Sound & Vision

A new documentary about Little Richard, titled 'Little Richard: I Am Everything,' was recently released to rave reviews. One of those reviews came in the form of an essay for the New Yorker written by Hanif Abdurraqib called “What Little Richard Deserved.”  KEXP's Martin Douglas speaks to Hanif about the film, and Little Richard's life.  “Little Richard is as loud and joyfully brash and bold as they come and that did not stop his achievements from being whitewashed and then washed away,” Abdurraqib says.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sound & Vision’s mini series Day Job explores how artists and musicians juggle their craft and day jobs to make it all work. Rachel Stevens caught up with KEXP’s own DJ Yaddy about balancing DJing and being a teacher.   Check out DJ Yaddy at Seattle’s Lazer Dome: https://pacificsciencecenter.org/events/pacsci-kexp-laser/Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mix & Match is our miniseries where KEXP’s Jasmine Albertson combines her reporting skills with her bartending skills to craft a cocktail for an artist based on their sound and their story. This week she makes a drink for local band, Racoma. They released their sophomore record, 'Good a Place As Any,' last October. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Park is the only person behind Asian Man records. The label has helped break ska and punk bands including Alkaline Trio and Less Than Jake. Park recently turned down an offer to have Asian Man Records be bought out by a larger label for $3 million. He’ll instead continue running it out of his mom’s garage, like he has been for nearly 30 years. KEXP’s Dusty Henry spoke with Park to learn more about the label’s history, the ethos that’s kept it alive and the bands it’s worked with along the way.  Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The band Draag talks with Emily Fox about how their experiences being in a religious cult and dealing with substance abuse come up on their latest record, 'Dark Fire Heresy.' They also discuss representation in the music industry and their perspective as a POC-fronted band. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karl Blau has been a staple in the Northwest Music scene. He started the Anacortes Music Channel, a live music venue and a 24/7 streaming station of exclusively Anacortes music. He launched a monthly music publication titled Show Chime, and founded the Anacortes Music Project, a non-profit with goals of preserving Anacortes history, and boosting local shows and local artist profiles. He was recently priced out of Anacortes. He now lives in Philadelphia with his family and has just released a debut EP featuring members of The War on Drugs. KEXP’s Janice Headley talks with Karl about the move and new musical project called Opal Eskar.   Read the story here: https://www.kexp.org/read/2023/5/19/karl-blau-continues-to-shine-with-new-project-opal-eskar-featuring-members-of-the-war-on-drugs/ Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On her debut solo album, ‘Flowers At Your Feet,’ Rahill Jamalifard of Habibi continues to embrace the sounds and stories of her Iranian heritage, this time evoking memories of her loved ones through sonic artifacts like field recordings, audio from home movies, and references to Persian film and poetry. Rahill joins KEXP’s Isabel Khalili to discuss the vulnerability of the new album and how it helped her arrive at the place of self-love she embodied as a child. They also discuss the origins of surf rock, the sampling of Middle Eastern music in hip-hop, the process of grief, and how Rahill’s childhood encouraged her to celebrate diversity and individuality.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle’s Kassa Overall is about to drop a new record later this month. Back in April DJ Miss Ashley sat down with Kassa to talk about his new album, the ending of Washington Middle School’s band program in Seattle, of which Kassa attended, and mental health.  Listen to an interview with Kassa and his Washington Middle School band teacher: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vision/2021/6/22/kassa-overall-and-his-middle-school-band-teacher-discuss-lasting-lessons/  Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Durand Jones of Durand Jones and the Indications talks about his debut solo album, 'Wait Til I Get Over.' It’s an homage to his hometown in the rural south and a love letter to his 17-year-old self. The album also features the first love song Jones has ever written for another man, a process he says was “freeing.” Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Y La Bamba has just released their sixth studio album, 'Lucha.' The project is fronted by Luz Elena Mendoza, whose dreamy vocals weave between Spanish and English. Mendoza speaks with KEXP’s Albina Cabrera about family, Mexican American identity, queerness, and mental health, and how these themes show up in their music. They also discuss Mendoza's recent move from Portland to Mexico and their production work on the new record.Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.