photo by Jim Bennett

The big event of the week, of course, was the 7th Annual Yule Benefit last Saturday. The Thermals, The Cave Singers, The Builders & The Butchers, and Grand Hallway all performed brilliantly during this completely sold-out event! Photographer Jim Bennett captured these great shots…

photo by Alex Crick … while photographer Alex Crick nabbed these.

photo by Jim Bennett How brilliant was Dick Dale on Friday, though? Holy $#@&!!! The 72-year old was smokin’! And, boy, could he talk, often quite amazingly about his past and his creative process. Look for more on this (video, podcast, etc. in the weeks to come). [more]

photo by Brittney Bush Bollay And speaking of smokin’, Bay Area rock vet Chuck Prophet gives it his all every time he’s in-studio at KEXP, and this time was no exception as he and the band performed songs from his new album, ¡Let Freedom Ring!. [more]

photo by E.C. Landry Songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov’s acoustic set was a more subdued affair, though no less interesting or entertaining. People make much of the fact that he was born in South African but raised in Philly, yet his emotive folk rock seems like it would be at home anywhere. [more]

photo by Scott Holpainen Apparently it takes a lot of gear and crew to make Danish band Mew soar to such great heights, but we weren’t complaining! On the night of this incredible set, they packed Neumos to capacity. [more]

photo by Jim Bennett For his last appearance on KEXP as a local artist, Shane Tutmarc performed solo on Swingin’ Doors. Though we’ll miss the Seattle native when he moves to Nashville next month, we know he’ll be back to play the Northwest soon enough. Good luck, Shane! [more]

photo by Scott Holpainen Barbados’ singer David Kirton brought his modern touch to roots reggae during a special session for Positive Vibrations. [more]

photo by Jim Beckmann Finally, our only in-studio guest this week, Karl Blau, rocked the Anacortes Mullet and toy guitar like no other! [more]

Thanks to Tara Slosberg for the photo help!

Chuck Prophet and band with Kevin Cole
photo by Brittney Bush Bollay

It took a trip to Mexico City for Chuck Prophet to get at the heart of the American Dream. That’s where he recorded his latest album, ¡Let Freedom Ring!. Amid the Swine Flu panic and sequestered in a state of the art studio…. from the time of the Eisenhower administration… Chuck and his compatriots, Tom Ayres (guitar), Rusty Miller (bass), and Ernest “Boom” Carter (drums, natch), braved the pandemic panic and frequent electrical brown-outs to lay down a stellar album of “political songs for non political people.” Now, back on his home turf, Chuck brings
the Mission Express — Kevin White (bass), James DePrato (guitar), Todd Roper (drums) and Stephanie Finch (keyboards) — to the KEXP studio and performs three songs from the new album, plus a 2002 classic:

Musical duo The Swell Season, comprised of Frames frontman Glen Hansard and Czech pianist and singer Markéta Irglová, return with a followup to their multi-award winning soundtrack to Once. The pair just performed an exclusive live set for KEXP listeners last Thursday (you can still catch in on our Streaming Archive) but will be back again with a full band in November. Devendra Banhart also tops the list of new releases this week with his major label debut, What Will Be, and another musical duo, Tegan and Sara, are sure to land in KEXP listeners’ shopping carts. Heavy Trash, a projected co-helmed by Jon Spencer, not only have a new release this week but were live on air this morning (another reason to head over to our Streaming Archive). The Northwest represents with Portland’s Pink Martini and Seattle’s BOAT and Levi Fuller. Also recommended are the latest from Chuck Prophet, Fela Kuti, Bassnectar, and Echo & The Bunnymen, who just keep cranking out albums. And Wolfmother are back… with a new lineup but all the same rock! Check out more on Largehearted Boy’s list, but not before you sample this week’s goods:

Chad Syme

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 “A Woman’s Voice” by Chuck Prophet, recorded live during KEXP’s broadcast from Berkeley, CA.

Chuck Prophet, depending on where you are standing, is often a forgotten or ignored slice of original Americana. His ability to weave wit and candor in a swatch of storytelling devices seems wasted when it goes unnoticed but so goes the current crop of singer/songwriters that don’t exist within the lines of conformity. Prophet’s songs read like snippets of Neil Simon, John Steinbeck, or Ken Kesey and that we allow the nation’s conscious to go on existing with the knowledge of Chuck seems like a crime. Thankfully, fans and admirers alike are turning on a wide audience to the literary appeal and sly smile of Chuck’s work. Like a painter colors a canvas, Chuck Prophet uses song to capture the everyday existence of the noblest, wisest, and most normal in each of us — that he does so with a truckstop charm and words as sweet as pecan pie may make him an unlikely candidate to be the next Norman Rockwell but as Chuck continues to teach us, appearances are deceiving.

MySpace is sad to inform us that Chuck isn’t touring at the moment but that doesn’t stop us from enjoying his past works. For example, did you know Chuck makes music videos that are fun? If you didn’t, allow us to show you with “Freckle Song”:

Here’s the video for this very performance at KEXP’s Bay Area broadcast from Opus Music Ventures studio in Berekely, CA:

photos by Chad Syme

Chuck Prophet is a prolific songwriter, guitarist and Native Californian. This 45-year old musician has lived a long life in an industry that has both embraced and denied him. Chuck spent his formative teenage years touring the world with the L.A.-based cosmic country rock band Green On Red. Many stories have worked their way into the public eye throughout his career, from his teenage drug-laced madcap adventures to the way he walked away from his label (he reportedly left New West Records after an argument over an extra order of garlic bread at a restaurant), but few compare to the ones he tells through his own music. Chuck Prophet’s ability to weave his narrative style lyrics into groove-oriented guitar driven songs has caught the attention of musicians throughout the world. His songs have been covered by the likes of Heart (at the urging of Cameron Crowe), Kim Carnes, and Solomon Burke and he has collaborated with Alejandro Escovedo, Aimee Mann, Jonathan Richman, Cake, among others, and toured with Lucinda Williams. His latest album, Soap & Water, follows the train of work started in his youth. Chuck Prophet’ easy guitar style and Nashvillian influences weave through the album, which is a sort of tribute to one of his biggest influences, Big Star’s Alex Chilton.

Right now, Chuck Prophet is getting ready for an upcoming European tour, but he came along with a band to perform a stellar set for KEXP’s broadcast from the Bay Area at Opus Music Ventures studio. The entire performance is now available as one of our Live Performances podcast — subscribe now!