On the show this time, it’s the groovy, new-classic roots-rock of Portland’s Rose City Band.
Rose City Band is the latest project of singer and guitar-wizard - Ripley Johnson. It’s psychedelic country rock - summery, familiar, and comforting. It avoids becoming lost in the morass of bar-band humdrum by simultaneously being truer to its references - and manifesting an indie-original vibe that sounds fresh. With a flexible lineup - drums, bass, guitar, keys, and pedal steel - and hella musicians at each position, the band breezes through each number with such mastery that you find yourself relaxing. It's gonna be ok. They’ve got you. Dance. Sit by the window. Whatever you need, friend.
Their latest record is 'Garden Party' - available on Thrill Jockey and Jean Sandwich Records.
Recorded 05/05/2023.

Empty Bottles
Ramblin' With The Day
Rabbit
Mariposa

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Rose City Band

Live on KEXP brings you the very best of KEXP’s world-renowned live in-studio and remote performances. Each week, we’ll bring you a new live session, from emerging artists to well-established acts, spanning styles, genres and cultures. Full video of all Live on KEXP performances available at youtube.com/kexp.

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On the show this time, it's the cinematic indie-pop of songwriter Caroline Rose.
Caroline Rose is an uncompromising, ever morphing, creative force. They’ve been putting out music since 2012. Originally it was a folky Americana sound, with acoustic guitar, pedal steel and mandolins - though Caroline’s lyrics were already potent with insight, entanglements, despair or dgaf ennui. Artistic evolution has been de rigeur since, and their latest is polished pop-music, as likely to feature the jitter of electronica as it is to sweep in with Hollywood strings.
Consistently though, the album covers have been…Rose colored. The blood-red kind of roses. The new album cover features a rose-red blindfold. It’s called 'The Art of Forgetting' and is available on New West Records.
Recorded 04/28/2023.

Tell Me What You Want
Love Song For Myself
Everywhere I Go I Bring the Rain
Miami

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Caroline Rose

Caroline Rose [Performance & Interview Only]

On the show this time, it's a very special throwback episode, featuring a live performance from the Detroit legend - Rodriguez.
Detroit, Motor City. It churned out all those classic cars, but it is also one of the great American music cities.  Motown obviously, which is enough all on its own. Punk from Suzi Quattro, The Suicide Machines, The Romantics, and the MC5. Pop and R&B; and Hip Hop from Was Not Was, J Dilla, and Anita Baker. Sufjan Stevens, Bob Seger, or Eminem. And - from the quiet streets of Woodbridge came the psych-rocking songwriter Sixto Rodriguez. He released 2 studio albums with little success in the US, but he did well in Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa. In fact, he was a huge hit in South Africa. He didn’t know it at the time. He lived a simple life, working hard for very little money. It wasn’t until his daughter discovered a website about him in the late 90s that he realized how many fans he had in other parts of the world. His records were re-issued by Light in the Attic in 2009 and he toured - including to Seattle. He played many packed concerts to adoring fans - finally getting a taste of the success he deserved. He died in 2023 at the age of 81.
Recorded 06/23/2009.

I Wonder
Forget It
Crucify Your Mind
Can’t Get Away
Inner City Blues
To Whom It May Concern
Sugar Man

Watch the full Live on KEXP performance on YouTube. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rodriguez

Rodriguez [Performance Only]

On the show this time, it’s a stripped down performance from post-garage rockers The Kills.
The Kills met back in the late 90’s when singer Alison Mosshart was staying in London during a tour with a previous band, and met her upstairs neighbor Jamie Hince. She loved his guitar playing and insisted that they be in a band together. That didn’t happen right away, but they kept in touch, and began writing together, and sharing 4 track demos of stuff, from when they were apart. Once her band broke up, Alison moved to London, and the band that would become The Kills formed in 2001, recording as VV and Hotel until they picked the band name. They play hard hitting heavy music, with one foot in bluesy garage rock, the other in epic cinematic noir-pop. It’s glitzy and dirty and always so dang cool. Their latest album is 'God Games' and it is available on Domino.
Recorded 02/07/2024.

New York
Better Days
103
Baby Says
Fried My Little Brains

Watch the full Live on KEXP session on YouTube. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rose City Band

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