The Knack, left to right:
Bruce Gary, Doug Fieger, Berton Averre and Prescott Niles

• Sadly, Doug Fieger, frontman of New Wave trailblazers The Knack died yesterday after battling several years with cancer at age 57. Perhaps most famously, Fielder co-wrote and sang the 1979 hit “My Sharona” (revived in 1994 thanks to its inclusion on the Reality Bites soundtrack), but over the last few decades The Knack continued to release albums and perform periodically. A memorial service in LA is currently being planned. Read more here.

• You may have heard the buzz on the blogs and Twitter lately about Jimmy Fallon touting Neon Indian upon first hearing them and using smartphone app Shazam to identify them. But did you know where he first heard the song? That’s right… KEXP! Thanks for the shout out, Jimmy!

• Last week, several music blog operators using Google’s Blogger and Blogspot accounts lost all access to their accounts, in some cases losing years’ worth of archives. Among them are popular blogs Pop Tarts, Masala, I Rock Cleveland, To Die By Your Side, It’s a Rap, and Living Ears — all of whom received messages upon deletion stating that their blogs had “repeatedly violated Blogger’s Terms of Service.” To the Guardian UK, Bill Lipold, the owner of I Rock Cleveland, gave a number of examples of label-approved postings that still somehow drew complaints as violations the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Calling it #musicblogocide2k10, readers and blog operators were outraged by the sudden closures, and as a result of the outcry at least Masala, which focuses mostly on World and remix culture, is back up and running on Blogspot. Apparently, Google’s Project Manager, Rick Klau, stated that in this case “the problem was that due to a processing error” that did not allow the blog operator to address complaints. Following its closure, I Rock Cleveland has moved to a new home. More largely read blogs My Old Kentucky Home and Gorilla vs. Bear remained unaffected.

• The rock band that would make Sinatra proud, The Walkmen, have announced they have signed with venerable blues label-gone-reckless, Fat Possum. The band is already in the studio at work on the follow-up to You and Me with hopes of having the album out later this year.

• Akron/Family have tapped into their love of dusty troubadour, Woody Guthrie, with the start of the Woody Project, which encourages fans to create their own version of the song, “Woody Guthrie’s America,” to share with the band and the world.

• Sticking to the college hamlet of Bloomington, Indiana, Jagjaguwar have announced the signing of Small Black and the impending April 27th release of the duo’s remastered and expanded eponymous EP.

• Perhaps the next, great pure rock and roll sound will be the work of Jerusalem and the Starbaskets. The Columbia, Missouri, based duo will be releasing a 7-inch later this month via De Stijl as well as a full-length LP through The Great Pop Supplement.

• In celebration of Valentine’s Day… and to forward promote his upcoming release, Joseph Arthur has made a new song, “Love Never Asks You To Lie,” available via YouTube:

• Seattle native Jen Wood will be releasing her first album in nearly eight years, Finds You in Love, on March 2nd. The album will only available through Jen and her new label, New Granada.

• Not content just releasing digital albums on holidays, former Grandaddy headmaster Jason Lytle is forming Admiral Radley (named with the inspiration of a Craigslist listing) with former bandmate, Aaron Burtch, and members of Earlimart.

• Apparently, the Olympics trump new music releases… who knew? The talk show circuit is slow this week with Letterman, Leno, Fallon and the other survivors welcoming athletes rather than musicians. But that’s no excuse for you to miss Fanfarlo on Letterman tonight! Not many other highlights, so why not check out the ageless Sade and British hopefuls Mumford & Sons?

  Monday, February 15

  David Letterman: Fanfarlo

  Tuesday, February 16

  Jimmy Kimmel: Sade

  Wednesday, February 17

  David Letterman: Mumford & Sons

Sera Cahoone - “Baker Lake”

Sera Cahoone - “Only As the Day Is Long”

Akron/Family - “The River”

Akron/Family - “Ed Is A Portal”

photos by Dave Lichterman
intro by Jason Kinnard

With a tie-dyed flag on the front of their new album, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free it’s clear the Akron/Family have their own take on American music. Calling New York and Pennsylvania home, they were formerly a 4-piece band before founding member Ryan Vanderhoof left the band in 2007 — the band used to tour as a 7-piece. Now, only Dana Janssen, Seth Olinsky, and Miles Seaton remain, yet carry on the Akron/Family tradition. The re-arrangement has done little to deter the band and they actually seem to be revitalized by the new line-up, signing on with Secretly Canadian. Their take on American music is a fusion of classic “jam bands”, acid rock, freak folk, and American psychedelia; obviously taking a page out of the playbook of multiple genres. They draw comparison to the Grateful Dead, but the music wouldn’t sound similar to the casual fan. In fact, it’s probably the close connection between performer and crowd that appeals to the band more than the “jam” aspect of the Dead. A band well known for the raucous live shows, they settle things down having less band members on the stage, but they’re still known to drag the occasional audience member on with them. We can’t wait to see what they do in the secret Music Lounge.

The band is currently on tour and has a number of tour dates listed on their website. If you miss them in the Music Lounge they are also playing later on the Broad Street Stage at 6:00 PM.

!!! at the Music Lounge
photo by Dan Muller

by Chris Estey

Maybe it’s how the bands bond intimately with who they know are big fans. (Last year, Two Gallants put on one of the best performances of the festival there.) Maybe it’s the excellent sound (hey, Kevin Suggs!) in the tucked-away special venue. Perhaps it’s the posh, comfortable seats in a cool setting indoors at a festival crammed with hacky-sack playing “dudes” outside, or nary a drum circle to be heard over the artist you’re trying to watch. But if there’s one thing that makes me really happy about the evolution of Bumbershoot over the years, it’s been KEXP hosting the Music Lounge. And this year the line-up is outstanding.

Though it’s pretty much already sold out, there will likely be tickets available for various shows at the KEXP booth on the festival grounds, so people attending should check in. And of course people at home can listen on the radio or Internet. KEXP will be having immediate coverage on the Blog all through the festival.

The Bumbershoot Music Lounge returns for its fourth year with this incredible line-up, all of whom are playing the festival otherwise:

Saturday 9/5/2009

12:00PM - Hey Marseilles

This orchestrally-involved folk rock band premiered some very cool new stuff at this year’s Capitol Hill Block Party; I have the feeling they will be previewing material written since 2008’s To Travels & Trunks this weekend as well. Huge buzz about this Seattle band which recalls a less cantankerous Decemberists — probably be the next big thing.

1:15PM - Telekinesis

Death Cab’s Chris Walla produced singer/drummer Seattle-based Michael Lerner’s self-titled debut; Billboard praised its balance of “familiarity and individuality.”

2:30PM - Gang Gang Dance

Thriving live and crafting sonic collages since the early part of this decade, Gang Gang Dance are going to be a high point of the festival, and a more coherent and song-based witness of the wildly eclectic band might possibly transpire in the Music lounge. Feel free to go nuts anyways.

3:45PM - Os Mutantes

Responsible for inspiring all kinds of psyche-rock experimentation since the 60s, these godfathers and godmother of the progressive AND punk movements will also be a can’t-miss event for old fans and new strange music acolytes alike.

5:30PM - Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Brass! Clarinet! Sax! Trombone! Roots with harmonica! Their 2009 debut features poetry and Old, Weird America noise. Should be outlandishly fun.

Sunday 9/6/2009

12:00PM - Common Market

206 hip-hop duo CM blends spirituality, social observations, and class war confessions (RA Scion) with some of the best deejaying you’ll ever hear (Sabzi). These guys are really wonderful whether in a very intimate setting or commanding a big stage. One of the sweetest moments you’ll have at Bumbershoot if you catch them here.

1:15PM - Sera Cahoone

Used to be the drummer in Seattle folk-art-psyche band Carissa’s Wierd and is now crooning and plucking for Sub Pop to national acclaim with the more traditional debut Only As The Day Is Long.

2:30PM - Vivian Girls

Listening to the Vivian Girls is like surfing on a dangerous sea of the sweetest foam you’ll ever taste. This three woman band is as subversive in their hooks and lyrics as they are infectious in their grind-pop sound. I bet we’ll hear some stuff off the new album; really looking forward to “The End.”

3:45PM - Holy Fuck

!!!!!

5:30PM - Raphael Saadiq

Used to make ‘em swoon as frontman in Tony! Toni! Tone! and brings his new-trad soul strut to Bumbershoot this year solo style. His album The Way I See It received three Grammy nominations.

Monday 9/7/2009

12:00PM - Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

This Austin band should please as they play out songs from their basement-gritty home cooked soul-rock Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! released this year. More brass!

1:15PM - The Cave Singers

This special treat should be way packed out, as the group plays songs from their two albums, including Welcome to Joy, just released on Matador. They’re the quietest band you’ll ever hear roar with sunshine at a big festival, getting even the most stubborn wooters to shut up and bask in their sound.

2:30PM - Akron/Family

Led by legendary Swans founder M. Gira, this mesmerizing collective can go from raging psyche-overflow to more sedate ballads in the drop of a painkiller in an IV. One of the most trance-inducing new folk bands you’ll hear, but their veteran experience kind of helps them achieve that bliss.

3:45PM - Vieux Farka Toure

Malian singer-songwriter who is the heir to innovator Ali Farka Toure. A masterful blend of funk happiness with hip-hop one beat, which will carry the hypnotism of this afternoon’s line-up into the third world.

5:30PM - Metric

Bunch of very talented wavos craft a reportedly killer album out at Bear Creek, their 2009 debut Fantasies impressing all my mates at Three Imaginary Girls. I have to hear that thing — but Bumbershoot is great for new discoveries such as this!

KEXP is a proud sponsor of this year’s Fisher Green Stage located next to the KEXP booth, the Broad Street stage, and EMP|SFM’s Sky Church. More information on the festival, including the full lineup and schedule is at bumbershoot.org.

*Note* YOU MUST ALREADY HAVE A TICKET TO GET INTO BUMBERSHOOT to attend the KEXP sessions. These sessions are free, but you must sign up below for each session you would like to attend as space is limited. Attendance is on a first come, first served basis. Once you are confirmed to attend, you will receive a confirmation email with details including where to pick up your ticket to the session and other important info.

Jim Bennett

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection is from Morning Show host John Richards; “The River” by Akron/Family from their 2009 album Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free on Dead Oceans.

You could simply call Akron/Family a psych-folk band, a term they seem to try to avoid, and be done with it. Their music does have a certain experimental feel to it (a la Animal Collective), but this three-piece uses just as much traditional training to complete their sound as they do wacky creative genius. Although they try hard not to wear the weird experimental label prominently, it’s hard to shake the image when they’ve been known to drag just about anything on stage they can find to play during their live shows, including driftwood, pine cones, metal, and various other pieces of junk they’ve collected. These are definitely guys who are just as comfortable with Gamelan music as with the Grateful Dead, with hipsters as with hippies, not that there’s anything wrong with that of course. Noticeably absent on their latest album, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free, are the vocals and guitars of Ryan Vanderhoof, whose departure is alluded to in the title, but that doesn’t seem to slow down the rest of the band at all — in fact, his departure has allowed them to move toward further experimentation. Today’s Song of the Day, “The River,” while being one of the less adventurous songs to showcase their new sound as a trio, happens to be one of their catchiest. It’s great to know a bearded band of gentleman like the Akron/Family are made in the U.S.A.!

You can find out more about the band on their website and listen to additional tracks on their MySpace page, and even follow them on Twitter. The band is currently on tour in Japan but returns to the States in July and is scheduled to play Bumbershoot in Seattle on September 7th. Here’s a clip of their performance live on KEXP during SXSW ‘09 from ME Television studios in Austin:

The new Conor Oberst album, billed with his “Mystic Valley Band,” hits stores today. If you didn’t get a chance to hear the album streaming on NPR Music last week, you can sample it below — and it will be featured as our Song of the Day podcast tomorrow, so stay tuned. And while you’re picking that up, be sure to grab the latest from the excellent Portland electro-pop group Starfucker, plus other worthwhile releases from a wildly diverse group this week: Akron/Family, NOMO, Fischerspooner, The Horrors, St. Vincent, Magik Markers, Pink Mountaintops, New York Dolls, Ben Harper, Peaches, and a soundtrack by British Sea Power. Sub Pop is reissuing Enter the Vaselines just in time for The Vaselines‘ Seattle appearance next week at Neumos! Take a copy of Largehearted Boy’s list along with and visit your friendly neighborhood record shop.

Cinco de Mayo bonus: write in before 2PM tomorrow (5/6) for your chance to win a free vinyl copy of Coming From Reality, the latest reissue of Rodriguez from Seattle’s own Light in the Attic. (Fun fact: Rodriquez was born and bred in Detroit, but his parents immigrated from Mexico in the 1920’s.)