Sia’s site

Okay, I *really* love you Sia…but seriously, I think I’m about to die of cute. X3~~~

KEXP’s Realtime Playlist, a typical sample

Anyone who has spoken with me in the last year has probably heard the letters KEXP escape my lips on multiple occasions in any given conversation. There’s a damned good reason for that, too. They are quite possibly the last good radio station on earth. Sure, that sounds pretty dramatic, but with the direction commercial radio has taken over the last 15 years or so, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find a station that is actually staffed by *human beings.* Seriously, most stations have a selection of a hundred or so songs that they play on a loop day in and day out, all pre-programmed to appeal to as many people as possible. The on-air voices are pre-recorded and “requests” are never taken into consideration. It’s a sad state of affairs.

The best thing KEXP has going for it is that it is commercial-free. All its funding comes from listener donations, which means there is NO advertising. The music is chosen by DJs who are 1) human and 2) passionate about music. They have only a few guidelines to follow when choosing music so they are allowed to share with listeners their personal taste, which is really unique. They are huge proponents of the local Seattle music scene, often giving bands their first real airplay ever, and it is not uncommon for them to go on to become quite well-known. I’m quite sure they were the first to notice Death Cab For Cutie, and look where they are today. KEXP often plays musician quotes on air, including one from DCFC’s Ben Gibbard in which he states that “KEXP is the only radio station which doesn’t make me physically ill.”

Another incredible point to consider with this station is their use of new technologies. KEXP is not just a station local to Seattle, it is “streaming in multiple formats all over the world.” KEXP.org offers real-time online streaming of the current broadcast in addition to daily podcasts of free music and two weeks’ worth of archived shows AND recordings of all their live in-studio performances. (Yes, bands come by nearly every day to play LIVE on the station! I believe last year alone saw 370 live performances!) They also offer a real-time playlist which makes listening online really nice so it’s easy to write down the artist and song title when you hear something you like. Their blog offers daily music recommendations and links to mp3s. Much of this technological development comes out of the University of Washington, where the station lived as KCMU before Paul Allen breathed new life into them in conjunction with his Experience Music Project. (From what I understand he offered them a financial donation which kept them afloat over the course of five years, after which they were able to sustain themselves on listener donations alone.)

I tend to listen to the online stream for about 8-10 hours a day while I’m at work, so it is really easy to get to know the DJs’ personalities and tastes, how they feel about the community in which they live, what they did on vacation. They are *real* people. I know it might sound kind of corny to say that, but it’s shockingly true. I’ve been to several KEXP-sponsored events over the last several months and have had a chance to meet a whole slew of people from the station including all three of the daytime DJs (John Richards, Cheryl Waters, and Kevin Cole) as well as some of the overnighters. They are all happy, friendly, awesome people.

In general, the “indie” artists who get airplay on KEXP brings with them a generosity and willingness to give back to the community which supports their music. In addition to the in-studio performances they often give at the station (the best of which make it onto “Live at KEXP” compilation CDs), they also play free shows for members who donate $500 or more to the station. These are small, intimate concerts at a dinner-theatre type venue called the Triple Door, which get broadcast on the station AND recorded for the Seattle Channel, which plays them on the cable channel as well as streaming them online. It’s so incredible to hear a recording of a show I saw live and say “Yes, I was *there*!”

Were it not for this station, my musical knowledge would be limited to “whatever I can find online.” Before moving to Seattle, I’d given up on the idea of radio because it was always the same crap over and over again. Last.fm recommendations became my source for “similar artists” but even that was pretty limiting, and didn’t give me exposure to anything too dissimilar from what I already listened to. When I visited Perth, I was enraptured with TripleJ, their national ABC radio station (formatted somewhat like KEXP, but commercial) and was jealous that Australia had such awesome radio. I had no idea anything like that existed in the US, so imagine my delight when I finally discovered KEXP! I have found so many new artists simply by listening to KEXP every day, going out and buying their music, researching similar artists, and following trails leading me here and there, much like I did with Last.fm, but on a grander scale, and in so many different genres. (On a related note, Easy Street Records is easily the best record shop I’ve ever seen. Not only is their selection extensive, they seem to work really well in conjunction with what is popular on KEXP, so that the whole front display tends to be music I’ve heard and loved on the radio. During an in-store performance British singer-songwriter Alexi Murdoch claimed Easy Street is the best record store he’s ever seen in his life.)

I’ve been a member of the station for the better part of a year now (I started donating pretty much as soon as I had a job and could afford to) and have discovered that it is one of the best uses of my money. I feel really satisfied knowing that I am contributing to a cultural endeavor that actually makes a difference for artists. I feel like I am part of that community, that this affords me the opportunity to interact with musicians as well as fellow music lovers in a situation that is completely unique. (Plus there are little perks like getting 10% off at businesses who support KEXP just by flashing them your membership card!) So many of the sponsored events happen in places that are a fifteen-minute walk from my door! I’m able to go up to musicians after a show, buy their CD for a reduced price, get their autographs, shake thier hands and tell them what their music means to me. All that after standing five feet away from them while they play, taking their photographs, dancing along to their music! Not to mention cover charges of $6 or less and often getting in on the guest list for free. These musicians are grateful for the support listeners give them at these smaller shows and I can tell it means a lot to them when we tell them how we are affected by their art.

If I had more money I would give more money, hands down. KEXP has done so much to help develop my musical tastes and exposed me to so many opportunities to see live shows that I owe them more than I could possibly show through financial donation alone. I am so grateful to have them in my community and that I have the chance to be an active part of the local music scene. At the moment they are in the midst of their final pledge drive for 2006, raising money to fund the station. During these times the generosity of my fellow music lovers really comes through and it makes me so proud to be involved. So do yourself a favor, hop on over to KEXP.org and have a listen to the stream, and if you like what you hear, toss them a few bucks.

Two-dollar coins clack
Gently against each other.
Auditory bliss.

A bit of good news last night: I received the first official notice from USCIS informing me that they received the petition for alien fiance and had assigned us a case number. Woo! Step one officially complete. And thus begins the waiting…

Joseph Arthur at the Triple Door

Weekend in brief:

Thursday: Joseph Arthur at the Triple Door, KEXP VIP Members Event
Friday: The Mugs at the Sunset Tavern, KEXP Ballard Members-Only Event
Sunday: Sufjan Stevens with My Brightest Diamond, The Paramount Theatre

Tony came with me to Joseph Arthur and it was nice to have lunch with him, chat a bit, then catch a drink later…however…I am completely exhausted after all that (was feeling a bit ill over the weekend.) KEXP was sponsoring a second show at the Sunset on Friday night but I felt too ill to stick around. After everyone else bailed on the chance to see Sufjan (*everyone* is getting sick!) I finally convinced Will to come with me. (Thank you Will, it means a lot to me.) Amazing show (I’m in love with My Brightest Diamond now) and we even got to play a little Tetris DS in between acts. I really need a better compact point-and-shoot camera as the pos I have now is hopeless in low-light.

Happy but tired. :D

Canon EOS 30D with crappy kit lens and EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM (image stabilizer, ultrasonic) telephoto lens. I have wanted a digital SLR for *years.* Now I’ll be poor for a long while as I’m learning how to use it. At least it’ll keep me busy.

Side note: sorry for the crappy photo of such a beautiful piece of equipment. I can’t exactly take a photo of the camera in question *with* the camera, now can I?

First trial photo using automatic settings since I have no idea how to work the “manual” controls yet. I’m a bit baffled with this since all the manual SLR cameras I’ve ever used have been fully manual with *no* automatic features. Changing the F stop or shutter speed was a matter of turning a mechanical dial, not watching a LCD screen. Eeee.

Monday, October 2, 2006, 08:54 pm | 1 Comment |