Seattle-based All-Ages Movement Project (AMP) has been chosen as a contender for a $50,000 prize in the Refresh Everything campaign.

All-Ages Movement Project (AMP) is a national non-profit network of all-ages venues and youth music organizations. Spanning hip-hop to punk, teen centers to youth run record labels to DIY collectives, they’re working to make community music organizations stronger and more widespread. AMP believes that like all communities, music communities have great the potential to create change and are exceptional at reaching young people, because they are essentially created by young people.

A $50,000 prize would allow AMP to provide training and networking opportunities to 1200 organizers, increase access to all-ages music in underserved areas and much more.

You can learn more and cast your vote here. Voting ends Sunday.

The map started out looking like this:

There was just 20 or so bands on the first draft, all connected via shared band members.

Then… well… it became an obsession. I quickly realized that just about every band I knew was connected to dozens of other bands via shared band members. I started talking to friends about it. Other KEXP DJs, music nerds, etc.

You should have seen my apartment. There were literally scraps of paper strewn about everywhere. Maps taped to the wall. Piles of CDs everywhere.

Fast forward a few weeks: the first version of the map is finished. Suddenly, there was almost 300 bands on the map, connecting everyone from Fleet Foxes to Botch to Nirvana to The Intelligence to the Fastbacks.

It looked like this:

I showed my friend, a local poster designer, the map, and he offered to re-draw it.

It’s now 8 FEET TALL. Here’s a small corner of it:

At this point, in an unrelated twist of fate, KEXP asked if I could put together a podcast and I thought, I’m already working on this crazy project, might as well turn it into a podcast. So that’s what happened. I created a podcast with 30 local bands, each band connected to the band before via shared band members.

The podcast starts off with The Shackles. The Shackles (who are playing KEXP’s Audioasis live Broadcast December 6th at the Sunset) share a bass player with the now defunct band, The Charming Snakes, which is the next band on the podacst. The Charming Snakes went on to form the Coconut Coolouts. A member of the Coconut Coolouts is in the Lamborginiz. And so forth.

You can download the podcast today and take a listen here:

There’s hundreds of other bands I would have loved to include on this podcast (And believe me, the original podcast was twice as long, but due to technological restrictions, I had to pair it down to it’s current length).

It’s my hope that in listening to this podcast, and looking at the map, you’ll get a sense not only of Seattle’s vibrant music scene, but how even when folks don’t realize it, we’re a lot closer to each other than we may think.

The map in its entirety (all 60 sq ft of it) will be on display at Cairo Art gallery on November 20th at 8pm as part of their Expo 87 music festival.

I’m excited to hear your feedback (yes, I know there’s mistakes, and bands that have been left out. Email me about them! rachel@kexp.org).

Also, if you’re in a different city, I’d love to challenge you to do the same… see if you can connect the scene you’re a part of, and let me know how it works out.

by Rachel Ratner

I have about 54 podcasts waiting to be listened to on my computer. I love podcasts because they enable me to learn about new things when it’s convenient for me. Before I began making my own podcasts here at KEXP, I didn’t realize how much work went into their creation. Podcasting not only takes a vast knowledge of music, but the technical skills to record the podcast, and a ton of time dedicated to securing the legal rights that are necessary to podcast the songs.

One of KEXP’s missions is to facilitate music discovery, and as such, we were very excited to have the opportunity to host our first ever Youth Podcasting Workshops! These workshops, hosted in a partnership with the Vera Project, were an intensive, hands-on, 8-week series geared towards young adults in the Seattle area. The goal of these workshops was to engage young people in our community, champion youth-led and youth-focused programming, and offer increased training opportunities. Workshop participants learned how to create a podcast, from song selection, to securing music rights, to recording, editing and hosting the final podcast.

The classes took place over a series of 8 weeks in October and Novermber 2008. The class was made up of 9 students, ranging from 15-25 years of age. Each class was taught by a different KEXP employee, including KEXP DJs Cheryl Waters, Shani Jayant, Shannon Sauter, and Sharlese Metcalf, as well as KEXP’s Online Content Coordinator (aka, dude who organizes our own podcasting), Jim Beckmann. The results were phenomenal! Each podcast ended up being around an hour long and features songs from up-and-coming artists from the all ages scenes throughout the country.

Don’t take my word for it; listen to the results yourself! We have just launched the first of three podcasts to come out of the Fall workshop. Email podcasting@kexp.org and let us know what you think!

Youth Podcast, Vol. 1 - Reese, Bryn and Jessica
Subscribe to KEXP’s podcasts or listen now:

1. Coco Coca - Uniform
2. Champagne Champagne - Molly Ringwald
3. Man Plus - The Hungarian Suicide Song
4. Library Science - Do It To It
5. Teens In Heat - Farside Wayside
6. The Dead Science - Throne of Blood (The Jump Off)
7. Fabi Reyna - Track 1
8. Black Eyes & Neckties - Night After Night
9. Jason Clackley - Deafening Sound
10. Kusikia - Trouble
11. Yarn Owl - Yarn Blues
12. Stres - Gated Community
13. Lake of Falcons - A Bus For Runners
14. The Bismark - Curt Flood
15. The Histrionics - Death of Venus

The next series of classes is scheduled to start in March, email podcasting@kexp.org to learn more and for information on how to apply.

^{Man Party: enjoying the summer sun}

by DJ Rachel

It’s about sunscreen time! Words cannot express how excited I am that it is finally getting warm here in Seattle. But my blisters can. You know how it is: the sun comes out, and you decide, “Socks!? Who needs ‘em?” Then you wear your favorite shoes barefoot and you realize that you actually depend on socks to prevent blisters. Now my feet hurt. Wah. But… I’m excited to bring you my Music that Matters, Vol. 98 – It’s-Almost-Summer-So-Sit-Tight Mixtape! Chocked full of my favorite tracks right now, many of the rarities and demos.

Here’s just a wee sampling of what you’ll find!

Thomas Function - Snake on the Grass:

Man Party - Dance Monkey:

Catatonic Youth - I’ve Had It:

The Dutchess and the Duke - Reservoir Park (7″ version)

Liars - Army of Me (courtesy of Stereogum)

You can find out more about this podcast and subscribe to all of our podcasts on the Podcasting Page.

Let’s get to know KHV, who playing live on KEXP at 6pm this Saturday!

Katharine Hepburn’s Voice are D.W. and Shannon Perry.

They look like this:

^{Photo from Myspace}

They sound like this:

Out of your extensive mailing list, how much mail do you receive back and what is the funniest/strangest you’ve gotten? [ed note. They have a real mailing list. With real mail. Like in your mailbox. Not on the internet. On paper. With stamps!]

Shannon: I just started sending random mail to people on my list, regardless of whether or not they were a KHV fan or not…I am up to 180 mailing list recipients, so I spend all of my money on postage.

The strangest mail I’ve gotten is from someone I’ve apparently met once, who lives in Redmond. I sent him an “inquiry” to ask how he got on my mailing list, and he replied with 4 handwritten pages, written from the point of view of a soldier writing to his wife. He spoke of the horrors of war and the monster that he feared he had become. It was written so perfectly in character that I thought it was awesome, and replied in character… I’m pretty sure it’s safe, though, unless there is some heavy combat going on in Redmond right now…

DW: Shannon just sent me a rock with a face drawn on it inside a little cardboard house. She named it Rox. That was pretty strange.

Do you ever do an ego search on google, and if so what is the worst and/or best thing you’ve read about yourselves?

Shannon: Yes, we’ve checked; and were very surprised about how much information there is about KHV on the internet… I mean, we didn’t even know that fish could have herpes, but apparently they can, and it’s called KHV. Koi Herpes Virus. I’m not joking. try it.

DW: Yeah, that Koi Herpes Virus thing is really…something. I’d like to state, for the record, that Shan and I haven’t made any KHV videos yet. Oh yeah, and I just found a really funny dance remix of our song, Out Like This.

What music did you listen to most in 2007, besides Partman Parthorse?

DW: The Numero Group releases. Particularly the Eccentric Soul and Cult Cargo compilations.

Shannon: DW got me into my two favorite bands for 2007: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti and The Dirty Projectors. I also liked Beirut’s new album, Noah Georgeson, anything Paul McCartney (RAM, Wings), and I got really into Arthur & Yu’s new one, as well as Electrelane’s “No Shouts, No Calls”. I went to a lot of Coconut Coolouts and The Intelligence shows (and close to all of PMPH’s!). I just saw the Pleasureboaters (with you guys) and I think that I told the lead singer, Ricky, that they were really good “for their age”. I meant it in a good way, but it still just sounds condecending. May I hereby cancel the age part, and just say that they were really good?

Have you guys ever kissed?

DW: No.

Shannon: Of course not.

Might I introduce you to Partman Parthorse playing live on KEXP at 8pm this Saturday!

Partman Parthorse are a local 4-piece art/punk/hyphy ensemble made up of Gary Smith, Lisa Smith, Marshal Nall and Rachel Ratner.

They look like this:

^{by Marianne Goldin}

And sound like this:

What would Partman Parthorse’s motto be, if you had one?

RR: Got grapes?

GS: Wake up and smell the clip-clop

LS: That pretty much sums it up

[ed note: Marshal doesn't like to use the internet, and therefore did not receive the email questions in time to answer. Luckily, he doesn't read blogs either so he won't know I'm making fun of him]

What is your favorite thing about Seattle?

RR: Pho! And the amazing music scene. Oh, and that people are really good drivers!

GS: Lisa, Rachel, Marshall, Craig and Lisa Mueller, Noelle VonStratton, Laura Musselman, Erik Whitaker, Jesse Flores,Troy Nelson, Maryanne Goldin, Unnatural helpers, KHV, The Lights, The Intelligence, Coconut Coolouts, Sweatbox Yoga Studio, The Funhouse.

LS: Rachel’s driving. Oh and her parking abilities are unparalleled! Pun intended. [ed note: This is an inside joke. I recently parked my car in the middle of the road thinking it was a parking lot. A common mistake. Don't know what the big deal was or why all these cars were so upset] Other than that, I also love the rain.

Tell us a story about something funny that happened while you were at band practice.

RR: We found a mummified cat when we moved into Marshall’s basement to practice a few years ago. It haunts me to this day.

GS: Mold. Its hilarious.

LS: I’ll say, especially when Rachel wears a surgical mask and tries to drink beer [ed note: the mask is because I am allergic to mold. Not because I'm into some kind of freaky medical role-play stuff.].

Your singer, Gary, tends to be very animated. Have his crazy antics ever provoked any negative reactions from the crowd?

RR: Yes. One time Gary’s antics got us kicked out of a fine establishment in Seattle. It had something to do with a Sharpee, and things being written on their wall. Apparently people don’t like that. They literally pulled the plug on us a few songs into our set.

GS: I’ll agree with Rach. That’s the most memorable one. Not only did they pull the plug. But the sound guy actually ran down to the stage, grabbed the sharpie and started scraping it on my chest.

LS: There was also that time when Gary called a kid in the audience a “loser” for not giving him a high-five upon which the kid retaliated by screaming and jerking Gary’s mic cord from the wall. Gary just kept on singing and proceeded to rub chocolate cake all over his body leaving none for consumption [ed note: I don't know why there was chocolate cake sitting on a table at the show. Perhaps it was that kid's birthday?]. We got paid $2 for that show, but at least they showed their appreciation by wrapping it securely in an enveloped sealed with 50 staples.

On occasion we do get good reactions though, like fans willing to drink Gary’s dripping sweaty underpants [ed note: gross].

Listen to Audioasis this Saturday, from 6-9 PM, to hear both Katharine Hepburn’s Voice and Partman Parthorse perform live.

The Cops via their MySpace

Alright, alright, I know it isn’t very fair to be suggesting three shows on one night, but they are quite different from each other so there’s a bit for everyone. Unless you’re like me and want a little of everything. In that case, map out your Friday night well! Two local record labels/art collectives are proudly displaying their rosters this week. And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone (who celebrates). It’s my favorite holiday!

Friday 16th:

The Cops CD Release (Rock/Punk) @ The Crocodile $8 & 9p
Tuesday the 6th saw the release of the Cops’ second full-length, Free Electricity full of their throw-back 80s punk sound. The boys have been receiving rave reviews all over, and graced the KEXP studios with their presence yesterday afternoon. Catch them tonight at the Crocodile with modern punks Pleasureboaters, who will probably tear the smaller stage up.

Aphonia Recordings Showcase @ [reference Aphonia's website] FREE (Donations) & 7p & ALL-AGES
Noisy, abstract, otherworldly, the music offered through this eclectic record label, Aphonia Recordings, is more art than the easily accessible functional common-man’s music. Serving as a launch pad for their musicians, beyond production and distribution, they are holding numerous showcases throughout the area, particularly in galleries. Tonight’s will feature Darwinsbitch, Problems, KRGA, Derek M. Johnson, Denis & Denyse, and the Aquatic Darlings. Contact the website for more location information.

Red Rapture @ Blue Moon Tavern FREE & 10p
If trip-hop or experimental hip-hop is more your thing, head over to the U District’s Blue Moon to catch local group Red Rapture. Mentioned before on here as a supporting act for the Whore Moans, tonight they are headlining to celebrate their guitarist Jeremy’s birthday. Openers Ubik are a heavy progressive group with impressive bass lines and a singer with an surprisingly enormous voice for such a small chick.

Wednesday 21st:

Beep Repaired Family Thanksgiving @ The Crocodile $6 & 9p
The record label and collective Beep Repaired are at it again this week, this time showcasing a few of their talented bands for a Thanksgiving bash over at the Crocodile. Unlearn, like last week’s Vera show, is an opening act, along with Lake of Falcons and Juhu Beach. Headlining is straight-forward rockers The Bismarck.

KEXP has over 1000 volunteers at any given time. Combined, they donate over 12,000 volunteer hours per year. Volunteers do everything from admin work to dj assisting to answering phones at membership drives and we wouldn’t exist without their help. Once a year we throw a party in their honor, and KEXP staff volunteer to serve them for a change. We had a blast! We had 3 kegs, 200 volunteers, 300 burgers, 150 cupcakes, 4 porta potties, 200 goodie bags stuffed with donations from local businesses (thanks guys!), 1 Tom Mara (our esteemed Executive Director, flipping burgers), Guitar Hero projected onto the wall with giant speakers, and not a single keg stand. [ed. although there was a punchbowl of beer involved!] What more could a Volunteer Coordinator ask? It was great fun and the least we could do to thank our volunteers for their hours of tireless work. It’s a pleasure working with all of you. And rumor has it, that some volunteers and staff got kicked out of a nearby bar afterwards for disturbing a family trying to have a peaceful meal at 11:30pm. Way to go guys! You did us proud!

Check out these great photos shot by KEXP’s own Carol DuPuis:

When I was a kid, I believed that there were alligators that lived under my bed. If I had to get up to go to the bathroom, or get a glass of water, I was at risk of being eaten. Luckily, I had a magic (and invisible) ring that kept me safe from them. I have since lost that ring, and now, there aren’t alligators, there are dust mites. And I am at risk of being eaten. Therefore I have hypoallergenic pillow cases and wash my laundry at 160 degrees.

How does this relate to music? Funny you ask!
This year, I found that as imaginary demons are replaced by real ones, I have started to gravitate towards music from artists that are based the fanciful (the Liars, the Decemberists, the Melvins, Joanna Newsom). Their characters don’t update their myspace pages, or sing about the panic-attacks induced by loosing ones cell phone… they fly in fanciful dirigibles, commit daredevil crimes and fight evil demons.

Liars - Drum’s Not Dead (Mute)
This album continues the Liar’s trajectory towards more artier and noise-filled pastures. Both creepy and beautiful. Score!

Lady Sovereign - Public Warning (Def Jam)
Lady SOV represents a glimmer of hope for tomboys everywhere. She is not dependent on sex appeal to sell records. Quite the opposite. She uses something called talent, and it gives me hope that it’s ok to not know much about makeup or how to style my hair.

The Decemberists - The Crain Wife (Capitol)
This album contains all the beautiful whimsical lyricism of their previous works and serves up a juicy slice of rock along side. Sprinkle on some crusty sea salt and enjoy.

The Lights - Diamonds and Dirt (Wantage)
The Lights are one of my favorite local bands and this album is kicking ass and taking names. (Setting Sun - MP3)

The Melvins - (A) Senile Animal (Ipecac)
Finally, the two greatest forces in the universe of rock are united in an undefeatable force: Yes, Big Business have joined the Melvins and together wield a mightily sword that shall slay all who dare stand in their way.

Shoplifting - Body Stories (Kill rock Stars)
Greatness from this band out of Oly. In the vain of rock that gives a shit, they are truly progressive and all about making this work a better place. Shoplifting for president! (Male Gynecology - MP3)

Joanna Newsom - Ys (Drag City)
I love this album! I love the harp! I love meteorites! Who knew?! She has a spellbinding voice, irresistible lyrics, and Ys is orchestrated to perfection.

J. Tillman - Minor Works (Fargo)
Let’s face it. There’s no better album to drinking whisky in a rocking chair while taking a bubble bath to. Seriously, try it.

The Thermals - The Body The Blood The Machine (Sub Pop)
Yes, it is possible for you to hate the system and not be an asshole about it. The Thermals are bringing it to the man and it is awesome.

The Long Winters - Putting the Days to Bed (Barsuk)
These songs got stuck in my head for about a month straight. Thanks a lot jerks. (Pushover - MP3)

I need to get out more.

And because 10 is never enough…here’s some more local faves!
These Arms are Snakes – Easter (Jade Tree) (Horse Girl - MP3)
The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes (V2)
Unnatural Helpers – Unnatural Helpers (self released) (Gettin’ Classy - MP3)
Casy and Brian – Catbees (self released) (House on Haunted Hill - MP3)
Coconut Coolouts – Coconut Coolouts EP (self released) (Coconut Weekend - MP3)
The Trashies – Life Sucks Trash Fuck (self release) (Sweatpants Boner - MP3)
The Hands – So Sweet EP (self released)
Harbor Rats – The Katie Sermon (self released)
(Various) - Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly: Vol 6 (self released)

Dear Blog,

On Friday I went to see Cloud Cult play at the Crocodile. I met up with a few friends at my place, and we had a few pre-show drinks. We heard that Cloud Cult were notorious for having interpretive paintings during their live set. We plotted ways of causing diversions and stealing those aintings.

We arrived at the Crocodile toward the end of Daylight Basement. We secured a place at the bar, had a few more drinks, and hung out with various KEXP staffers, volunteers and listeners.

Cloud Cult begins. The first thing we see upon entering the showroom is indeed artists on the left and the right of the stage, painting on large canvases. The painting on the left is turning into a creepy face. The painting on the right is something more abstract. The painting on the left is way better than the painting on the right.

Behind the band a giant video screen plays images of sped up traffic, Pole Position and other arty post modern images. Somewhere on stage a fog machine expels plums of sulfuric white smoke, obscuring the band as they energetically jump and stagger on stage.

The music sounds great, and the audience is into it, swaying back and forth and mouthing the lyrics. A few people nod their heads and tap their feet: a traditional Seattle dance move. About four songs into it, I’m feeling snacky, and decide to head down the street to Shorty’s to grab a quick bite. Before I know it, some kind of primordial urge takes hold of me and I’m pumping quarters into Ms. PacMan. After getting an extra life, I swerve and zip and dodge and careen through the maze. Ms. PacMan meets PacMan, they fall in love, and have two kids. Translation: I’m super far. Possibly one of my best games ever. At this point Blinky, Pinky, Dot and that other ghost don’t even turn blue anymore. I’m in trouble.

A harrowing defeat snaps me back to reality and I realize I’ve been gone for longer than I planned. We head back to the show as it’s coming to a close. Almost everyone who I spoke with said the show was amazing, killer, and great. Damn you Ms. PacMan. Damn you all to hell!!