Our friends at KEXP came up with a pretty epic 30th birthday gift… and it starts today! KEXP will be honoring every Sub Pop catalog release, in chronological order, over the coming months.
Read on for details…
[Photo Credit: David Ryder/Getty Images, via Pitchfork]
via KEXP: SEATTLE, March 8, 2018 – Legendary independent record label Sub Pop will turn 30 years old this year, and Seattle-based public broadcaster and arts organization KEXP will pay tribute to the label with a four-month retrospective. With over 1,200 releases, the station is planning to honor every single catalog number in the history of the Seattle based label. The tribute will wrap up in time for Sub Pop’s 30th anniversary concert at Alki Beach in West Seattle this August.
“Sub Pop and KEXP go back a long way,” said KEXP Chief Content Officer Kevin Cole. “Our histories are intimately connected - we certainly wouldn’t be who we are without the amazing music and incredible community that Sub Pop has helped to create here in Seattle. Sub Pop is family to KEXP.”
Sub Pop co-founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman each had a show on KEXP’s predecessor, KCMU, prior to the formation of the label. Pavitt’s show - Sub Pop USA - focused on celebrating artists and releases on independent regional labels, while Poneman was one of the first hosts of Audioasis, the local music program that still airs weekly on KEXP. Mark Arm of Sub Pop bands Mudhoney and Green River, and Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil had shows on KCMU, as did Charles Peterson, well-known for capturing iconic photographs of the nascent Seattle grunge scene on behalf of the label.
“Bruce Pavitt and I both had air shifts at the former KCMU. KEXP is sort of KCMU unchained, except that the present KEXP air staff have been trained, get paid and drink fancier coffee,” said Jonathan Poneman. “KCMU and Sub Pop Records both began as a pastime for music hobbyists who liked to stay indoors and play records. It’s been our good fortune to have successfully nurtured a reciprocal relationship with our hometown, Seattle: by providing great music to our community, people support it and listen.”
According to an account on HistoryLink, Poneman and Pavitt were first introduced to Nirvana as KCMU DJs, through a demo tape they received from producer Jack Endino. The tape was enough to get the band its first-ever radio airplay for demo versions of ‘Floyd the Barber’ and ‘Paper Cuts,’ songs which would show up over a year later on Bleach. After Sub Pop released Nirvana’s first official single, ‘Love Buzz’, in 1988, Kurt Cobain personally gave a copy to KCMU, and then sat in his car with the radio tuned to the station. When the DJ didn’t put the record on immediately, Cobain found a pay phone and called the station to request it himself.
“Bands were very aware of the role KCMU was playing in helping them out,” said Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil in an oral history of KCMU/KEXP published in CityArts Magazine in 2015. “KCMU was a networking hub for that seminal Seattle scene, Sub Pop and what came to be known as grunge, though I hate that word. It pivoted around KCMU.”
To this day, a strong connection remains. In 2013, KEXP helped celebrate Sub Pop’s 25th Anniversary with a live broadcast of Sub Pop artists performing on top of the Space Needle.
“We probably play more artists from Sub Pop than any other label,” said KEXP’s John Richards, host of The Morning Show on KEXP. “And that’s not necessarily on purpose, or because we feel like we need to play their music - it’s just that good, and their catalog is that deep. Every DJ on KEXP picks their own music, and with Sub Pop, there’s an amazing breadth and variety of killer releases to choose from.”
“Over the past 30 years Sub Pop has been home to the era-defining rock of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney and the label has also had the privilege of releasing music from artists like Shabazz Palaces, whose art is endlessly expansive and whose creativity is unparalleled,” said Sub Pop CEO Megan Jasper. “We are so proud to work with so many musicians whose songs have changed our moods, our culture and us as individuals. And we can’t wait to learn what the next 30 years will bring!”
The Sub Pop Count-Up will begin on the first full weekday of KEXP’s 2018 Spring Fundraising Drive, on Monday March 12th. Throughout the following months, KEXP DJs will honor each Sub Pop catalog item in chronological order, including full albums, singles, EPs, compilations, early Sub Pop fan zines, and even a wedding soundtrack. KEXP.ORG will also feature online-exclusive content, interviews and more throughout the four-month tribute.
KEXP is a music-focused nonprofit arts organization serving music lovers and artists through in-person, broadcast, and online music programming. KEXP operates one of the most influential listener-supported music radio stations in the country, KEXP-FM, Seattle. More than 200,000 listeners from around the world tune in to the station each week over the air and online. On KEXP’s YouTube channel, videos of exclusive in-studio performances garner more than 2.4 million views per week. KEXP produces hundreds of live performances and music events each year, many of which are open to public audiences at no charge. More information at kexp.org.
In lieu of a proper showcase this year, Sub Pop and Hardly Art artists Bully, Kyle Craft, La Luz, METZ, Moaning and Dick Stusso will be performing in Austin, Texas next week. Below you will find a detailed schedule of our artists shows, as well as sampling of their music. See ya down there!
‘Forth Wanderers’ will be available April 27th worldwide on Sub Pop
The songs on Forth Wanderers’ Sub Pop debut are introspective, with meditations on relationships, discovery, and finding oneself adrift. Despite the inherent heaviness of those themes, Forth Wanderers feels joyous, a rock record bursting with heart. The album’s opening track “Nevermine” is the perfect summation of feelings and themes, with singer Ava Trilling’s lyricism exuding a surge of confidence inspired by an ex-lover who is still captivated by her image. “I don’t think I know who you are anymore/ and I don’t think I knew who I was before” she jabs with relish”
Noisey premiered the track and offered this, “It’s a winding, restless, half-paced song in which Trilling jabs confidently at a former partner: “I am the one you think of when you’re with her.” It never quite settles down, flitting between its four sections, each of which is catchy enough to be a chorus on its own. [see Noisey premiere March 8th].”
Forth Wanderers have scheduled three Northeastern U.S. dates with Fat Possum recording act Hoops May 3rd-5th, 2018.
May 03 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel * May 04 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church * May 05 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel * *w/ Hoops
Forth Wanderers, featuring the standouts “Nevermine,” “Not for Me” and “Ages Ago,” and was produced and recorded by Cameron Konner in Philadelphia over 5 days in the summer of 2017. The album will be available on CD/LP/CS/DL through Sub Pop over here. LP pre-orders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on opaque orange vinyl.
Recorded over five days by friend and audio engineer Cameron Konner at his Philadelphia home studio, Forth Wanderers amplifies the heartfelt sentiments of the band’s earlier works into massive anthems. Ben Guterl and Duke Greene’s guitars have never sounded so sharp, Noah Schifrin and Zach Lorelli’s terse rhythm section is restless, and vocalist-lyricist Ava Trilling seems more self-assured than ever. “We have embraced our roles in the collaboration process,” says Guterl. “Everyone’s gotten better at their instruments and we trust each other more because we know how the machine works.” This spirit soars through Forth Wanderers, resulting in exuberant, profound songs driven by tightly bound melodies and a loving attention to detail (read more at Sub Pop).
Headlining worldwide tour dates: April 30th-October 20th, 2018
Cry those tears of joy, because Beach House will release 7, the group’s 7th full-length record, on CD/LP/CS/DL May 11th, 2018. The new Beach House album will be available worldwide on Sub Pop, except in Europe and Australia/New Zealand, where it will be released by Bella Union and Mistletone.
7 features standouts including the Valentine’s Day ‘18 single “Lemon Glow”, along with “Black Car,” “Drunk In LA,” “Dark Spring,” and today, their latest offering, the transcendent “Dive”. All of the songs on 7began in Beach House’s home studio in Baltimore, and were finished at Carriage House in Stamford, CT and Palmetto Studio in Los Angeles. The album was mixed by Alan Moulder.
[Photo Credit: Shawn Brackbill]
Beach House (Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand) released B-sides and Rarities in 2017, which served as a proverbial “cleaning out the closet” to pave way for a new creative process. Their approach in the creation of 7 was rebirth and rejuvenation. Scally and Legrand used to limit themselves to what they thought they could perform live, but this time that limitation was ignored. Also, instead of one long studio session, Beach House recorded when inspired by batches of songs, which resulted in five mini-sessions over the course of eleven months.
Unlike the last four albums, 7 didn’t have a producer in the traditional sense. Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom (Peter Kember) became a significant force on this record by shedding conventions and helping to keep the songs alive, fresh, and protected from the destructive elements of recording studio overproduction and over-perfection. The band’s trusted live drummer from 2016 to the present, James Barone, played on the entire record, helping to keep rhythm at the center of a lot of these songs.
7 is available for preorder now from Sub Pop, Bella Union (Europe), and Mistletone (Australia / New Zealand). Pre-orders of the LP through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser Edition on opaque yellow vinyl. There will also be a new T-shirt design available.
7 Tracklisting: 1. Dark Spring 2. Pay No Mind 3. Lemon Glow 4. L’Inconnue 5. Drunk in LA 6. Dive 7. Black Car 8. Lose Your Smile 9. Woo 10. Girl Of The Year 11. Last Ride
Beach House has also scheduled a massive, worldwide tour in support of 7 beginning April 30th in Chattanooga, TN at the Signal and ending October 20th in Dublin, IE at Vicar Street. This includes the album release show in Mexico City.
Early pre-sales for these shows begin March 8th at 10am (local time), with tickets on sale for the general public March 9th at 10am (local time). For additional information regarding tickets and more, visit Beach House’s website over here.
Apr. 30 - Chattanooga, TN - The Signal May 01 - New Orleans, LA - Civic Theatre May 02 - Little Rock, AR - Metroplex Live May 04 - Oxford, MS - The Lyric May 05 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom May 07 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre May 08 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls May 11 - Mexico City, MX - Auditorio Blackberry (ALBUM RELEASE SHOW) Jul. 26 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre Jul. 27 - Chapel Hill, NC - The Ritz Jul. 28 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead theatre Jul. 30 - Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory Jul. 31 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at the Moody Theatre Aug. 02 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre Aug. 03 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Forever Cemetery Aug. 05 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory at North Park Aug. 07 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre Aug. 10 - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium Aug. 12 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theatre Aug. 14 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot Aug. 15 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre Aug. 17 - Minneapolis, MN - The Palace Theatre Aug. 18 - Chicago, Il - Chicago Theatre Aug. 19 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre Aug. 20 - Toronto, ON - Sony Centre Aug. 22 - New York, NY - United Palace Theatre Aug. 23 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre Aug. 24 - Boston, MA - House of Blues Aug. 25 - Washington, DC - The Anthem Sep. 25 - Lisbon, Portugal - Colisseum Sep. 26 - Porto, Portugal - Teatro sa da Bandeira Sep. 30 - Lyon, France - Epicerie Moderne Oct. 01 - Köln, DE - Gloria Oct. 02 - Berlin, DE - Huxleys Oct. 04 - Lund, SE - Mejeriet Oct. 05 - Gothenburg, SE - Tradgarn: Oct. 07 - Oslo, NO - Rockefeller Oct. 08 - Stockholm, SE- Munchenbryggeriet Oct. 09 - Copenhagen, DK - Forum Black Box Oct. 11 - Hamburg, DE - Kampnagel Oct. 12 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg Oct. 13 - Brussels, BE - AB Oct. 15 - Paris, FR - Olympia Oct. 18 - London, UK - Troxy Oct. 19 - Manchester, UK - Albert Hall Oct. 20 - Dublin, IE - Vicar Street
Chad VanGaalen has delivered a beautiful, amorphous video for “Host Body,” one of the standouts from Light Information, his acclaimed album of 2017.
“The theme of the video is paranoia and the illusion of reality. All of the beings in the animation are affected by how they perceive themselves through the internet, or through technological devices they have come in contact with. In this animated take on the song, the ‘parasitic demon’ is the worshiping and addiction of the augmented reality,” VanGaalen says of the new visual, which he animated meticulously over the last four months.
Chad VanGaalen has also scheduled a mainland and eastern European tour in support of Light Information for 2018, which begins May 26th in Madrid, Spain at Tomavistas Festival and ends June 5th in Krakow, Poland at Green Zoo. The tour will make additional stops in Belgium (Brussels), Netherlands (Amsterdam, Groningen) Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow), and Poland (Warsaw).
May 26 - Madrid, ES - Tomavistas Festival May 29 - Brussels, BE - AB club May 30 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso May 31 - Groningen, NL - Vera Jun. 02 - St. Petersburg, RU - Erarta Stage Jun. 03 - Moscow, RU - 16 Tons Jun. 04 - Warsaw, PL - Plac Zabaw Jun. 05 - Krakow, PL - Green Zoo
These tour dates follow a visit to Germany in April 24-29 for the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film. The festival will be featuring a program retrospective of Chad’s animation work, a screening of his short sci-fi film “Tarboz”, and a live performance accompanied by visuals.
Light Information is available now on CD / LP / DL / CS worldwide on Sub Pop and in Canada through Flemish Eye.
Frankie Cosmos will release Vessel worldwide on March 30th via Sub Pop Records. You can now hear the band’s latest single “Apathy” via Stereogum as well as read a lengthy interview with frontwoman Greta Kline (see Stereogum feature March 1st).
The band will embark on a world tour in support of Vessel beginning on April 5th in Boulder, CO with stops in Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Seattle, with newly added US and European dates in May and June.
Apr. 05 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater * Apr. 06 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep * Apr. 07 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf * Apr. 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom * Apr. 10 - San Diego, CA - Quartyard % Apr. 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent Theatre % Apr. 12 - Santa Ana, CA - The Constellation Room % Apr. 13 - Fresno, CA - Strummers % Apr. 14 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre % Apr. 17 - Seattle, WA - Neumos % Apr. 18 - Olympia, WA - Capitol Theater % Apr. 20 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom % Apr. 30 - Pawtucket, RI - The Met May 01 - New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place May 02 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair @ May 03 - Burlington, VT - ArtsRiot @ May 04 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount @ May 05 - Toronto, ON - The Rec Room @ May 06 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Pyramid Scheme May 07 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall May 09 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East May 10 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle (Back Room) May 11 - Richmond, VA - Capital Ale House May 12 - Washington, DC - Black Cat May 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer May 22 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain May 23 - Hamburg, DE - Aalhaus May 24 - Ghent, BE - DOKbox May 25 - Amsterdam, NL - - London Calling at Paradiso (Small Hall) May 26 - Paris, France - Petit Bain May 28 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla May 29 - Glasgow, UK - The Art School May 30 - Bristol, UK - The Fleece May 31 - London, UK - Scala Jun. 01 - Lille, France - Aeronef Jun. 08 - Queens, NY - Forest Hills Stadium # Jul. 14 - Madrid, ES - Mad Cool Festival
* w/ Lomelda @ Florist & Lala Lala % w/ Ian Sweet and SOAR # w/ Belle & Sebastian, Perfume Genius
Preorders for Vessel are available now through Sub Pop here. LP pre orders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on blue vinyl (while supplies last).
What are The People saying about Frankie Cosmos? Glad you asked:
“Frankie Cosmos know how good it feels to acknowledge how epically, infuriatingly, beautifully helpless love can be.” [“Being Alive” Best New Track Review] - Pitchfork
“’Being Alive’ flutters like a heartbeat, careening in and out of heavy motion and rest.” [“Being Alive” Track Review] - Stereogum
“The song has Kline wandering through apathy, thinking about the things she could’ve done if she’d had the energy or will, poking at her subconscious.” [“Jesse” Track review] - Noisey
