A Deeper Listen

The indie-pop trio MUNA talks about being an openly queer band since they started in 2014, and why they believe the conversation should go beyond “Representation.” They also discuss the transition from a major record label, RCA, to Phoebe Bridgers’ indie label, Saddest Factory Records. 

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Bartees Strange talks about how his latest album, Farm to Table reflects on resilience, family and the death of George Floyd. 

“I think a lot of people see climate change, racism, gender struggles, women’s rights, all these issues are so humongous, huge. Multigenerational struggles. And we all want to fix it, but the way to fix it is to start with yourself. And that’s kind of the message of a lot of songs on Farm to Table is I can’t fix the world, but I can fix me. I can have an impact on my brother and sister. I can have an impact on my community. Looking at the people that made you and the people that you are around and the people you choose to be with and starting there,” Bartees Strange says.  

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To celebrate Juneteenth, we are going to go on a journey through the sonics of Black spirituality. Seattle native and writer Mia Imani highlights some of the musicians and songs that have helped elevate the conversation about Black spirituality, from Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane, to Solange and Flying Lotus.  

https://www.kexp.org/read/2022/6/17/conscious-creations-examining-the-sonics-of-black-spirituality/ 

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Nabil Ayers released a memoir this month called “My Life in the Sunshine.” Ayers is the son of jazz great Roy Ayers who’s known for the song, “Everybody Loves The Sunshine.” Nabil Ayers went on to co-found Seattle’s Sonic Boom records. He played in a few bands including The Long Winters. He was the General Manager of the storied record label 4AD, and this year became the president of an amazing group of record labels called Beggars Group. KEXP’s Larry Mizell Jr. sat down with Nabil Ayers recently to talk about his memoir in which he explores issues of race and about being the son of a famous musician, a man he had only met a handful of times in his life. 

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Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte of Pomplamoose talk about starting their career more than a decade ago by posting viral music videos to YouTube, going on to co-found Patreon and its importance to creators in the music industry, and Nataly talks about recording her new solo record after getting a skin cancer diagnosis.  

“Pomplamoose gets 5-6 million views a month on YouTube and when we were just relying on the ad revenue from that in 2012, 2011, we were making maybe $1,000 a month in ad revenue and I just felt like that is not indicative of the connection and the energy and the community that is out there. We’re not being paid fairly for our contribution and for the work that we are doing,” Conte says. “The really nice thing about Patreon is even with a couple thousand fans, we only have [about] 2,500 Patrons but we’re making $15,000 a month through Patreon.”  

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Poliça’s previous album was written after frontwoman Channy Leaneagh almost gave up her career in music. That’s until she fell off her roof trying to remove ice. Her doctor suggested she rewrite the story of her fall to make it seem less traumatic. The result was the album ‘When We Stay Alive.' It was released just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic swept America. During the pandemic, Channy and the band worked day jobs to get by, but they kept making music together. They have just released a new record called ‘Madness’. On the album, Channy reflects on her pandemic day job working at a grocery store and reclaiming her sexuality after reflecting on her personal experiences with sexual abuse and assault. 

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Fantastic Negrito talks about his new album, 'White Jesus Black Problems,' which was inspired by his discovery that his 7th generation grandparents were an interracial couple, a white indentured servant and an enslaved Black man, who put their lives in danger and challenged white supremacy in the name of love.

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We believe that everyone who runs should have a great soundtrack. Not one curated by an algorithm, but one that’s hand-picked by a DJ who runs too. The Runcast with John Richards brings you a dynamic mix of music and inspiration to keep you company and motivate you on your run, no matter what your level.

Subscribe to KEXP's The Runcast with John Richards, wherever you podcast, and enjoy new episodes every two weeks, June 3 - October 7, 2022.

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Sound & Vision’s mini-series, Apparently, explores the stories of musicians, performers and arts workers who are juggling parenthood with their art.

On this episode, singer-songwriter Michaela Anne talks about singing Carole King's “Child of Mine” at her mother’s hospital bedside for months after her mother had a stroke. At the time, Michaela was pregnant, and her child now recognizes the song when she sings it. Anne discusses the feeling of watching both her baby and mom learn and relearn how to walk and talk together.

“My daughter is learning to walk and I’m just walking the length of the house back and forth with her and that’s what I’ve spent so much time doing with my Mom,” Michaela Anne says.

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Emmy the Great talks about splitting her childhood between China and the UK and how she felt conflicted with her biracial identity. She was seen as white when living in China and "threw away" her Cantonese language when she was living in England.  

“I just sort of grew up code switching, as a natural way of being,” She says. “And as I get older I don’t want to always compartmentalize everything.” 

Celine Teo-Blockey reports on how music and motherhood is helping Emmy The Great embrace both sides of her heritage.

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