It’s easy, sometimes, to think of radio as a dead medium. The sort of thing that can get you through a visit to the dentist, or an elevator ride, but not much else. In a post-Buggles world, what good can radio really bring us? Well, of course, there’s rather a lot of good to be had out there. I’ve looked at, and featured, NPR’s excellent All Songs Considered on this site before. But there’s so much more to be found in local stations across America (and the globe) – perhaps none so striking as Seattle’s KEXP. The site features an enormous amount of live, in-studio recordings and interviews, as well as news and video (they’ve even got a nifty iPhone app). As someone who lost faith in radio during the ClearChannel consolidation years, I find it very reassuring to know that stations like this have managed to survive.
You really should take some time to rummage around their site. After the cut, I’ll highlight some of my favorite live recordings, and give you a few tips from their upcoming performances list. Hint: Jónsi tomorrow!
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So, courtesy of the Live Music Archive, here are some streams of KEXP performances. You can go there to download them directly, or stream them from KEXP.
First up, here’s Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon:
Next are “Woke Up New” and “You or Your Memory” from one of the Mountain Goats recordings:
And here are a Grizzly Bear recording, and an acoustic set from Echo and the Bunnymen:
Some other shows of note: Fleet Foxes, Yo La Tengo, and Iron and Wine with Calexico. There’s literally hundreds more. Go check ‘em out!
And keep an eye out for these upcoming shows:
Jónsi Friday April 9, 12:00pm
Beach House Monday April 12, 12:00pm
Charlotte Gainsbourg Wednesday April 14, 2:00pm
Shearwater Thursday April 29, 5:00pm
The Antlers Wednesday May 5, 12:00pm
