Remember when we said we'd share our list of 25 other unmissable records the first week of January? Whoops. Thing is, the first month of this new year, we were still listening to and falling in (and out) of love with records from 2011. Discovering albums we should've shared months ago and finding out what [...]

We finally say goodbye to January, and wave hello to February. This week starts off slowly with a highly anticipated show at the Crocodile with the very talented Alabama Shakes and guests Quiet Life . If you can't get into that one, check out The Family Crest , who wrap up a month-long residency in Seattle, with Valley Fair , and Brite Lines at the Tractor. On Thursday, a couple of KEXP favorites: Nada Surf and Say Hi also play at the Tractor, and on Friday, Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra, [...]

Peter played to a jam-packed crowd at The Cabin in November Peter Miller is We Are The Willows, and we love his stuff . A Twin Cities man, he defines life in the fast lane. When he isn't hacking the homeland security mainframe, he's day-trading at the NYSE via bluetooth. This plus all the great music he makes amounts to a busy schedule. But, dear man that he is, he took to time to share his top 5 albums of 2011. We hope this list whets your curiosity and provides insight into just what makes [...]

Peter played to a jam-packed crowd at The Cabin in November Peter Miller is We Are The Willows, and we love his stuff . A Twin Cities man, he defines life in the fast lane. When he isn't hacking the homeland security mainframe, he's day-trading at the NYSE via bluetooth. This plus all the great music he makes amounts to a busy schedule. But, dear man that he is, he took to time to share his top 5 albums of 2011. We hope this list whets your curiosity and provides insight into just what makes [...]
Here's the list...not in a strict order. Hope you get a chance to listen to them. 30. Balto – The Railyard 01 The Railyard by BaltoDan 29. Hezekiah Jones – Borrowed Heart Hezekiah jones - Borrowed Heart by ThroughMic 28. Jhameel – The Human Condition The Human Condition by jhameel 27. Lemolo – Whale Song Lemolo - Whale Song [...]
#20: Blue Scholars - Cinemetropolis (Self-Released) Not many people have heard of the Blue Scholars, or their 2011 release Cinemetropolis, and I'm not sure why not. My theory is that they're so ingrained in Seattle that most people can't relate to their music. The other reason could be that they are just content being [...]

So...I suppose I'm a tad bit late to the year-end-best-of-lists party but oh well. Josh already offered up his favorite tracks in the year-end best-of playlist and, while our lists have a lot of crossover, I thought I'd offer up my favorite 50 tracks from the past year. I've struggled with the idea of trying to put a 'best-of' stamp on anything I listen to based solely on the fact that I'm not all that comfortable with the idea of ranking all the tracks I love. This is more a representation of all my favorite tracks from [...]
Kelli Schaefer ::: photo by Dylan Priest Having fallen deep down a used-vinyl sized hole this year, I managed to completely miss most of the national blog buzz bands and mp3s making the press release copy&paste rounds of 2011, those things that so often fill end of the year lists. But considering the immense output from [...]
Mark Arm of Mudhoney ::: photo by Josh Lovseth City Arts Fest comes to an end with a crash and a barrage of bills featuring some of Seattle's finest and loudest acts. Here's our recommendations. Mudhoney, Hot Bodies in Motion, Thee Emergency, Lovesick Empire at Neumos Before I was a black adult, I was a black [...]
There is an immense amount of music I want to share, hopefully I'll be able to get it all out in the next week. Did you ever watch that tv show where the girl could stop time by touching her fingers together? I thought it was mind blowing when I was like eight. If I [...]
Grand Hallway ::: photo by Abbey Simmons Over the last year with Drew Grow's accident, stolen gear and my own medical mishaps, I've witnessed first hand some incredible outpouring of support and organization by local musicians and music fans. This Saturday friends and fans are coming together again to support a friend in need, Mark Giese, [...]

Charles Bradley at Bumbershoot 2011 (09/04/11) Words and Photos : Drake Lelane Enjoy the final installment of Drake's coverage from Bumbershoot 2011. -ed. Bumbershoot 2011 - Day 3 For the third and final day of Bumbershoot, I had a special guest with me to start out. My four-year old son Zane, freshly back from a week at Camp Grandpa, loves himself some live music, so he acted as my 'assistant' for the first half of the day. [...]
Bumbershoot 2011 Day Three (September 5th, 2011 - Seattle, Washington) ** There may not be a better way to begin a day of musical carousing than by watching Charles Bradley, otherwise known as "The Screaming Eagle of Soul," and "The Black Swan," take the stage for an intimate, live KEXP performance. The Gainesville, Florida born funk-star and soul-singer is a true legend, and it's easy to see why. Draped in a royal-red, sequined blazer, and offering a reverential bow, Bradley held the audience in a state of excited bliss [...]
Bumbershoot 2011 Day Three Photographs (September 5th, 2011 - Seattle, Washington) All photographs taken by Steven Smith Head Like A Kite Phantogram Big Boi [...]
The Head and The Heart at the Free Yr Radio Stage in 2010::: photo by Josh Lovseth Music is happening all over Bumbershoot, even if it's off the official schedule and stages. With the KEXP Music Lounge, End Sessions and Free Yr Radio stages, you have extra chances to see some of the best of Bumbershoot [...]
![FUCK YOU IRENE [PLAYLIST]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3681268_lg.jpg)
Hurricane Irene has made her way up the East Coast, and is hitting the fine city of New York. In my frustration and free time simply sitting around, I have made you a very special playlist of new music that you can stream/download so that even when your power goes out, you can continue your listening. Enjoy the music and get your Jenga , Monopoly , Life , Scrabble , Risk and/or Sorry! on. Enjoy the music and please stay safe. [...]

Okay, I am back from the Robson Valley Music Festival and finally feeling hydrated enough to write something. If any of you happen to find yourself in North-Western Canada next summer and are looking for an event to attend, I suggest you take a long look at this little festival in Dunster, BC. You may not initially know any of the musical acts on the website but that should certainly not deter you from picking up a weekend pass. There was something for everyone...genres ranged from the jaw-droppingly-wild, Siberian-Mongolian group called Namgar to the [...]
I owe an apology to everyone for slacking last week and not having a playlist up. I'm now part of the Listen Before You Buy family doing "New Music" posts and this is my first week involved with them it's something I'm excited about. Having never cared about editing or formatting and only about getting [...]

Day After Tomorrow (Tom Waits) - Grand Hallway In the last few days, I've put this song on repeat and just steeped myself in it over and over. Tomo Nakayama of Grand Hallway has a haunting, spectral voice here (reminds me of Thom Yorke) as he covers one of Tom Waits' saddest sad songs. I very nearly lost someone I love last weekend, and have been reminded this week how incredibly tenuous this life is. You might go ferociously hug someone you love today, and tell them what they [...]

- Doctor, doctor... cuando era soltera tuve que abortar seis veces, pero ahora que estoy casada no consigo quedarme embarazada. - Evidentemente, usted no se reproduce en cautiverio. Doctor, mi hija no se encuentra bien. - Dígame... ¿su hija esputa y excrementa? - Mi hija es puta, pero no escarmienta. Mark Ronson - Valerie Ft. Amy Winehouse Clap [...]