Starbody

KEXP is a force to be reckoned with here in Seattle. They have the power of concentrated exposure. While they can claim fans from all over the world (and do on a huge pinned map in the DJ booth) their biggest influence lies here in the Seattle. I’ve scarcely been to a city where so many people not only listen to the same station, but actually like use it as a sign of compatibility with strangers. Their yearly events and regularly sponsored shows routinely sell out weeks in advance. I’ll admit to pulling strings to grab prized tickets to KEXP sponsored The Arcade Fire at Neumo’s last year. And to top it all off, the people that work at the station are a nice bunch of people.

Imagine my surprise at the cover of The Seattle Weekly this morning. The Expensive Expansion of KEXP, the headline read. Immediately, my guess was that this all tied in with the recent announcement that KEXP was abandoning the Olympia/Tacoma KXOT frequency they had purchased back in early 2004. The article details the internal opposition of the acquisition, the fallout from a bad business decision and a $20,000 raise for the executive director, Tom Mara. Considering the record setting pledge drives they run three times a year, I imagine I was not the only person surprised by a lack of funds. The article suggests that the offloading the KXOT signal has resolved most of the stations problems. For the sake of radio listeners everywhere, let’s hope thats the truth.

In other news … Thank goodness Bloodshot Records had the sense to sign Detroit (well Detroit-ish) band Deadstring Brothers. The debut release on the label releases February 21 and word is that it’s amazing. We ran into Kurt the last time we were in Royal Oak and it sounded like things were going well. They had been doing a fair bit of touring in Europe and it sounded as if they had a nice following. I don’t mean that in a “we’re big in Gien” kind of way. If you’re into the sound of so-called Americana and a sound that displays its influences proudly, mark your calendar to pick up Starving Winter Report.

Speaking of Americana, Cat Power releases The Greatest on January 24th. It’s been three years since her last album You Are Free and honestly I was hoping for a more fleshed out sound for the next go round. The two tracks being played on the aforementioned KEXP were still minimal instrumentation but this time enough for a warm sound. Chan’s distinctive voice always sounds as if she’s just finished crying and managed to output emotion onto a CD. I should also clarify when I said “speaking of Americana” I was sort of kidding, but not really. Cat Power’s music to me is soulful and Americana in a different kind of way.

There’s actually lots more, but my machine has been tempermental since the last update to OS X which leaves no time at all to talk about the new Kate Bush titled Aerial, or new Richie Hawtin. Do people still listen to “techno” anymore? I kid. Who doesn’t love the electronica?