MP3)
Point Juncture, WA - Cello (MP3)

Listen to an exclusive in-studio performance from The High Violets on 2/8/06 - (WMA, Real)

Head down to the Sunset tonight and keep an eye out for the PDXplore showcase every month.

We’re glad to welcome two great bands to our studios today… Awesome Color performs live at noon and The Black Heart Procession is live at 3 pm!

Here’s what you can expect from The Black Heart Procession…

“Theirs is the sound of driving at night across the West. Like the wide-open landscape, this is music that knows how to be both desolate and lush. And it knows that while sadness pulls you down, discontent pushes you forward. So the Procession never stops. Here, a songs 6/8 beat will pull you into a moody seductive waltz and next, the violin and piano evoke the house band of a lonesome cabaret with the lights turned low. Then the strings stop their mournful crying and shift into a propulsive thrum, and now weve got the pedal to the metal and were heading straight down the open road into a cinematic twilight.” - Read more

Download a song from the new record, The Spell…

Not Just Words - (MP3)

We’re happy to get your weekend off to go a good start… Tune in all day for two great in-studio performances!

I’ve been at my desk for 4 straight hours with the blinds down and haven’t left the building in about 12 hours. There is something wrong with me. I think I could be one of those people that hide themselves away, never sees anyone, starts having to urinate in bottles…..kidding…I already do that but that’s just a hobby.

Actually I’m going out with Cheryl and some listeners for dinner, we were an auction item and way too cheap so no bitching that you can’t have dinner with us. You’re missing out, we tell funny stories drink too much wine and bail on paying the check….kidding…Cheryl doesn’t drink wine. I’m leaving now, we’re going to walk. Thank god.

THIS SATURDAY AT HIGH DIVE! I’ll be down at the High Dive starting at 6pm and doing the show live from 6 to 9 pm with Sean Nelson, Abe Beeson and Lisa Wood and special guest Cheryl Waters. It’s so big we need FIVE DJ’s! Someone bring extra chairs.

Here’s a little bit about the one of Seattle’s finest… the Long Winters!

“The third LP from Seattle’s The Long Winters, combines the lyrical intimacy and melodic complexity of the Ultimatum EP with the guitar pop rave-ups of the band’s previous full-lengths. The two sides of songwriter John Roderick come together to create the most compelling Long Winters release to date.” - Read more

Listen to a song from the new record Putting the Days to Bed, due out July 25…

Pushover - (MP3)

Listen to a few songs from previous albums…

Stupid from When I Pretend To Fall - (MP3)
Blue Diamonds from When I Pretend To Fall - (MP3)
Carparts from The Worst You Can Do Is Harm - (MP3)
Scent of Lime from The Worst You Can Do Is Harm - (MP3)

Listen to an exclusive in-studio performance from The Long Winters on 10/28/05 - (WMA, Real)

KEXP is proud to present John Roderick of the Long Winters at this month’s Audioasis Live Broadcast Benefit. If you like what you hear, check them out this Saturday at High Dive with Love Battery, The Valley, Memphis Radio Kings, and Awesome. The show benefits International Rescue Committee and tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets!

KEXP suggests… Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways

“The country legend went on a recording spree with producer Rick Rubin in the last few months of his life, and this album is the result (with at least one more to follow). Cash was never afraid to confront hard truths, and the shadow of his own impending death hangs heavy over the songs here. While his voice isn’t as sturdy as it once was, it’s a testament to his enduring greatness how much gravity and authority he can still bring, and Rubin puts that remarkable voice front-and-center while keeping the arrangements lean and spare. The songs could be the strongest set in the entire American Recordings series, ditching the left-field alt-rock covers of recent albums in favor of songs personally important to Cash in his dying days, and they add up to a powerful statement from a dying man on his own life and death.” - Don Yates

Check out this video, released to accompany the new record…

American V: A Hundred Highways - (video)

The new record is due out July 4! Read more, get news, watch video, and stream songs spanning Johnny Cash’s brilliant career at his website.

As a musician, I know what it’s like to put your art out into the world. And after years here at KEXP, I know what it’s like to receive hundreds of CDs from all kinds of musicians. So over the years I’ve developed some helpful tips for people trying to get their music played on KEXP.

I’m going to share these tips with you in three blog parts. Please keep in mind that these tips are just suggestions from one DJ at one (very individual) radio station and are by no means applicable to all DJs or all radio stations. Best of luck! DJ Michele

Connection:

1. Any radio person you send to gets tons of CDs each month. Your CD is one in stacks of hundreds that come to the station each week. Be patient, persistent and gracious about the extra time it may take the person to find your CD in the pile, and to develop a listening relationship to your music.

2. Send your CD to the Music Director and every DJ that you think might like it. (In general, when starting out, it’s a good idea to give a CD to any music-related person you know.) Give them two even, one to pass on. Don’t hesitate in giving out promos. Think of it as an investment in yourself.

I’m always surprised when I hear a musician say “I sent my disc into KEXP and it didn’t get played”. Of all places, KEXP is the easiest place to get something good played. We have 30 DJs. And every one has different tastes, and is allowed to play your CD if they want to. Send any DJ that plays your style of music a copy of your disc. E-mail them and ask for their advice (everybody likes to give advice).

3. It’s not a good idea to call in and request your CD. It looks really unprofessional. If it is a good song it will get played. You won’t have to ask. DJ’s can tell when it’s the band calling. Really.

4. After you send in your one-sheet and disc, follow up by phone or e-mail. Most MDs only take record promo calls at certain hours or certain days. If you get voicemail, state your case, then say you will call back at a certain time the next week, then do just that.

5. Ask the MD if the disc will be in rotation. If it will not, ask him if he has any advice. Note what he says and be very gracious and professional. If it is going into rotation, thank him and let him know you appreciate the support.

More to come soon!

DJ Michele Myers hosts “Nite Life” every Friday night at 9 pm

“Deleware, the remarkable debut album by Seattle septet, Awesome, starts with a question: ‘Where did you go when we needed you most?’ That recurring unanswered plea casts an air of wistful longing that hangs gracefully throughout this often goofy, charming record. On their twisted journey after what’s missing, Awesome fills voids we never knew we had with waffles, untrue Delaware ‘facts,’ and an overflowing helping of odd instruments that whimsically inhabit their legitimately poignant songs. An ambitious comedic/melancholy concept soundtrack, Delaware plays like one of those old Peter and the Wolf -style kids’ records done by a skilled, experimental indie-pop band. It’s comfortingly folky in places, jarringly weird in others, and always distinctly dramatic.” - Kirk Heynen, Three Imaginary Girls

Download a performance from the Crocodile on May 9, 2006:

Anthem - (MP3)
Yes-No - (MP3)
Ones And Zeroes - (MP3)
Magic Mouth of Geometric Pentagrams - (MP3)
Zeno’s Rock - (MP3)
Robot Ghost - (MP3)
Mission to an Alien Planet - (MP3)
Away From Me - (MP3)
Telephone - (MP3)
Are You Aware - (MP3)

We’re happy to present Awesome this month’s Audioasis Live Broadcast Benefit. If you like what you hear, check them out this Saturday at High Dive with Love Battery, John Roderick of the Long Winters, Memphis Radio Kings, and Awesome. The show benefits International Rescue Committee and tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets!